title: Evaluation of vegetable-faba bean (Vicia faba L.) intercropping under Latvian agro-ecological conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monoculture is used mostly in conventional agriculture, where a single crop is cultivated on the same land for a period of at least 12 months. In an organic and integrated growing approach, more attention is paid to plant-environment interactions and, as a result, diverse growing systems applying intercropping, catch crops, and green manure are being implemented. Thus, field experiments for evaluation of vegetable/faba bean full intercropping efficiency, in terms of vegetable and faba bean yield and protein content, were set up during two consecutive growing seasons (2014 and 2015).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data obtained showed that the most efficient intercropping variants were cabbage/faba bean (cabbage yield 1.27-2.91 kg m-2, immature faba bean pods 0.20-0.43 kg m-2) and carrot/faba bean (carrot yield 1.67-2.28 kg m-2, immature faba bean pods 0.10-0.52 kg m-2), whilst onion and faba bean intercrop is not recommended for vegetable growing since it induces a very low onion yield (0.66-1.09 kg m-2), although the highest immature faba bean pod yield was found in the onion/faba bean intercropping scheme (up to 0.56 kg m-2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vegetable/faba bean intercropping can be used in practical horticulture for carrot and cabbage growing in order to ensure sustainable farming and environmentally friendly horticultural production. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Pūre Horticultural Research Centre (PHRC), Pūre, Tukuma nov, Latvia.|Institute of Horticulture, Latvian University of Agriculture, Dobeles nov., Latvia.
authors.forename: Līga
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lepse
authors.affiliation: Pūre Horticultural Research Centre (PHRC), Pūre, Tukuma nov, Latvia.|Institute of Horticulture, Latvian University of Agriculture, Dobeles nov., Latvia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dane
authors.affiliation: Institute of Horticulture, Latvian University of Agriculture, Dobeles nov., Latvia.
authors.forename: Solvita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeipiņa
authors.affiliation: UTAD-CITAB - Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto, Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Perles
authors.affiliation: UTAD-CITAB - Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto, Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Eduardo As
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rosa
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D001937:Brassica / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development*; D018552:Daucus carota / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D019697:Onions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D031307:Vicia faba / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008372:Manure; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: dehydrogenase activity; horticultural crops; hydrothermal coefficient, soil biological activity; legumes