Vianii Cruz-López1†Carlos Alejandro Granados-Echegoyen2†
Rafael Pérez-Pacheco1*Celerino Robles1Jonás Álvarez-Lopeztello3,4
Isidro Morales1Lina María Bastidas-Orrego5Florinda García-Pérez6Jaime Dorantes-Jiménez7Nadia Landero-Valenzuela8- 1CIIDIR-Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Mexico
- 2CEDESU, CONAHCYT-Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, San Francisco, Mexico
- 3CICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca, Mexico
- 4Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- 5Corporación Universitaria Remington, Medellín, Colombia
- 6Universidad NovaUniversitas, Ocotlán de Morelos, Mexico
- 7Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Ganado Suizo de Registro, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- 8Departamento de Horticultura, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo, Mexico
Sustainable agriculture has become a global priority in response to increasing food demand and the challenges confronting agricultural production, such as biotic and abiotic stresses. In this review, we delve into the role of plant diversity in mitigating these stressors within tomato cultivation. Our investigation reveals that the most extensively studied companion species are Vicia villosa Roth, Coriandrum sativum L., and Allium cepa L., while the primary stressors under scrutiny include nutrient deficiencies, aerial pests, and soil-borne pathogenic diseases. Regarding nutrient deficiencies, the cover crop system has demonstrated its capacity to provide essential nutrients directly and indirectly to plants. In addressing aerial pests and pathogens, all cultivation systems exhibit contributions. Finally, we assert that incorporating plant diversity into agroecosystems can effectively counteract various types of stressors. These benefits align with the application of agroecological principles and the development of sustainable agroecosystems. Further assessments of the effects of additional companion plant species are imperative. This should encompass the identification of their distribution, optimal plant quantities, and cultivation systems that enhance their benefits. Ultimately, these evaluations will aid in the formulation of comprehensive guidelines to facilitate the selection and utilization of plant diversity for long-term sustainability.
Graphical Abstract.
1 Introduction
Agriculture, one of the foundational pillars of human civilization, confronts unparalleled challenges in the twenty first century (Wilson and Lovell, 2016; Sumberg and Giller, 2022). The achievement of successful food production hinges significantly on the growth and development of plants, a process intricately connected to the presence of stress, whether of biotic or abiotic origins (Enebe and Babalola, 2018). Abiotic stress, encompassing salinity, drought, extreme temperatures, and exposure to toxic metals, in conjunction with biotic stress arising from attacks by herbivorous insects and pathogens, presents a determining factor in crop productivity (Benavidez et al., 2002; Song et al., 2015; Zhu, 2016; Inbaraj, 2021). In recent decades, climate change and pollution of water and soil have led to stress conditions appearing more frequently in crops (Volpe et al., 2018; Nawaz et al., 2020; Peck and Mittler, 2020); these factors are also closely related to intensive agricultural practices like continuous monoculture and the excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides (Corrado et al., 2019).
In this critical context, the imperative for an extensive review becomes evident—not only to illuminate how stress impacts crops but also to explore strategies for mitigating its effects. From an agroecological standpoint, conserving biodiversity within agroecosystems has evolved into a foundational principle for alleviating the stresses impacting agricultural production (Wezel et al., 2020). This global diversity encompasses a wide range of plants, animals, and microorganisms chosen for agriculture, as well as the associated wild biodiversity (Wood et al., 2015). As the scientific and agricultural communities increasingly acknowledge the potential of deliberate and associated agrobiodiversity, an invaluable approach known as functional diversity is emerging. Functional diversity, which considers trophic interactions and the functional traits of species, emerges as a promising approach to understanding how agrobiodiversity can effectively counteract the impacts of stress (Calow, 1987; Wood et al., 2015). In this regard, agricultural diversification is the intentional addition of functional biodiversity through different cropping systems at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales (Kremen et al., 2012; Gaba et al., 2015; Tamburini et al., 2020). This review aims to analyze the reported benefits over the last 10 years of agricultural diversification in mitigating different types of biotic and abiotic stresses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L), which, due to its status as a high-yielding crop, high economic value, its rich dose of nutrients such as lycopene and carotenoids, as well as its versatility in cooking, is the most produced vegetable in the world and an important food component of the daily diet in most countries (Anwar et al., 2019). A comprehensive review was conducted by consulting two leading academic databases, SCOPUS and Web of Science (WOS), of research articles on tomatoes grown in one of the cropping systems proposed by Gaba et al. (2015): intercropping, crop sequence, field margin, and cover crop.
