# Role of legume in sugarcane based cropping system

Ajeet Kumar, S.K. Meena, Ajeet Kumar, Lalita Rana, Anil Kumar Singh

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Ajeet Kumar, S.K. Meena, Ajeet Kumar, Lalita Rana, Anil Kumar Singh. Role of legume in sugarcane based cropping system. Agrobios Research, 1, pp.25-34, 2022, 978-93-94380-08-0. hal-04881427

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Crop Diversification
in Sugarcane Based
Cropping Systems

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Crop Diversification
in Sugarcane Based
Cropping Systems

Editors

Navnit Kumar
Anil Kumar
A. K. Singh

Co-editors

Balwant Kumar
C. K. Jha
S. N. Singh
Ajeet Kumar
Geeta Kumari
Sunita Kumari Meena

AGROBIOS
RESEARCH
TITLE: Crop Diversification in Sugarcane Based Cropping Systems

EDITOR: Navnit Kumar, Anil Kumar and A. K. Singh

CO-EDITOR: Balwant Kumar, C. K. Jha, S. N. Singh, Ajeet Kumar, Geeta Kumari and Sunita Kumari

Meena

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© (2022) All Rights Reserved

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## About the Co-Editors

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**Dr. Balwant Kumar**, Assistant Prof.-cum- Scientist, Genetics and Plant Breeding, RPCAU, Pusa is working since 2007, awarded B.Sc. (Ag) in 1996, M.Sc. (Ag) in 1999 and Ph.D. in 2003 from R.A.U., Bihar, Pusa. He is involved in the teaching, sugarcane varietal improvement research work and extension activities of university. Up to 2021, seven students have got his/her M.Sc. (Ag) degree under his guidance. He has edited 2 books, 4 training manuals, published 42 research papers, 54 popular articles/book chapters and several abstracts in conferences.

He is a member of several societies. Associated for release of Nine varieties namely BO 153, CoP 112, BO 154, CoP 2061 and Rjendra Ganna-1, Rjendra Ganna-2, Rjendra Ganna-3, Rjendra Ganna-4, and Rjendra Ganna-5 among them 3 were notified for its commercial cultivation by the CVRC, New Delhi. He has got many prestigious awards. He has been presented several papers in national and international conferences as keynotes/lead/oral/invitee lectures and got awarded for the same. He has been serving as judge for fine art and also led in extension activities and secured many prizes. Edited/Compile books or Souvenir and several book chapters and also worked as a member of editorial board and life member of Scientific Societies. He has collected the history of Agriculture of India for Pusa Museum at SRI campus, Pusa, Bihar as Member Secretary.

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**Dr. C.K. Jha**, Asstt. Professor-cum-Scientist, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. Did M.Sc (Ag), and Ph.D. in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry from BHU, Varanasi. Awarded BHU merit scholarship during Ph.D. programme. Carried out extensive research, teaching and extension programme for more than 15 years. Guided
03 PG students in Soil Science. Published 05 books, 50 book chapters/popular articles and Technical Bulletin. Received award of honor in the National Conference of ISRMAX 2012 at IARI, New Delhi. Received Scientist of the Year Award in the 4th National Conference on Doubling Farmers Income for Sustainable & Harmonious Agriculture during 2021, organized by GAPS, Dhanbad. Honored Excellence in Research Award in Soil Science during 3rd International conference on ICFAI held during 24-26, December -2021 at Ranchi, Jharkhand.

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**Dr. Sidh Nath Singh** is working as Associate Professor-cum-Senior Scientist in the Department of Plant Pathology at Sugarcane Research Institute, RPCAU, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar)- 848125. He did his Ph.D. degree from Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa in 1997. He has worked in different KVKs of Bihar for more than 18 years as Subject Matter Specialist of Plant Pathology and also as head of the KVK with objectives to cater activities such as technology assessment, refinement and demonstration for its wider application and capacity building of farmers, rural youths and extension functionaries ultimately to increase production and productivity of the crops and for employment generation. He has published more than 19 research papers in reputed journals, 44 popular articles, 04 training manuals, 11 technical bulletins, 08 chapters in books, 02 authored books, 08 edited books and more than 100 extension leaflets/folders in the interest of farming community.

