About this Research Topic
The sustainability of agriculture is being called into question by the sharp rise in these anthropogenic disturbances that constantly strive to exploit natural resources. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the overall fertility and productivity of the soil as well as the agroecosystem for the well-being of future generations. In this corollary, legume's inclusion in cropping systems replacing the existing cereal-cereal cropping systems can register numerous advantages in sustaining the agricultural production system because of their multifaceted benefits in agriculture.
Legumes are incredibly versatile crops that can fix nitrogen biologically, produce grains high in protein, and increase the number of helpful microbes in the soil. Certain legumes can release organic acids from their roots, which helps to solubilize the unavailable phosphate. At the crop protection level, legume intercropping improves biodiversity, which aids in disrupting the harmful insect pests and diseases' continuous life cycle. Furthermore, due to the smothering effect of the higher canopy cover of legume intercropping, the biomass of weeds is also reduced. Legumes enrich the soil with a significant amount of nutrients and biomass when used as brown and green manures. Legumes can improve the low productivity of other crops such as vegetables, cereals, oilseeds, tuber/root crops, and others by fixing nitrogen (BNF), improving soil quality, sequestering soil organic carbon (SOC), conserving resources, and adapting to a variety of environmental conditions.
In the cropping system, legumes fit well due to their wider diversity and adaptability. Moreover, by improving soil health, food quality, and agricultural productivity, legume intercropping may also contribute to the accomplishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The multifaceted benefits of legumes are prominent either in multiple cropping or intercropping and thus, it can be considered as an inevitable choice in the journey towards sustainable agriculture for the management of soil health.
In this context, we are editing an important topic of soil health management titled “Integration of Legumes Intercropping into Sustainable Farming Systems for Nitrogen Fixation, Soil Health, and Climate Resilience” to highlight the emerging key legume production systems across the globe and their contributions to increasing land productivity, agrobiodiversity, food, and nutritional security, soil health management and sustainable agriculture, while preventing land degradation.
Topics for this call for papers include, but are not restricted to:
• Emerging legume intercropping systems for increased land fertility and agriculture sustainability originating from various agro-climatic zones across the globe.
• Multifaceted benefits of legumes on soil health restoration as a function of food and nutritional security for attaining Sustainable Development Goals.
• Role of legumes in improving the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil.
• The vital role of legume intercropping in advancing food and feed quality by improving crop health, reaping higher financial rewards, and maintaining ecosystem services.
• Legumes as a key component of strategies formulated for mitigation of the ill effects of climate change on agricultural production system.
Keywords: Legume Intercropping, Nitrogen Fixation, Soil Health, Land Degradation, Food Security
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