2 Abiotic stress
Climate change and pollution of water and soil have led to stress conditions such as drought, chilling, water deficits, and heavy metal presence appearing more frequently in crops (Nawaz et al., 2020; Hasan et al., 2023; Raza et al., 2023; Singh et al., 2023). Utilizing plant companions within different crop systems has demonstrated the ability to mitigate various abiotic stresses; notably, soil nutrient deficiency represents the most extensively studied abiotic stress type (Table 1).
Table 1. The advantages of companion species in various crop systems for mitigating different abiotic stresses.
2.1 Soil nutrient deficiency
Soil nutrient deficiency refers to the lack or insufficiency of essential nutrients for proper plant growth and development in a specific soil area (Roy et al., 2006). Soil nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and various micronutrients, are essential for plant growth (Kathpalia and Bhatla, 2018). Their absence or low availability can limit plant health and have a negative impact on crop quality and yield (Tripathi et al., 2022). Particularly, tomatoes are a crop known for requiring high nutrient inputs because of their extensive vegetative biomass production, heavy fruit load, and long growing season (Neocleous et al., 2021). Used biodiversity can enhance nutrient supply and assimilation, primarily through cover crops; also known as green manures, when a legume is used (Farneselli et al., 2018). A widely used green manure is hairy vetch (V. villosa), which can contribute optimal nitrogen levels to the tomato crop as a fast-release fertilizer, facilitating nitrogen uptake by up to 38% (Sugihara et al., 2013; Muchanga et al., 2019). However, the fast-release of hairy vetch does not prevent N leaching unless used in mixtures with cereals such as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) or rye (Secale cereale L.); these mixtures increase the carbon/nitrogen ratio, which slow the rate of nitrogen (N) release and favors the retention of up to 47.0% of the nitrogen produced, thus mitigating this problem (Tosti et al., 2014; Farneselli et al., 2020; Muchanga et al., 2020a).
Although cover crops have been shown to supply considerable N, they are typically used in combination with synthetic fertilizers because the N supply of cover crops is unpredictable and variable and not always synchronized with the needs of the tomato plant (Farneselli et al., 2020). However, green manure may act as an alternative N fertilizer, which enhances the efficiency of external nitrogen inputs and can reduce their requirements. For example, the use of hairy vetch, showed a reduction in external nitrogen inputs by at least 50–66%, primarily during the 4 weeks after transplant when N uptake derived from hairy vetch is higher (Sugihara et al., 2013). Branco et al. (2017) also observed that the use of sunn hemp (Crotalaria junceae L.) and millet (Pennisetum americanum L.) as green manures enhanced the efficiency of external nitrogen inputs, which reduced the requirement of external nitrogen input. Acording Yang et al. (2023), the combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers, also have a significant positive effect on the fruit weight, number, size, elemental content, total yield, and plant height of the tomato crop.
While nitrogen represents the main nutrient contribution of green manures, Fatima et al. (2012) found that hairy vetch (V. villosa), in addition to nitrogen, also provides significant potassium inputs to the tomato crop, as in the case of nitrogen, the potassium content was 125 mg kg−1 and nitrogen 23 mg kg−1 in soil without hairy vetch, while 173 mg kg−1 and 56 mg kg−1 was reported in soils with hairy vetch respectively; and Domagała-Swiatkiewicz and Siwek (2022) report that the use of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and a mixture of pea and oat (Avena sativa L.) as green manure or organic mulch significantly improve the availability of other essential elements, including calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) compared to the control.
In addition to cover crops, intercrops such as tomatoes with potato-onion (A. cepa) have demonstrated the promotion of a higher abundance of microbial communities capable of solubilizing different forms of phosphorus, which is positively correlated with the availability of this nutrient (Khashi u Rahman et al., 2021).