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**Dr. Ajeet Kumar**, FHAS; Ph.D. (BHU), Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, has fifteen years of teaching, research and extension experiences. He completed his B.Sc. (Ag.) and M.Sc. (Ag.) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi, India. He is recipient of BHU Binani Gold Medal for standing first in the M.Sc. (Ag.) of the entire Institute of Agricultural Sciences. He has also awarded with BHU Gold Medal for standing first in Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, M.Sc. (Ag.). He has received BHU research scholarship during Ph.D. degree. He has specialization in soil microbiology, soil fertility and soil chemistry. He has been awarded with HAS International Young Scientist Award-2017. Dr. Kumar honoured with Pragaya Ratan Award-2019, by WIFPA, Mumbai. Dr. Kumar has received Outstanding Soil Scientist Award-2021, in the field of Soil Science during National Conference on Doubling Farmers Income for Sustainable & Harmonious Agriculture, organized by GAPS, Jharkhand. BASE
Congress Association confers "BASE Excellence of Research and Education Award" during 1st International Conference on Emerging Global Trends in Agricultural, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2021, CM, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia. He is recipient of Distinguished Scientist Award during 3rd International Conference on "ICFAI-2021". He has several scientific contributions in his credit involving 45 research papers, 69 popular articles, 11 chapters in books, 08 books publications. He is member of editorial/ executive/ advisory board of national and international NAAS-rated journals.

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**Dr. Geeta Kumari** presently is working as Assistant Professor-cum- Scientist (Soil Science) in the Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Science and Humanities, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. She has completed her Bachelor in Agriculture and Post graduate from RAU, Pusa (Bihar) & Ph.D. in Soil Science from BAU, Ranchi (Jharkhand). She has 15 years of experience in the field of research, teaching and extension. She has experiences to handle 6 Projects as a PI and Co-PI. She has been awarded with Women Scientist Award and Excellence in teaching award through society. She has published more than 20 research papers in *refereed Journals*, more than 22 popular articles in farmer's friendly magazine, 10 book chapters, 2 authored books. She has carried out pioneering research on formulation of liquid bio-fertilizers through chemicals and biomolecules additives, designing new inexpensive media for mass production of microbial inoculants, harnessing the potentials of microbes and maintenance of their diversity. Main aim of her research is to develop eco-friendly and cost-effective viable sources of inputs for modern agriculture.

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**Dr. Sunita Kumari Meena** is an Assistant Professor in Soil Science, in Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Bihar). She completed her B.Sc. (Ag.) from University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore in 2012, M.Sc. (Ag.) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi in 2014, and Ph.D. from ICAR-Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi in 2022. In her academic career, she availed fellowship like-ICAR-NTS, JRF, SRF and UGC-NFHE. She started her service career in 2019 as an Assistant Professor in Soil Science. She has been guiding research projects of M.Sc. (Ag). She has carried out research on nutrient transformation chemistry, nutrient use efficiency and seed bio-priming in intensive cropping system. She has published more than 15 research paper as well as review article in peer reviewed journals of international and national repute, 08 book
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# Contents

1. Intercropping: An Approach to Improve the Productivity of Sugarcane Based Cropping System 1
A. K. Singh and Navnit Kumar

2. Doubling Farmers' Income Through Sugarcane-Based Crop Diversification 11
Navnit Kumar, Lalita Rana and A. K. Singh

3. Role of Legume in Sugarcane Based Cropping System 25
Sunita Kumari Meena, Ajeet Kumar, Lalita Rana and A. K. Singh

4. Sustaining Soil Health through Intercropping in Autumn and Spring Planted Sugarcane 35
C. K. Jha, S. K. Thakur, Navnit Kumar and A. K. Singh

5. Soil and Plant Carbon Sequestration under Sugarcane-Based Cropping System 47
Ajeet Kumar, Sunita Kumari Meena and A. K. Singh

6. Evaluation of Sugarcane based Cropping System through different Competition Indices 61
Sumit Sow and Navnit Kumar

7. Seed Multiplication and Seed Standard for Sugarcane and Pulses 73
Balwant Kumar and D. N. Kamat

8. Legume Crops: A Builders of Soil Fertility through Nitrogen Fixation 107
Sunita Kumari Meena, Ajeet Kumar, Navnit Kumar and Lalita Rana

9. Integrated Pest and Disease Management under Sugarcane Based Intercropping Systems 129
Anil Kumar, S. N. Singh and Vishwajeet

