Interactions between Plants and Plant-Soil in Functionally Complex Mixtures including Grass Pea, Faba Bean and Niger, Intercropped with Oilseed Rape

Winter oilseed rape (OSR) can be grown intercropped with frost-sensitive service plant mixtures. This practice may reduce weed pressure and contribute to providing N for OSR after freezing. However, there is little knowledge of how plants interact together the soil in diverse annual crop To assess these interactions, two contrasting legume were selected: faba bean grass pea, as well a non-legume, niger plant. legumes then mesocosms alone or mixtures four species. The biomass, contents, N2 fixation, substrate-induced respiration measured. A single species mostly drove total dry biomass amount accumulated by cover, weight respectively. Grass pea was highly sensitive competition OSR, its fixation lower than that bean. addition did not lead additional accumulation contributed reducing biomass. specific composition mixture explain microorganism activity.