2.2 Low-temperature
Tomato originating from subtropical regions is notably susceptible to low-temperature stress and suffers injury at temperatures below 13°C (Pandey et al., 2011; Anwar et al., 2019). Cold temperatures lead to issues such as flower abscission, pollen sterility, ovule abortion, and reduced fruit set, ultimately affecting the final yield (Pandey et al., 2011; Albertos et al., 2019).
To safeguard crops against frost, farmers have employed diverse intervention methods, such as wind machines or greenhouse heating, which incur high energy costs and may offer limited protection (Van Ploeg and Heuvelink, 2005; Albertos et al., 2019). In contrast, intercropping emerges as a sustainable alternative to mitigate the effects of cold stress. An illustrative example is the recent study by Sheha et al. (2022), suggesting that intercropping wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with tomatoes could be an effective measure against cold and frost; their results show that a seeding rate of 50% led to a significant 9.4% increase in fruit yield per plant compared to a 25% seeding rate because increasing the wheat seeding rate enhances protection against cold temperatures by trapping warm air closer to the plants and reducing heat loss through soil convection; they also consider as a crucial factor the wheat sowing date, which must allow for tomato plant growth before facing severe competition with wheat for essential growth resources.
2.3 Salinity
Salinization, primarily caused by irrigation and fertilization practices, affects soil quality and productivity (Tomaz et al., 2020; Martínez-Sias et al., 2022; Khasanov et al., 2023). This elevated concentration of salts dissolved in the soil solution has adverse consequences on tomatoes, including slowed or reduced seed germination, decreased nutrient absorption, and restricted plant growth (Ondrasek et al., 2022; Khasanov et al., 2023).
Various solutions have been proposed to combat salinization, including promoting plant diversity (Ondrasek et al., 2022). For example, in open field conditions, after tomato cultivation irrigated with saline groundwater, the soil reaches a salinity of ~6 dS/m, but if tomato cultivation is followed by sequences of three crops, the salinity decreases to ~1 dS/m; this is possible because, during the rainfed crops period, rain does the leaching process by washing away the salts in the soil; therefore, salinity varies depending on the growing season and rainfall (Bani et al., 2021).
In the greenhouse context, introducing salt-resistant companion plants has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing soil salinity and safeguarding tomato production. For example, the yield of a tomato grown with companion plants of Salsola soda L. in soils with high salt content increased from 20.3 g plant−1 when the tomato was grown alone to 229.7 g plant−1 because S. soda absorbs and stores soil salts in its tissues (Karakas et al., 2016). The halophyte Arthrocaulon macrostachyum L., in intercropping and sequential cropping with tomato, also reduced soil salinity under moderately saline conditions and enhanced tomato yield (Jurado et al., 2024).
2.4 Water deficiency
Tomato crops have high water requirements, making scarcity a limiting factor that can cause delays in plant development and reduce the number of fruits in clusters (Alomari-Mheidat et al., 2023). There are few studies on how cover crops can contribute to avoiding the impacts of water deficiencies; however, Schomberg et al. (2023) mention that they offer a promising solution because they can reduce runoff, enhance infiltration and minimize evaporation which favors water storage and soil moisture conservation. In this regard (Karuku et al., 2014), studied how purple vetch (Vicia benghalensis L.) as a cover crop improves tomato yield and water use efficiency by 80% and 57% above control, respectively. In addition to cover crops, intercropping local tomato cultivars adapted to hot and dry conditions with corn allows yields of up to 32 ton ha −1 under rainfed conditions (Castronuovo et al., 2023).
2.5 Heavy metals toxicity
Heavy metal toxicity is widespread in agricultural soils across the globe (Ur Rahman et al., 2023). The origin and impact of these pollutants on agriculture vary depending on every heavy metal and crop (Selvi et al., 2019; Joshi and Gururani, 2023; Rashid et al., 2023). Agronomic interventions such as phytoremediation using hyper-accumulator plants to remove contaminants from soil and water is one of the effective methods to remove heavy metals (Elango et al., 2022). For instance, low concentrations of arsenic (As) can stimulate tomato growth, but high concentrations inhibit germination, reduce root and shoot development, lower yield, disrupt photosynthesis and mineral nutrition, and induce necrosis (Sandil et al., 2021). To manage this issue, Mancinelli et al. (2019) explored biodiversity; their study revealed that when preceded by V. villosa as green manure, tomato crops accumulated lower levels of As in their total biomass and yielded higher crop yields.