10. Pulses: As Food and Feed for Nutritional Security 145
Kumari Sunita, Ajeet Kumar and Usha Singh
# 11. Biofertilizers for Sustainable Sugarcane Production

157

Aman Jaiswal, Himani Priya, Geeta Kumari, Deepak Kumar Koli and Anupam Amitabh
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List of Contributors

1. **Amitabh, Anupam**
Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science (PFE), Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

2. **Jaiswal, Aman**
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, CBS&H, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

3. **Jha, C. K.**
Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

4. **Kamat, D. N.**
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, PBG, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

5. **Koli, Deepak Kumar**
Ph. D. Scholar, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi

6. **Kumar, Ajeet**
Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

7. **Kumar, Anil**
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, Department of Entomology, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

8. **Kumar, Balwant**
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, PBG, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

9. **Kumar, Navnit**
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, Department of Agronomy, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125
10. Kumari, Geeta
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, CBS&H, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur) - 848 125

11. Meena, Sunita Kumari
Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

12. Priya, Himani
Scientist at ICAR -Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), Jharkhand

13. Rana, Lalita
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, Department of Agronomy, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

14. Singh, A. K.
Director, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

15. Singh, S. N.
Assistant Professor-cum-Scientist, Department of Plant Pathology, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

16. Sow, Sumit
Ph. D. Scholar, Department of Agronomy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

17. Sunita, Kumari
Assistant Professor, Food and Nutrition, College of Community Science, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

18. Thakur, S. K.
Professor, Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

19. Usha Singh
Chief Scientist-cum-Professor, Department of Food and Nutrition, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125

20. Vishwajeet
Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Entomology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar, Pusa (Samastipur)- 848 125
## ABOUT THE BOOK

Sugarcane is a crop that grows slowly, covering the ground in 90 to 120 days. Because small sugarcane growers are unable to wait a longer period of time to reap the monetary gains from a sole sugarcane crop, take advantage of this by growing a variety of short-duration intercrops, such as oilseeds, pulses, vegetables and spices, to gain interim returns. Intercropping pulses with sugarcane may result in decreased nitrogen fertilization costs and increased biological nitrogen fixation. The crop diversification strategy based on sugarcane is not covered in full in the crop production book currently in circulation. An effort has been made to gather pertinent data on sugarcane-based crop diversification system from various literatures. The examples are taken, as much as feasible, from Indian experience. Even complex issues have been simplified into concepts that are basic enough for readers to understand because the book is written in simple English. The authors of book chapters have made an effort to take into account the most current advancements in cropping systems based on sugarcane. The editors hope that everyone involved with cane farmers' issues, whether directly or indirectly, will find this book to be helpful, including students, researchers, teachers, extension workers, policymakers and planners.

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### 3. Role of Legume in Sugarcane Based Cropping System

SUNITA KUMARI MEENA, AJEET KUMAR, LALITA RANA AND A. K. SINGH

The addition of chemical fertilizers can boost crop productivity. Chemical fertilizers, on the other hand, are expensive and out of reach for many impoverished farmers. Furthermore, there is evidence that indiscriminate, long-term use of chemical fertilizers, particularly on light-textured soils, might pollute surface and groundwater. Crop productivity can also be improved by the use of organic fertilizers such as compost or farmyard manure, as well as the recycling of crop and organic leftovers in production systems. However, shortages of appropriate quantities of organic fertilizers in the region, as well as the high expense of transporting the heavy supplies, are major roadblocks. As a result, introducing legumes into existing cropping systems appears to be a logical option in this agricultural environment.

In association with Rhizobium bacteria, legumes are known to physiologically fix atmospheric nitrogen (N). The fixed nitrogen can help to lessen the need for nitrogen fertilizer in the primary field crop in the cycle. As a result, it offers an economical source of nitrogen for the resource-poor farmers. Legume plant and seed tissue has high protein content. This is due to a legume's capacity to meet the majority of its own nitrogen requirements with the help of symbiotic Rhizobium bacteria growing in its roots. Legumes that have been inoculated with the right strain of Rhizobium bacteria can provide up to 90% of their own nitrogen. Rhizobium bacteria penetrate the root hairs and travel into the root itself shortly after a legume seed germinates in the presence of Rhizobium bacteria in the soil. As the bacteria spread, the root swells, forming pale pink nodules. The bacteria that feed on the carbohydrates which produced by the above-ground plants during photosynthesis bind nitrogen gas in the soil air. Ammonia (NH₃) is produced by bacteria using hydrogen from the plant's carbohydrates and nitrogen from the air. The ammonia then acts as a nitrogen source for the plant to thrive. Bacteria and legumes have a symbiotic interaction that allows them to thrive
and produce a high-protein seed or fodder crop. Even though legumes can fix nitrogen from the air, they can also take up a lot of nitrogen from the soil if it's available.

