Short-Term Effect of Endogenous Intercropped Maize Rotations on the Change of Soil Parameters

Continue cropping of high yielding crops is often constrained by the emergence of specialising pests and declining soil fertility. What if we propose introducing plants from different families each year for intercropping (i.e., endogenous rotation) into a continuous cropping system of the main crop? To test our theory, a stationary field experiment was carried out at the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania in 2023–2024. In the first year, maize was intercropped with Fabaceae and in the second year with Poaceae crops. Inter-row loosening and mulching with emerged weeds were applied as control treatments. The results showed that intercropping had a lower impact on soil stability than the meteorological conditions, except for the blue-flowered al-falfa-oats rotation, which was the only one that conservated soil structure. After two years of the study, the rotation did not result in a significant reduction of nutrients in the soil, however there was some competition for nutrients between crops due to the lack fertilisation. The complex assessment of the results showed that weed mulching in maize inter-rows had one of the highest positive effects on soil quality parameters. To support soil structure, intercrops should be sown earlier to promote faster germination and ensure adequate coverage of maize rows. It is recommended that future research expand the endogenous rotation to include a broader range of crop families and species. It is recommended that the research be extended including more families and species in the endogenous rotation.