Carbon Accumulation, Soil Microbial and Enzyme Activities in Elephant Foot Yam-Based Intercropping System

Tamilselvan Ilakiya (), Ramakrishnan Swarnapriya (), Lakshmanan Pugalendhi, Vellingiri Geethalakshmi, Arunachalam Lakshmanan, Manoj Kumar () and José M. Lorenzo
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Tamilselvan Ilakiya: Department of Vegetable Science, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India
Ramakrishnan Swarnapriya: Floriculture Research Station, Kanyakumari 629302, India
Lakshmanan Pugalendhi: Department of Vegetable Science, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India
Vellingiri Geethalakshmi: Agro-Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India
Arunachalam Lakshmanan: School of Post Graduate Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India
Manoj Kumar: Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division, ICAR—Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai 400019, India
José M. Lorenzo: Área de Tecnoloxía dos Alimentos, Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade de Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Intercropping is a sustainable, eco-friendly, and economically beneficial cropping system. Elephant foot yam (EFY), a multifarious long-duration vegetable, takes 60 days or more to spread its canopy. Hence, this research assessed the impact of intercropping short duration vegetables, viz., cluster bean, radish, Amaranthus, and fenugreek, in elephant foot yam for two seasons (2021 and 2021/22). It included the analysis of parameters such as carbon accumulation, soil chemical properties, nutrient, enzyme, and microbial activities. The findings revealed that for both the seasons there was a significant ( p < 0.01) rise in all the parameters examined in the intercropping patterns. Cluster bean (legume) outperformed the other intercrops utilised. Overall, carbon accumulation was improved by 54.40% when cluster beans were intercropped in EFY. Cluster bean intercropping increased the microbial and enzyme activities in the soil rhizosphere and improved soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium by 31, 42, 28, 37, and 11%, respectively, compared to the sole crop. A positive correlation was observed between the soil microbes and enzyme activity with the soil chemical properties. As a result, the research concludes that intercropping cluster bean in EFY promotes carbon accumulation, soil nutrients, enzymes, and microbial community, which, in turn, favour the productivity of the elephant foot yam.

Keywords: cropping system; legume; microbiome; soil health; sustainable production; tuber crop (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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