Aims

Mixed cropping systems such as intercropping and crop rotation have been proven to be sustainable agronomic tools that provide agro-ecological services and improve crop yield through soil physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of different mixed cropping systems on a crop well-adapted to high temperatures and low precipitation, like purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) and to study the underlying microbial mechanisms involved.

Methods

A field experiment in a semiarid region of southern Spain was conducted to study the short-term effects of crop rotation (R) and intercropping (I) with peas or cowpeas, as well as a combination of both (IR) on purslane yield and soil quality parameters such as microbial enzymatic activity, bacterial diversity, microbial composition and functionality.

Results

All the tested treatments increased purslane yield without significant differences among each other, but only the R and IR treatments affected the rhizospheric soil properties, through the increase of the enzymatic activities and the modification of the bacterial composition and functionality, and promoted organic matter degrading bacteria such as Bacillaceae, Myxococcaceae, and Planococcaceae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mainly Rhizobiaceae and Beijerinckiaceae.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates how sustainable cropping practices may improve the yield of a low maintenance crop like purslane under low-maintenance conditions by improving soil fertility in semiarid areas and also provides insights into the biological mechanisms responsible for the recorded effects.

中文翻译：

---

通过豆科植物间作和作物轮作优化马齿苋种植：产量和根际细菌群落的研究

 目标

间作和作物轮作等混合种植系统已被证明是可持续的农艺工具，可提供农业生态服务，并通过土壤中的物理、化学和生物变化提高作物产量。在这项研究中，我们旨在评估不同的混合种植系统对适应高温和低降水的作物的影响，如马齿苋 （Portulaca oleracea L.），并研究所涉及的潜在微生物机制。

 方法

在西班牙南部的一个半干旱地区进行了一项田间试验，以研究作物轮作 （R） 和与豌豆或豇豆间作 （I） 的短期影响，以及两者的组合 （IR） 对马齿苋产量和土壤质量参数的短期影响，例如微生物酶活性、细菌多样性、微生物组成和功能。

 结果

所有供试处理均提高了马齿苋产量，彼此之间无显著差异，但只有 R 和 IR 处理通过增加酶活性和改变细菌组成和功能影响了马齿苋的土壤性质，促进了芽孢杆菌科、粘球菌科和浮球菌科等有机质降解细菌和固氮菌， 主要是 Rhizobiaceae 和 Beijerinckiaceae。

 结论

本研究展示了可持续种植实践如何通过提高半干旱地区的土壤肥力，在低维护条件下提高马齿苋等低维护作物的产量，并提供了对导致记录效应的生物学机制的见解。