Effect of Short-Term Zero Tillage and Legume Intercrops on Soil Quality, Agronomic and Physiological Aspects of Cotton under Arid Climate

Muhammad Faisal Saleem, Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Habib ur Rahman, Muhammad Imran, Rashid Iqbal, Walid Soufan, Subhan Danish, Rahul Datta, Karthika Rajendran and Ayman EL Sabagh
Additional contact information
Muhammad Faisal Saleem: Department of Agronomy, MNS—University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan
Abdul Ghaffar: Department of Agronomy, MNS—University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan
Muhammad Habib ur Rahman: Department of Agronomy, MNS—University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan
Muhammad Imran: Department of Soil Science, MNS—University of Agriculture, Multan 60000, Pakistan
Rashid Iqbal: Department of Agronomy, The Islamia University Bahawalpur, Punjab 63100, Pakistan
Walid Soufan: Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Subhan Danish: Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
Rahul Datta: Department of Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
Karthika Rajendran: Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), VIT School of Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning (VAIAL), Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Ayman EL Sabagh: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kafrelsheikh, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: A detailed field experiment was carried out to study the effect of conventional and zero tillage and legume intercrops on soil health indicators and cotton productivity and also yield components of leguminous crops at the Research Farm, MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. The field experiment was comprised of four legume intercrops (no intercrops (sole cotton), mung bean, mash bean, and soybean) and two tillage systems (three years zero tillage (ZT) and long-term conventional tillage (CT)). The CT showed the highest plant height (121 cm), total bolls per plant (22.9 bolls), boll weight (2.74 g) and seed yield (2031 kg ha −1 ) of the cotton crop, as compared to ZT. The highest leaf transpiration rate (9.28 mmol H 2 O m −2 s −1 ), net leaf photosynthetic rate (27.17 µmol m −2 s −1 ), stomatal conductance (0.493 mmol m −2 s −1 ), chlorophyll content (62.3 SPAD value), plant height (123 cm), total bolls per plant (24.4), boll weight (2.83 g), and seed yield (2090 kg ha −1 ) of cotton crop were recorded when it was grown as a sole crop, as compared to legume intercrops. However, soil organic matter (0.77%), phosphorus (8.08 mg kg −1 ), potassium (253 mg kg −1 ), and microbial population (7.26 × 10 6 Cfu) were higher in ZT than in CT. Mung bean showed a maximum number of pods (32), seed yield (173 kg ha −1 ), biomass (950 kg ha −1 ), and harvest index (19.0%), when intercropped with cotton. The highest land equivalent ratio and area time equivalent ratio were recorded in mung bean and cotton intercropping, grown under a CT system. Furthermore, the maximum benefit-cost ratio was recorded in mung bean and cotton intercropping, over sole cotton cropping under CT (1.75) and ZT (1.67) systems. The ZT and intercropping of leguminous crops with cotton might be a promising option for increasing the seed cotton yield, seed yield of leguminous crops, system profitability, and sustainability of soil health.

Keywords: legume intercrop; soil productivity; sustainable agriculture; tillage practices; soil organic matter (SOM) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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