Effect of intercropping sunflower with legumes on some sunflower morphological traits

Abstract

Given that climate change is a burning issue, agriculture must turn to more sustainable and environmentally friendly systems, counting intercropping. Within a two-year study of intercropping sunflower with legumes, the influence of this system on sunflower plant height and head diameter was investigated. The aim of research was to evaluate the effects of sunflower-legume intercropping on these traits, considering the possibility of competition between crops. The field trial was set up in April 2017 and 2018 at Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia experimental field in moderate-continental climate. Year 2017 was extremely arid with the sum of precipitation different compared to 2018. Plant height and head diameter of hybrids Rimi PR, Dukat and NS Gricko, intercropped with common vetch, red clover and alfalfa were compared with control, i.e. same sunflower hybrids grown as a sole crop. It was observed that intense growth of common vetch suppressed the growth of sunflower, and led to a decrease in measured traits in all three hybrids. Results indicated that the following combinations of sunflower and legumes are most desirable: NS Gricko/RC, Dukat/ALF, Dukat/RC and Rimi PR/ RC depending on the agro-ecological conditions. Given that the experiment was performed in years that varied significantly in agro-ecological conditions, the results indicated that red clover and alfalfa can mitigate the negative effects caused by lack of precipitation and high temperatures. In order to better understand all aspects of sunflowerlegume intercropping, further research, which should include other morphological, qualitative and quantitative indicators, is needed.