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In the Mediterranean basin, olive cultivation occupies the largest share of agricultural land, due to the region’s favorable soil and climatic conditions. However, the intensification of farming systems has had negative environmental impacts, for which diversified approaches such as agroforestry offer a potential solution. The objective of the present study was to determine the growth of barley, triticale, and pea as cover crops, as well as the respective intercrops in olive orchards and their productivity. The results showed that the intercropping of pea with barley and triticale had the highest yields in dry biomass compared to the other treatments, while barley monoculture recorded the highest yield in terms of grain. The findings demonstrated that intercropping enhances resource-use efficiency, particularly in terms of land productivity, Radiation-Use Efficiency, and Water-Use Efficiency. However, competitive dynamics varied significantly between species and across years, with pea often exhibiting dominance in biomass production, while cereals showed trade-offs in seed yield components due to shading and interspecific competition. These findings can be used for sustainable intensification strategies, ensuring higher productivity while minimizing external inputs in climate-vulnerable regions.

Intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crop species in the same space for a considerable proportion of the growth period. Farmers use cultivars that were bred under monoculture and there are no cultivars that have been evaluated under intercropping systems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate different cultivars of pea and wheat on intercropping systems. The experiment was conducted for two successive growing seasons (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) at the University Farm of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, using two cultivars of field pea and six cultivars of bread wheat, and all their mixture combinations. The growing seasons, the intercropping treatments, and the cultivars affected the grain yield, the yield components, and the land equivalent ratio (LER) and actual yield loss (AYL) values. The different cultivars showed different responses under the intercropping treatments, indicating that there are cultivars that show higher grain yield in mixtures. Based on the mean grain yield for both growing seasons, the mixture ‘Isard’–‘Mavragani’ showed higher grain yield by 86.5% and 55.7% compared with the mean grain yield of all other mixtures and monocultures, respectively. The total LER value of ‘Isard’–‘Mavragani’ was high in both years: 1.954 and 1.693 in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, respectively. This multicriteria evaluation of winter wheat and field pea varieties exhibited the need for the selection of appropriate cultivars for intercropping systems that were previously assessed under intercropping conditions before their exploitation from the farmers.

Intercropping is an old and commonly used agricultural practice and involves the cultivation of two or more crops in the same area of land at the same time and may improve yield, the use of the environmental resources, product quality, and soil health. The objective of the present study was to study the effect of water availability of wheat-pea intercrops using agronomic and physiological characteristics. The experiment was conducted at the farm of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece during two growing seasons 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 using two different cultivars from pea (Isard and Olympos) and wheat (Yecora E and Elissavet) and two irrigation regimes. The availability of water increased grain yield and affected most of the characteristics that were studied. In terms of total Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) there was a yield advantage of intercrops over monocrops, which indicates the efficiency of intercropping for using the environmental resources. Both wheat cultivars, the pea cultivar Olympos and their intercrops indicated high adaptation capacity to rainfed conditions, whereas Isard and its intercrops performed better under irrigation. Therefore, the intercropping of wheat with pea uses the water resources of the environment more efficiently and can be used in dry land conditions for higher yield.

Intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crop species on the same area of land, and can improve yield, forage quality, and soil health. Despite the fact that intercropping is an old practice, it received significant attention the last years because of the environmental impact that it has. However, the effect of the various spatial arrangements of the different species that are used in an intercropping system was not determined. The objective of the present study was to study the yield, growth and nitrogen (N) uptake rate, N nutrition index (NNI) of barley, interspecific competition, quality and financial outcome of intercrops of faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. equina) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with various spatial arrangements (1:1, 2:2, 2:1 alternate rows, and mixed in the same row). The land equivalent ratio (LER), relative crowding coefficient (K), actual yield loss (AYL) and system productivity index (SPI) values were greater for the FB:B intercrop of 2:1, indicating the advantage of intercropping in terms of dry matter and N yield. Sole cropping of barley showed a reduction in NNI by 7 %, whereas NNI for barley increased by an average of 14% in intercropping treatments. Based on biomass production and the competition indices for dry matter and N yield, and NNI the FB:B intercrop of 2:1 was more advantageous than faba bean and barley monocrops, as well as the other intercropping treatments that were tested.   *** In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. ***