Cadmium (Cd) is found naturally in the environment and is also generated through human activities, such as phosphate fertilizers (Rahim et al., 2022). Cadmium toxicity can disturb the uptake and translocation of essential mineral nutrients in plants, affecting plant metabolism and inhibiting growth and development (Qin et al., 2020). However, Xie et al. (2021) investigated the effects of intercropping tomatoes with the accumulator plant Eclipta prostrata L. and hyperaccumulator plant Crassocephalum crepidioides Benth; their study demonstrated a significant increase in the biomass of tomato seedlings; additionally, Cd contents in the roots and shoots of tomato seedlings decreased by 17.35% and 22.35%, respectively.
3 Biotic stress
The widespread application of pesticides has caused imbalances inside and outside the plots where they are applied (Maurya et al., 2019). For example, they have caused the resistance of many pests to insecticides, affected beneficial organisms such as pollinators, predators, and parasitoids, and damaged non-target organisms several kilometers from the point of their original release (Aktar et al., 2009; Abad et al., 2020). Agricultural diversification offers a viable alternative to reduce the impacts of crop pests and diseases and dependence on pesticides, as well as to control weeds, although in the latter case, there are still few studies, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Advantages of partner plant species in various crop systems for mitigating diverse biotic stresses.
3.1 Aerial pest
Pests cause 20% of global annual crop losses (Mateos-Fernández et al., 2022). This vulnerability of crops is observed, particularly in monoculture systems (Ratnadass et al., 2021). Incorporating high functional biodiversity through different cropping systems contributes to maintaining ecological functions that help pest management (Altieri et al., 2015). For aerial pests case, intercropping has proven to be particularly effective because companion plants play multiple roles, serving as repellents, reservoirs for natural enemies, and creating visual and olfactory barriers (Togni et al., 2016; Carvalho et al., 2017; Pouët et al., 2022). For example, Mutisya et al. (2016) observed that a row of aromatic basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) as companion cropping between adjacent tomato rows significantly lowered whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn) infestation in tomatoes by 68.7% and resulted in 13.75 t/ha−1 as tomato yield compared to 5.9 t/ha−1 in the control because attractive nature of the basil plant makes it a better host for insects such as B. tabaci. Moreover, the essential oils and volatiles of wild oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus Lour.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), and Greek basil (Ocimum minimum Labiatae) have been shown to repel B. tabaci when grown with tomatoes (Carvalho et al., 2017; Pouët et al., 2022); additionally, C. sativum shown to reduces the tomato damage caused by Tuta absoluta Meyrick and Spodoptera eridania Cramer, and attract females of Cycloneda sanguinea L. who use coriander plants as oviposition sites and help control aphids of infested tomato plants (Marouelli et al., 2013; Togni et al., 2016). Another companion plant that attracts predators is sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), which helps to maintain the zoophytophagus mirid Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter populations during the entire tomato cropping season and reduces up to 75% of the whitefly numbers compared to untreated tomatoes. Management of B. tabaci also contributes to reduced disease transmission, such as Begomovirus (Togni et al., 2018).
The secretion of phenolic compounds, essential oils, and volatile organic compounds helps the companion plants to act as repellents or olfactory barriers. This mechanism can also attract beneficial organisms, to which the companion plants provide additional resources such as food and shelter (Abad et al., 2020; Castillo et al., 2022). Therefore, aromatic plants are commonly selected as companion plants for pest management (Carvalho et al., 2017; Conboy et al., 2019).
