Journal of Plant Process and Function

To investigate the amount of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) uptake in crops and weeds in cereals-legumes intercropping, a field experiment was performed in 2014-2015. Treatments included 10 monoculture (wheat, barley, triticale, pea and bean with and without weeds) and 6 intercropping (wheat + pea, wheat + faba bean, barley + pea, barley + faba bean, triticale + pea and triticale + faba bean with weeds) which laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Our results showed that the highest N content in cereals shoot was obtained in weed-free monoculture wheat (8.1 %) and in legumes shoot was obtained in weedy monoculture pea (17.3 %) and weed-free monoculture pea (15.8 %). There was no significant difference between weedy monoculture and intercropping treatments for N content in weed shoot, according to Duncan test. The highest value of P content in cereals shoot was observed in faba bean+wheat intercropping (0.80 %) and weed-free monoculture wheat (0.79 %). The highest amount of P content in legume and weeds was obtained in weed-free monoculture pea (1.90 %) and weedy monoculture pea (0.13 %). The highest amount of K content in cereals, legumes and weed shoot was obtained in barley-pea intercropping (1.95 %), triticale-pea (1.59 %) and barley-pea (1.90 %), respectively. Thus, intercropping can reduce nutrients availability for weeds and it can cause an increase in nutrients for crops.