The term intercropping is used to describe agricultural systems where at least two or more species are cultivated in the same field for a portion of their biological cycle. It is an ancient agricultural practice that, with the evolution of agriculture, the prevalence of intensive cultivation systems, and the use of multiple inputs became mostly restricted to developing countries. However, due to climate instability and uncertainty about weather conditions, interest in intercropping has been revived in recent years. The objective of the present study was to determine which faba bean cultivar can be used with wheat cultivars to achieve higher yields and to examine the interaction between the cultivars in intercropping systems. It was found that the combination of Flamenko with Polycarpi gave the highest yield and showed complementarity in the interaction between these cultivars that also have the highest yield; also, the other indices that were used showed a good response on the intercropping system and the LER was 1.30 and 1.19 for the first and the second year of the study, respectively. Therefore, there are faba bean and wheat cultivars that are better adapted to intercropping conditions and can be utilized by farmers to enhance productivity.

Intercropping is the simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops species in the same space for a considerable proportion of the growth period. Intercropping has several advantages and is used in both traditional and sustainable agriculture. The objective of the present study was to study the interactions among different pea and wheat cultivars and the effect of water availability on wheat-pea mixtures and the competition between the two species. The experiment was conducted for two successive growing seasons using two different irrigation regimes and two cultivars from each species. The different treatments were evaluated using morphological and agronomic characteristics. Intercropping treatment, cultivars, and irrigation level affected most of the characteristics that were studied and the competition between the two species. Biomass was higher by 47% and leaf area index by 34% under irrigation compared to the rainfed conditions. The different cultivars showed different response under the two water regimes. Based on the intercropping indices, the mixture ‘Yecora E’ - ‘Isard’ is favoured under irrigation while the combination ‘Elissavet’ - ‘Isard’ under low water availability. There was interaction between cultivars and irrigation and using different cultivars in intercropping can have higher yield advantage than monocropping by exploiting the environmental resources more efficiently. Therefore, the use of appropriate cultivars in mixtures can affect the growth, biomass yield and competition between the two species leading to higher yield and greater economic return.

Efficient use of N applied in the form of organic and inorganic fertilizers is important in maize (Zea mays L.) production to maximize producer's economic returns and maintain soil and water quality. A field study was conducted for three consecutive years (2003-2005) in Thessaloniki, Greece to investigate whether liquid cattle manure can be used to replace inorganic fertilizers and also whether inorganic fertilizer can be applied preplant or as a combination of preplant and sidedress and can affect maize growth, development and N use efficiency. The treatments were control (unfertilized), liquid dairy cattle manure (Manure), application of 260 kg N ha-¹ year-¹ as basal dressing (N-single), application of 130 kg ha-¹ year-¹ N as basal dressing before sowing and 130 kg N ha-¹ when plants were at the eight-leaf stage (V8) (N-split). In 2 out of the 3 years of the study there was a significant positive effect of fertilizer application on maize growth, development, N uptake, and partitioning compared with the control. Dry matter production was increased by an average of 39% during the 2 years in plots fertilized either with manure or inorganic fertilizers than the control plots. Also from the yield components kernel weight per ear and number of kernels per ear were increased by an average of 35% and 32%, respectively in the fertilized plots compared with the control plots. Chlorophyll level was affected as it was increased by an average of 18%, 14%, and 18% at the ten-leaf stage (V10), silking and milk stage, respectively in the fertilization treatments compared with the control. Similar trend was observed in the other parameters that were studied. No differences were found between the manure and the different times of N application which indicates that manure can be used to replace inorganic fertilizer. Applying N either preplant in a single application or in split application (half of N preplant and half as sidedress) did not have any effect on any characteristics that were studied indicating that preplant application can be used as it is more cost effective. The present study indicates that liquid cattle manure can be used to replace inorganic fertilizers and also that there was no difference between preplant and sidedress application of N.