The depletion of natural landscape habitats, linked to monocultures and agricultural intensification, has increased pest pressure (Balzan et al., 2015). One approach to enhance habitat complexity is the implementation of field margins, which provide flowering resources and alternate prey necessary to enhance natural enemies' abundance and richness (Segre et al., 2020). Plants with strong scents and abundant nectar are generally used for the margins to complement the existing natural diversity (Balzan and Moonen, 2014; Foti et al., 2019). Certain plant families, such as Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Apiaceae, have demonstrated the ability to foster a reservoir of parasitoids and predators (Kati et al., 2021). It's worth noting that the studies we reviewed primarily focus on observations made in open fields and within ~200 meters from the margins.
Other cropping systems, such as intraspecific mixtures and crop sequences, have also shown promise in mitigating damage caused by aerial pests (Ingerslew and Kaplan, 2018; Miano et al., 2022). However, a more comprehensive understanding of their benefits is needed.
3.2 Soil-borne pathogens
Monoculture reduces microbial diversity and soil organic matter, consequently giving rise to soil-borne pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, and nematodes (Hooper et al., 2000; Lyu et al., 2020). According to this review, in the context of tomato crops, nematodes and fungi have been the primary focus of research.
Among the most common pathogenic nematodes affecting tomato crops are the root-knot nematodes (RKN), belonging to the genus Meloidogyne (Seid et al., 2015). Several cultivation systems have been employed to manage them, including cover cropping, crop sequencing, and intercropping. For crop sequencing, companion plants from the Poaceae family, such as wheat and maize, have been utilized; in the maize inclusion case, the presence and effectiveness of antagonists or biological control agents like Pasteuria penetrans and Pochonia chlamydosporia are enhanced and resulted in a 72% decrease in numbers of egg masses, 38% in root galling and 46% regarding female nematode populations over the control after the final harvest (Luambano et al., 2015; Shahid et al., 2020). In the case of cover crops, plants from the Brassicaceae family offer a biocidal effect due to the release of specific biologically active compounds during maceration and incorporation processes (Kruger et al., 2015). Also, Fabaceae plants, such as C. juncea, are employed as cover crops (Marquez and Hajihassani, 2023), which favor the abundance and richness of soil communities, which results effectively in suppressing M. incognita (Scaglione et al., 2023). In the intercropping system, species like Allium tuberosum Rottl, Ricinus communis L., Chrysanthemum coronarium L., and Bidens pilosa L. release exudates that inhibit egg hatching or act as nematicides (Dong et al., 2014, 2018; Huang et al., 2016; Kihika-Opanda et al., 2022).
While companion species in intercropping systems offer benefits for controlling soil pests, they sometimes can lead to reduced yields of the main crop due to competition among plants (Tringovska et al., 2015). In such cases, it is essential to conduct studies to identify the minimum population of companion plants that can continue to provide benefits without significantly affecting tomato yield (Castillo et al., 2022).
To control pathogenic fungi, crop rotation and intercropping stand out as widely studied cropping systems; particularly, crop rotation enhances the suppression of pathogens and improves tomato plant growth by inducing changes in microbial composition and soil chemical parameters (De Corato et al., 2020). For instance, Apium graveolens L., due to its potent allelochemicals that alter soil pH, enhances the abundance and diversity of fungi, reducing the abundance of harmful organisms (Lyu et al., 2020).
Both intercropping and crop rotation induce changes in microbial communities and improve the soil environment (Li et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2023). Additionally, they boost tomato resistance against pathogens. For example, when the tomato grew with A. cepa, it exhibited heightened activity in antifungal enzymes and increased content of phenols bound to the cell wall, effectively curbing the growth and spread of Fusarium oxysporum Schl. (Sweellum and Naguib, 2023). Moreover, root exudates from tomatoes accompanied by A. cepa significantly inhibit the mycelia growth and spore germination of Verticillium dahlia Kleb (Fu et al., 2015). Another way in which mixed cultures reduce pathogen damage is by acting as barriers to the movement of conidia, as demonstrated by the use of Tagetes erecta L. against Alternaria solani (Jambhulkar et al., 2015).
