Version 1
: Received: 3 December 2023 / Approved: 4 December 2023 / Online: 4 December 2023 (07:45:39 CET)
How to cite:
Marcillo-Paguay, C.A.; Revelo-Gómez, E.G.; Igua-Urbano, E.P.; Martinez, E. Flower Strips Increase Land Efficiency Use in Associated Crops: Broccoli-Lettuce. Preprints2023, 2023120159. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0159.v1
Marcillo-Paguay, C.A.; Revelo-Gómez, E.G.; Igua-Urbano, E.P.; Martinez, E. Flower Strips Increase Land Efficiency Use in Associated Crops: Broccoli-Lettuce. Preprints 2023, 2023120159. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0159.v1
Marcillo-Paguay, C.A.; Revelo-Gómez, E.G.; Igua-Urbano, E.P.; Martinez, E. Flower Strips Increase Land Efficiency Use in Associated Crops: Broccoli-Lettuce. Preprints2023, 2023120159. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0159.v1
APA Style
Marcillo-Paguay, C.A., Revelo-Gómez, E.G., Igua-Urbano, E.P., & Martinez, E. (2023). Flower Strips Increase Land Efficiency Use in Associated Crops: Broccoli-Lettuce. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0159.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Marcillo-Paguay, C.A., Erika Paola Igua-Urbano and Eliana Martinez. 2023 "Flower Strips Increase Land Efficiency Use in Associated Crops: Broccoli-Lettuce" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0159.v1
Abstract
Diversification in agroecosystems can increase the sustainability of agricultural production and reduce input dependence in agroecological transitions. This study evaluated the effects of intercropping and the introduction of flowering (aromatic) plant strips on the ratio of land use efficiency and crop damage for broccoli and lettuce association. Two experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in experimental plots in southwestern Colombia. Crop association alone did not impact crop yield; the production was higher in the lettuce monoculture. However, in the presence of flowering plant strips, the land use equivalent ratio (LER) is >1 in the two years of study, with a high yield for broccoli. Regarding the damage by the silverback moth Plutella xilostella L on broccoli, no differences were found between crops established with or without flower strips. Similarly, flower strips did not affect the incidence of lettuce rot caused by Sclerotinia spp. In summary, our results support the idea that farmers can introduce flower strips into their horticultural fields to improve the eco-productive efficiency of their farms and reduce dependence on external polluting inputs. However, further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these results.
Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
