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NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY IN WINTER WHEAT - WINTER PEA INTERCROPPING SYSTEM

Antonín Kintl

Abstract

Mixed intercropping of cereal-leguminose presents important tool to increase efficiency of using nitrogen from soil and fixing it from air while current recovery of soil fertility. The paper presents first results of a field experiment after its start in 2012. The main goals of a presented study were as follows: (a) to describe setting and assessing the results of the experiment in the system of mixed cereal-legume culture, (b) to investigate the utilization of N in the mixed culture of winter wheat and winter pea; (c) to investigate effect of mixed culture cultivation on grain yield of winter wheat and winter pea. Nitrogen use efficiency was evaluated by NUE value, and cultivation of intercropping system was performed by the field experiment. Five variants were established: monoculture (sole crop) of winter wheat (WW) fertilized by Nmin (140 kg ha/year), mixed culture of winter wheat and winter pea in ratio 1:1 with (112 and 70 kg N ha/year) and without N addition. Three replicates of 2 x 10 m plots per a treatment were arrayed in blocked design. The lowest level of nitrogen use efficiency was found in SC of WW (NUE = 69 %). This value demonstrates a potential risk of Nmin leaching from soil (SC ? WW). On the other hand, the highest values of NUE (> 95 %) were detected in variants with IC. The values above a threshold of NUE (95 %) can indicate a potential negative effect of IC cultivation on soil fertility because of difference between applied (fertilization) and harvested amount of N.

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