3.3 Weeds, volunteer plants, and parasitic plants
Weeds compete with crops for essential resources such as light, water, and nutrients; additionally, they can serve as alternative hosts for crop pests and pathogens (Moura et al., 2020; Christina et al., 2021). The few existing studies provide a glimpse of the benefits of cover crops in weed management, mainly in no-tillage tomato crops, but they are not sufficient to understand all the variables that may influence the success of this practice against this type of stress, so there are still challenges regarding the use of cover crops in weed control (Campiglia et al., 2015; Roberts and Mattoo, 2018; Samedani and Meighani, 2022).
In the case of parasitic plants, Orobanche spp. is a problematic parasitic species for agriculture that is difficult to control; trap species such as Vigna sinensis L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., H. vulgare, Sorghum vulgare Pers. stimulate the germination of parasite seeds and then destroy them before the parasite flowers, reducing the parasite in the subsequent tomato crop by 73% (Qasem, 2019).
Volunteer plants, which can sprout from fruit that remains in the soil after mechanical harvesting of tomato, represent a source of inoculum for many crop diseases, such as Xanthomonas perforans Jones; in this regard, when tomatoes grow with soybean, corn, sweet corn, and bean, the number of volunteer plants and sources of X. perforans inoculum is reduced (Moura et al., 2020).
4 Conclusions and future directions
Biodiversity offers numerous advantages for tomato cultivation. These benefits directly mitigate the impacts of various types of biotic and abiotic stress and indirectly align with agroecological principles such as reduced inputs, improved soil health, synergy, and recycling. The most extensively studied stressors encompass: (1) Soil nutrient deficiency: Often addressed with companion species like V. villosa; (2) Aerial Pests: Effectively managed with aromatic plants such as C. sativum; and (3) Soil-Borne Pathogens: A. cepa is a common choice for combatting pathogenic fungi. Different cropping systems come into play, with cover crops being prominent for nutritional deficiencies and intercropping for aerial pests and soil-borne pathogens.
Future research should focus on assessing companion species that can mitigate less explored stress types such as cold temperatures, heavy metal contamination, salinity, water scarcity, and weed infestations. These evaluations should consider factors like species distribution, plant quantities, and the cultivation system that maximizes companion species benefits.
To select companion species for evaluation it's recommended to incorporate local knowledge through participatory methods while also developing general guidelines or principles for species selection. A couple of proposals arising from this review are: (1) Aromatic plants show significant potential in managing aerial pests and soil-borne disease pathogens, and (2) Cover crops contribute directly and indirectly to provide nutrients. Using legume-cereal mixtures to balance the carbon-nitrogen ratio prevents nutrient leaching.
Author contributions
VC-L: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Conceptualization. CG-E: Formal analysis, Methodology, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. RP-P: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing. CR: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. JÁ-L: Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. IM: Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. LB-O: Data curation, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. FG-P: Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. JD-J: Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing. NL-V: Data curation, Formal analysis, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing.
Funding
The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Instituto Politécnico Nacional through grant agreement SIP-20231866 and Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencia y Tecnología (CONAHCYT-Mexico) for the Scholarship (660555).
Acknowledgments
We thank the reviewers for their suggestions in a previous version of the manuscript.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
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Keywords: agrobiodiversity, agricultural diversification, agroecology, green manures, plant diversity, integrated pest management
Citation: Cruz-López V, Granados-Echegoyen CA, Pérez-Pacheco R, Robles C, Álvarez-Lopeztello J, Morales I, Bastidas-Orrego LM, García-Pérez F, Dorantes-Jiménez J and Landero-Valenzuela N (2024) Plant diversity as a sustainable strategy for mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses in tomato cultivation. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 8:1336810. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1336810
Received: 11 November 2023; Accepted: 22 January 2024;
Published: 06 February 2024.
Edited by:
Liming Ye, Ghent University, BelgiumReviewed by:
Autar Krishen Mattoo, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), United StatesCopyright © 2024 Cruz-López, Granados-Echegoyen, Pérez-Pacheco, Robles, Álvarez-Lopeztello, Morales, Bastidas-Orrego, García-Pérez, Dorantes-Jiménez and Landero-Valenzuela. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Rafael Pérez-Pacheco, cagranad@uacam.mx
†These authors share first authorship