Cover crops for no-tillage vegetable systems as a climate crisis mitigation strategy in organic Cucurbitaceae production

Abstract

The conventional vegetable farming model aggravates the climate crisis, whereas the no-tillage system provides a sustainable alternative. This study aimed to identify winter cover crops for single cropping and intercropping by evaluating the biomass production and degradability, as well as their impact on Cucurbitaceae production in organic no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted in an area with Cucurbita pepo var. melopepo and other with Cucumis sativus. A randomized complete block design was used, with three replicates. The treatments included the single cropping of black oat (Avena strigosa), rye (Secale cereale) and vetch (Vicia sativa), as well as the intercropping systems black oat + vetch, black oat + vetch + radish (Raphanus sativus), rye + vetch + radish and winter fallow. The Poaceae treatments showed a higher biomass production and half-life, with the black oat biomass contributing to the greatest zucchini yield, whereas the Japanese cucumber showed a superior performance when grown with cover crops. Thus, the black oat + vetch + radish or rye + vetch + radish intercropping systems are the most recommended ones for the organic no-tillage system.

KEYWORDS: Biomass production, sustainable agriculture, 2030 Agenda.