A plant's protein level determines how much nitrogen it returns to the soil. Nitrogen is a crucial component of soil organic matter production. As the above-ground plant leftovers, roots, and nodules degrade, nitrogen is released from the legume crop. When soil microorganisms die, they breakdown the nitrogen-rich organic material and release the nitrogen into the soil. After a legume in a rotation, around two-thirds of the nitrogen fixed by the crop becomes accessible the next growing season.

# 1. LEGUMES: CROPS CAN BOOST FERTILITY

The utilization of legume-based leys to create fertility is, nonetheless, a cornerstone of the organic philosophy. Indeed, organic standards demand that legumes to be included in the rotation. Organic rotations must consequently include fertility-building crops and green manures. Organic farming attempts to be nitrogen self-sufficient by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, reusing agricultural leftovers, and applying locally obtained manure. Organic rotations sometimes incorporate an additional boost of N during the fertility depleting phase by cultivating a leguminous crop, such as field beans or peas, in addition to legume-based leys.

The legume-based ley in the cropping system, on the other hand, is the most significant component of fertility-building. One of the main goals of applying fertility-building crops (including green manures) is to provide the nitrogen needed for the rotation's succeeding exploitative crops to work optimally (Watson *et al.*, 2002). In organic systems, nitrogen is usually the limiting nutrient, especially as the supply of N from fertility-building crops falls later in the rotation. Organic farmers will need a realistic assessment of the amount of nitrogen available and its release pattern in order to optimize the capture and utilization of this nutrient. The mineralization of wastes accumulated during the fertility-building phase is used to supply N to the next crops.

Acquired nitrogen can also be returned to the soil in the form of manure, either directly by grazing animals or indirectly through manure produced by animals fed leguminous forage or grains exported from the field. Other factors affecting the design and effectiveness of rotations include the impact of pests and diseases during the fertility-building period, as well as the implications for the subsequent crops.
<figure><img src="image_15.png" /><figcaption>FIGURE 3.1: Methods of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in the cropping system</figcaption></figure>

<table><caption>TABLE 3.1: Pathways of legumes and BNF contribution to cropping system</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="2">Transfer of nutrients directly</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>- Flow of nutrients from a nitrogen-fixing legume towards another crop during crop growth in an intercrop association with a legume component and/or as leftover nitrogen for the benefit of a following crop.</td><td>- Above- and below-ground nutrient transmissions are the two main modes of nutrient transfer. Nitrogen is derived via degraded legume nodules, roots, root border cells, root caps, sloughed cells, and the epidermis (water-insoluble resources), which most importantly donate to below-ground nutrient, especially nitrogen, transfers, according to Thilakarathna et al. (2016).</td></tr><tr><td>- There are three different mechanisms for below-ground nutrient transfer: decomposition, root exudation, and mycorrhizae-mediated nutrient transfer</td><td></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Legume residues' contribution</th></tr><tr><td>- All plant components are returned to the soil when legume green manure is cultivated and intended for use in the agricultural system. In this situation, the number of nutrients left in the soil and the nutrient concentration in the legume's parts returned to the soil should be higher than when food legumes' seed is collected. As a result, decomposition is likely to be rapid, and the proportion of legume nitrogen mineralized is likely to be high (Peoples and Herridge, 1990).</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>- Because of their higher nitrogen concentration and lower C:N ratio than cereal residues, legume residues can provide more mineral nitrogen to succeeding crops than cereal residues.</td><td></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Availability and uptake of nutrients</th></tr><tr><td>- Modifications in soil structure as a result of legumes or improvements in soil water-holding and buffering capacity, as well as enhanced nutrient availability due to legume residue incorporation.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>- Breaking agricultural pest and disease cycles, as well as phytotoxic and allelopathic impacts of various crop residues</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>- The addition of legume residues improved soil microbial activity and likely heterotrophic nitrogen fixing.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>- Additional residual nitrate discovered in the soil following a legume rather than a cereal or other non-legume crop, which could be due to the legume taking up fewer nitrates or the stimulation of mineralization rates in a legume cropping system.</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

These impacts may be detrimental to the rotation (for example, clover and lucerne may raise the risk of *Sclerotinia trifoliorum* for field beans) or
beneficial (for example, green cover may minimise common scab of potatoes). As a result, these concerns must be addressed in organic producer planning advice.