Cultivation of well‐adapted varieties under organic environment requires effective breeding schemes. A field study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of single‐plant selection at low density under organic environment. Single plants originating from 20 lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) varieties along with their seed composite were grown in an R‐21 honeycomb design under two plant densities for two consecutive growing seasons at two sites. Sowing plant densities (PDs) were 12.8 plants m−2 (PD I) and 3.2 plants m−2 (PD II). Selection was applied in each environment (site per growing season) and each plant density and the top 50 plants were selected. Varieties were also evaluated in plot trials under farmer's conditions and the entry ranking across four environments was considered as the proven entry ranking. Effective selection (ES) was measured by the number of the 50 selected plants originating from the top five varieties, while non‐ES was measured by the number of the 50 selected plants originating from the five‐lowest yielders. It was observed that the experimental case that indicated higher ES and lower non‐ES was PD II. Under PD II, ES ranged from 34 to 74% from environment to environment and from 46 to 62% across two environments, while non‐ES ranged from 0 to 12% from environment to environment and from 3 to 12% across two environments. It was concluded that single‐plant selection at low plant density could be applied in breeding programs for organic agriculture with considerable effectiveness.

The effects of liquid dairy cattle (Bos taurus) manure on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and composition were studied in a 4-yr field experiment conducted under a Mediterranean environment. In addition, long-term impact of (8-yr) manure application on soil-available NO3-N, P, and K; organic C; Kjeldahl N; and salinity was investigated. Four treatments were established in plots, previously used for a similar 4-yr experiment with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Treatments were: (i) application of 80 Mg manure ha-1 yr-1; (ii) single application of the equivalent N-P as inorganic fertilization (260 kg N ha-1 yr-1 and 57 kg P ha-1 yr-1); (iii) identical to (ii), but with split N application; and (iv) no fertilization. Corn grain and silage yields, N-P-K plant concentration, and uptake were significantly increased by manure or inorganic fertilizer addition relative to the control. During the 4-yr corn experiment, the amounts of available NO3-N in the soil profile of manure plots were higher than control, but similar to both inorganic fertilization treatments. Manure application maintained the amounts of soil available NO3-N, P, and K at desirable levels, almost each year of the total 8-yr application. However, soil organic C and Kjeldahl N remained unchanged. At the end of the experiment, soil salinity below 30 cm was significantly increased on manure or inorganic fertilizer addition relative to the control, but at levels acceptable for most crops. In conclusion, soil application of liquid dairy cattle manure at a rate equivalent to the recommended inorganic fertilization can enhance corn yield and composition and maintain soil fertility at desirable levels, without increasing soil salinity at unacceptable levels.

Liquid cattle (Bos taurus) manure should be applied to soils in such a manner that would improve soil fertility and crop production without causing salinity problems or increasing NO−3 levels. This study investigated the influence of liquid cattle manure on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yecora) germination, growth, and nutrient utilization. Four treatments were applied in the same plots in a 4‐yr field experiment with winter wheat: (i) application of 40 Mg ha−1 yr−1 liquid dairy cattle manure (wet weight basis) before sowing; (ii) single application of 120 and 26 kg ha−1 yr−1 N and P, respectively, as inorganic fertilizers before sowing; (iii) as in ii, but with split application of N, half the amount before sowing and the rest at tillering; and (iv) no fertilization. The biological evaluators used to compare the effect of the treatments were (i) number of seedlings per square meter at tillering for the first year only and (ii) dry biomass at heading and harvest; plant concentration and uptake of N, P, and K; and grain yield for every year of experimentation. The results showed that application of manure did not affect seed germination but resulted in a significant increase in dry biomass at the two growth stages and in grain yield and nutrient uptake, similar to the inorganic N and P fertilization. The amounts of soil available NO3−N and P were significantly increased while at the end of the field experiment, soil salinity, organic C, and total N levels remained unchanged.