# Sugarcane x Jack bean competition in intercropping system under contrasted nitrogen and water availability

Mathias Christina, Pauline Viaud, Antoine Versini, Krishna Naudin, Antoine Couedel

► To cite this version:

Mathias Christina, Pauline Viaud, Antoine Versini, Krishna Naudin, Antoine Couedel. Sugarcane x Jack bean competition in intercropping system under contrasted nitrogen and water availability. Congress of the European Society for Agronomy (ESA 2024), Institut agro Rennes-Angers; INRAE, Aug 2024, Rennes, France. pp.353-355. hal-05182362

HAL Id: hal-05182362

https://hal.science/hal-05182362v1

Submitted on 23 Jul 2025

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# SUGARCANE X JACK BEAN COMPETITION IN INTERCROPPING SYSTEM UNDER CONTRASTED NITROGEN AND WATER AVAILABILITY

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cirad
LA RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT

Mathias CHRISTINA*, Pauline VIAUD*, Antoine VERSINI**, Krishna NAUDIN*

*CIRAD, PERSYST-UPR AIDA, Montpellier, France

**CIRAD, PERSYST-UPR Recyclage & Risque, Saint-Denis, La Réunion

* **Sugarcane = Major crop** in Réunion Island → **54%** of Agricultural Land [1]

* Main problem → **weed management** → **Sugarcane Legume intercropping** has been successfully used to reduce herbicide use [2] → **Intercropping** led to an average sugarcane **yield loss** of 6% in Reunion Island. [3]

* AIMS: evaluate the competition mechanisms between a legume (Canavalia ensiformis) and sugarcane depending on environmental conditions (water and nitrogen availability). [4]

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## METHODS

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* Three years of sugarcane legume intercropping compared to monocropping (ratoon crop)

* Crossed treatment with or without irrigation and with or without N fertilization

* Aboveground and belowground sugarcane development measurements

* N and water balance measurements:

* soil water content down to 1m

* soil organic N (0-30cm)

* 15N natural abundance (fixation)

* Litter bags (legume decomposition)

* 15N legume enrichment (N uptake by sugarcane from legume decomposition)

## MAIN RESULTS

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## MAIN CONCLUSIONS & PERSPECTIVES

### Plasticity and interspecific interactions :

* No evidence of direct competition for soil resources

* Plastic response of sugarcane (root avoidance strategy, tillering response to neighbor) inducing higher stress under constraints environments

### N facilitation effect of legume:

* High N loss (volatilization?) due to legume-sugarcane mulch interaction

* A need to better synchronize N release (legume death) and sugarcane N demand

### Perspectives - improvements in intercropping management:

* Change in sowing and destruction dates [3]

* Mulch management on the sugarcane row to limit N losses [4]

* Companion crop valorization by farmers and assessment of adoption limits in practices in real farms (IntercropValues project)

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INTERCROP
VALUES

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UNION EUROPÉENNE

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l'Europe
s'engage
à La Réunion

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PÉFET
DE LA RÉUNION

Liberté
Égalité
Fédéralisme

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REGION REUNION

www.regionreunion.com

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CAP
TERRE

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* [1] Agreste La Réunion (2023) *Memento 2023*.

* [2] Soulé, M. et al. (2024). *Field Crop Research*.

* [3] Viaud et al. (2023). *Field Crop Research*.

* [4] Viaud P. 2023. PhD. Analyse des processus de compétition et de facilitation dans les agrosystèmes canne-à-sucre x légumineuses.

* [5] Christina, et al. (2023). *Plant and Soil*.

mathias.christina@cirad.fr

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BY NC SA