## 2. SIGNIFICANCE OF LEGUME AS AN INTERCROP IN SUGARCANE FARMING

After the harvest, only one or two ratoon crops can be planted. The main causes of low sugarcane production and fewer ratoon crops are inadequate soil fertility and irregular rainfall. With the use of chemical fertilizers, sugarcane yields can be significantly boosted. Chemical fertilizers, on the other hand, are prohibitively expensive for many impoverished farmers. Alternatives for reducing the usage of chemical fertilizers must be devised. One option appears to be including legumes into the farming scheme.

The Northeast's sugarcane crushing season begins in December and lasts until April the following year. Sugarcane planted in March is harvested at the age of 8-10 months, while sugarcane planted in October is harvested at the age of 14 months. In the region, a maximum of two ratoon crops could be harvested. Typically, only one ratoon crop can be harvested at a time. Sugarcane planting at beginning of March, generally having 2-4 month fallow period. Due to the absence of soil moisture during this fallow time, only a few crops can be cultivated. Conversely, if the next sugarcane crop is to be planted in October, there should be a 6- to 8-month delay to ensure that the land has adequate moisture. It appears appropriate to include legumes during this transition time in the sugarcane-based system. Green manure or grain legumes could be used. Several experiments on intercropping and based on their results the number of green manure legumes, including sunnhemp (*Crotalaria juncea*) and sword bean (*Canavalia gladiata*) have been recommended. In addition to this hairy indigo (*Indigo ferahirsuta*) and *Crotalaria striata*, two local leguminous weeds, have recently been studied for their potential as a green manure crop.

In under developing countries, majority of farmers not practiced application of nutrients for intercrop. So, optimization of nutrients and irrigation requirement plays a very important role to maintain productivity under sugarcane - legume intercropping system. In case of intercropping of autumn sugarcane with french bean 100% NPK nutrients to main crop and in intercrop full dose of N and K nutrients along with crop incorporation were found equally productive and economical to both crops (Kumar *et al.*, 2015). In intercropping system there is a ample scope for high value, short duration, shallow root system, wider adaptability and different growing habit crop like garlic, coriander etc., which always have remunerative market. Here, proper
input optimization is needed to obtain higher productivity besides which maintain soil health (Kumar *et al.*, 2016, 2017).

<figure><img src="image_16.png" /><figcaption>FIGURE 3.2: Significance of legume as an intercrop in sugarcane farming</figcaption></figure>

Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more different crop kinds in different combinations in the same piece of land at the same time in order to increase crop yields; it is most typically used for co-cultivation of soybean and gramineous crops (Singh *et al.*, 2018). Intercropping promotes potassium, phosphorus and micronutrient mobilization and absorption through rhizospheric interactions, better soil micro-ecology and higher microbial numbers and enzyme activity in the soil, all of which are important for increasing crop yields (Zhou *et al.*, 2019). Intercropping soybean and sugarcane with reduced nitrogen treatment, according to Wang et al. (2020), could boost sugarcane output and minimize carbon footprint. This method is frequently used to prevent nitrogen leaching and maintain yield stability (Lian *et al.*, 2018).

Furthermore, previous research has shown that soybean has a greater impact on biological and chemical properties of soil in intercropping systems than other legumes, such as peanuts, thus improving field ecological conditions and increasing soil fertility, both of which are favourable to sugarcane growth. (Solanki *et al.*, 2017). The active diazotrophic community in the intercropped and monoculture fields demonstrated that a diverse variety of nitrogen-fixing bacteria interacts with soil, and intercropping agriculture increased the number of necessary diazotrophic bacteria (Stagnari *et al.*, 2017). These diazotrophs have an impact on the chemical and biological properties of the soil. The discovery of high-N-fixing bacteria in intercropped soil sparked the notion of using the intercropping system for N mineralization. Intercropping
systems, according to this study, stimulate soil microbial activity and increase the diazotrophic population.

