Effect of cumin intercropping density on cotton growth and system economic benefits under subsurface drip irrigation

• 全文链接

地下滴灌条件下孜然间作密度对棉花生长及系统经济效益的影响

关键词：

来源：

JOURNAL OF COTTON RESEARCH

全文链接：

//agri.nais.net.cn/topic/downloadFile/6b19c4af-1e0a-4741-9c15-9074f431c1d8

来源地址：

https://jcottonres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42397-025-00229-x

资源所属：

棉花遗传育种

类型：

学术文献

语种：

英语

原文发布日期：

2025-06-12

摘要：

BackgroundThe mulch-free subsurface drip irrigation system demonstrated water-saving potential as an alternative to traditional mulch-based drip irrigation while also eliminating residual film pollution at source. However, delayed sowing is unavoidable in mulch-free cultivation in ecological regions with a short frost-free period. Intercropping with cumin, which has a shorter growth period, served as an effective strategy to improve land use efficiency during the early growth stages of cotton. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted to study the effects of intercropping cumin at the seeding rate of 2.5 (ID1), 3.85 (ID2), and 5.2 (ID3) kg<middle dot>hm-2 on cotton growth, interspecies competition, fiber quality, and water use efficiency (WUE), as well as system economic benefits under subsurface drip irrigation. Monocropping cotton was used as the control (CK) treatment.ResultsAt the initial flowering (IF) stage (the end of the co-growth period of cotton and cumin), cotton plant height in ID2 and ID3 treatments decreased by 5.93%-16.53% and 10.87%-31.11%, respectively, cotton stem diameter by 11.41%-14.25% and 3.37%-26.49%, respectively, and vegetative biomass by 14.46%-30.65% and 22.59%-49.91%, respectively, compared with CK treatment. With the increase in cumin density, the crop growth rate (CGR) and compensation effect in cotton tended to significantly decrease at the IF stage regardless of organs considered. For the non-co-growth period (after harvesting cumin), cotton reproductive organ biomass in ID2 and ID3 treatments increased by 4.09%-14.61% at the boll opening stage, crop growth rate in reproductive organs by 20.74% and 74.26% from peak boll to boll opening stages compared with CK treatment, due to an enhancement of 19.09% and 49.30% in the compensation effect. Compared with ID1, the aggressivity treated by ID2 and ID3 decreased by 12.82%-46.34% and 17.95%-31.71%, respectively. However, owing to a greater number of green bolls in the upper canopy at the harvest stages in the ID3 treatment, the system production value (closely related to yield) treated by ID2 was 11.69%-16.89%, 6.56%-20.02%, and 16.48%-59.83% greater than that of the ID1, ID3, and CK treatments, respectively. This also led to the highest WUE and net profit under the ID2 treatment.ConclusionIntercropping cumin with medium density improved the cotton biomass accumulation characteristics and increased resources such as land and water utilization efficiency and economic benefits through a stronger compensation effect after harvesting cumin under subsurface drip irrigation without mulch. This study not only provides alternatives to residual film pollution in arid cotton fields but also establishes a sustainable agro-ecological-economic planting paradigm by reducing plastic use and enhancing water and fertilizer use efficiency, holding significant implications for advancing resource-efficient agricultural systems.