Abstract

Intercropping has been widely studied owing to its potential to increase crop production and improve soil properties. The combination of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lupin (Lupinus albus L.), along with P fertilization, has shown promising results in enhancing wheat yield. This study investigated the effects of intercropping wheat with chickpea and lupin, as well as P fertilization, on wheat yield, soil properties, and root morphological characteristics. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate chemical properties, basal soil respiration, and enzymatic activity. The results revealed that intercropping with chickpea and lupin, along with the addition of P, significantly increased the relative wheat yield compared with monoculture. The land equivalent ratio (LER) was also influenced by P fertilization, with wheat/lupin showing higher values than wheat/chickpea. Furthermore, aerial biomass exhibited significant differences between cropping systems and P fertilization, with the P+ treatment (220 kg ha(-1)) resulting in 24% higher aerial biomass during anthesis in the wheat/chickpea intercropping system than in wheat monocrops. The findings of this study indicate that the cropping system did not have a substantial impact on soil chemical properties. However, the interaction between cropping system and P fertilization had a significant effect on soil basal respiration. Although phosphatase activity remained unchanged by the cropping system and P fertilization, urease activity was significantly influenced by both factors, with a notable interaction effect.