Strip intercropping with local crops increased Aconitum carmichaeli yield and soil quality

Chen Liu; Pengdong Yan; Zhenyu Liu; Jianglan Zhang; Guoyan Zhang; Langjun Cui

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1147671

Strip intercropping with local crops increased Aconitum carmichaeli yield and soil quality

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 3:14:1147671. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1147671. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Chen Liu¹, Pengdong Yan¹, Zhenyu Liu¹, Jianglan Zhang¹, Guoyan Zhang², Langjun Cui¹

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
² Chenggu County Qunli Traditional Chinese Medicine Cooperative, Chenggu, China.

Abstract

Aconitum carmichaeli Debx. is a traditional Chinese medicine that is cultivated in China and Japan. However, the monoculturing of this herb substantially decreases soil quality. Therefore, scientific planting management is crucial for resolving the current problems in the cultivation of A. carmichaeli. In this study, we conducted a comparative study on the soil environmental characteristics, herb growth and quality of A. carmichaeli intercropping with five local crops in two different areas. Herb growth and quality, including biomass and secondary metabolites, and rhizosphere soil environmental characteristics were measured. The results showed that the intercropping with the five local crops substantially improved the A. carmichaeli biomass and polysaccharide content, decreased the disease index, and altered three monoester diterpenoid alkaloids and three diester diterpenoid alkaloids accumulations. The intercrops also increased the soil pH, nitrogen-cycling-gene abundances, and potentially beneficial microorganism abundances, and it also changed the soil nutrient levels. Moreover, these intercropping patterns could alleviate the continuous cropping obstacles of A. carmichaeli. According to a comprehensive evaluation of the A. carmichaeli growth and quality, as well as the soil quality, the best intercropping systems were the A. carmichaeli intercropping with rice, maize, and peanut. In summary, the strip-intercropping systems could improve the A. carmichaeli growth and soil quality, and be beneficial to the sustainable ecological planting of A. carmichaeli.

Keywords: Aconitum carmichaeli Debx.; TOPSIS; agronomic traits; microbial communities; soil quality; strip intercropping.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Science and Technology Project to Benefit the People (2012GS610102), Central University Innovation Team Project (GK202001006), Key Technologies R & D Program of Shaanxi Province (2019ZDLSF04-01-01, 2020SF-326,2022SF-591).