The intercropping technique could lower the cost of nitrogen fertilization and increase natural biological nitrogen-fixing activity, resulting in improved sugarcane crop yields due to increased microbial activity. In terms of environmental and socioeconomic benefits, legumes have the potential to be competitive crops that can be integrated into modern cropping systems, which are characterized by declining crop diversity (FAO, 2011 and Plaza-Bonilla *et al.*, 2016) and excessive use of external inputs (i.e., fertilizers and agrochemicals). Many studies have recently focused on the long-term reintroduction of grain legumes into crop rotations, based on their beneficial effects on yield and quality characteristics in future crops. Grain legumes agronomic pre-crop benefits can be separated into two categories: “nitrogen effect” and “break crop effect”.

<figure><img src="image_17.png" /><figcaption>FIGURE 3.3: Categories of agronomic pre crop benefits of grain legumes</figcaption></figure>

## A. Legume's Advantages

1. Soil organic matter: Since legumes have high protein content, they have a lot of nitrogen in them. Most of the crop leftovers contain more carbon than nitrogen and microorganisms in the rhizospheric soil require both
the nitrogen provided by legumes which aids in the decomposition of organic matter and conversion of crop residues into soil-building organic matter.

2. Soil porosity: Legumes have vigorous taproots that reach 6 to 8 feet deep inside the soil and have a half-inch diameter, allowing for deep soil channels. Earthworms and the burrows they produce thrive in nitrogen-rich legume wastes materials. Root canals and earthworm burrows improve soil porosity, allowing air to enter within soil and water to percolate deeper inside the soil.

3. Recycle nutrients: Perennial and biennial legumes have the ability to recycle crop nutrients that are deep in the soil profile because they enter deeply in the soil. This leads to more efficient fertilizer application and prevents nutrients (especially nitrate nitrogen) from being lost due to leaching below the root zone of shallower-rooted crops in the cycle.

4. Improve soil structure: Legumes have been shown to improve the physical qualities of soil. Increases in more stable soil aggregates are credited with the improvements. Glomalin, a protein found symbiotically on the roots of legumes and other plants, acts as “glue” that holds soil aggregates together. Because of the increased pore space and tilth, soil erodibility and crusting are reduced.

5. Lower soil pH: Because inoculated, modulated legumes get their nitrogen from the air as diatomic N rather than the soil as nitrate, the pH of the soil is lowered. On soils with a pH above the range for optimum crop growth and development, legumes could lower the pH and encourage greater plant-soil-microbial action.

6. Biological diversity: Legumes help to improve the diversity of soil flora and fauna, which helps to stabilize the soil's overall vitality. By providing additional nitrogen, legumes also encourage the formation of more total biomass in the soil. Microbes in the soil use the extra nitrogen to break down carbon-rich leftovers from crops like wheat and corn.

7. Break pest cycles: Legumes are a great way to break up a crop rotation and decrease the buildup of grassy weeds, insects, and diseases. A three-year gap between crops of the same type (grassy, broadleaf, cool season, warm season) is usually enough to minimize weed, insect, and disease pressure significantly.

8. The production of hydrogen gas ($H_2$) as a by-product of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has a significant impact on the soil microbial population, favoring the development of plant growth-promoting bacteria even more. Chickpea, pigeon pea and white lupin are examples of grain legumes that
can mobilize fixed forms of soil P by the secretion of organic acids like citrate and malate, as well as other P mobilizing chemicals, from their roots. White lupin is the grain legume that most effectively solubilizes phosphorus, a function aided by its proetid roots, which can encircle small areas of soil.

<figure><img src="image_18.png" /><figcaption>FIGURE 3.4: Benefits of legume as an intercrop in soil quality</figcaption></figure>

### 3. CONCLUSION

Intercropping involves growing of two or more crop species on the same plot of land at the same time. Intercropping is more common among resource poor farming communities in underdeveloped countries. Despite several well-known benefits of intercropping, such as improved pest control, competitive yields with lower inputs, pollution mitigation and more stable aggregate food or forage yields per unit area, there are a number of constraints that keep intercropping from becoming more common in modern agriculture, such as the demand for a single, standardized product and the suitability for mechanization or the use of other inputs as a prerogative in intensive farming systems. As a result, optimizing intercropping systems is required to improve resource efficiency and crop productivity while also increasing diverse ecosystem services.
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