Cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis DC.) is a versatile crop used both for food and energy production that could play a role in the integrated agro-pastoral systems of Mediterranean mountains. This 3-year experiment focused on I) verifying the adaptability of this crop to mountain environmental conditions and II) testing cultivated cardoon temporary intercropping, during its first year of cultivation, with two forage species as a strategy for weed control and for providing additional fodder production. Two intercropping treatments were considered: cultivated cardoon intercropped with fodder radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis Pers) - FR; cultivated cardoon intercropped with serradella (Ornitopus sativus Brot.) – SR and a control treatment with cultivated cardoon without intercropping – NC. Cultivated cardoon well survived the harsh climatic conditions of Mediterranean mountain areas, even characterised by snow events during the first year of cultivation. Temporary intercropping affected the cultivated cardoon plant density, its height and yield components. After three years from sowing, the legacy effect of intercropping was still evident. Already at the beginning of the second year, in the plots where cultivated cardoon was formerly intercropped with fodder radish, the cultivated cardoon density was significantly higher than under the other two treatments (6.8 plants m-2 vs 2.1 - 2.2 plant m-2). The temporary intercropping contributed on average to a dry matter production of 209 g m-2 ( ± 18.2 g m-2 standard error - SE) for fodder radish and 317 g m-2 ( ± 40.1 g m-2 SE) for serradella. The cultivated cardoon achene yield in the 3 rd year was significantly higher in plots under FR treatment (2.73 t ha-1) than in those under SR treatment (0.90 t ha-1) and NC (0.37 t ha-1). A significantly higher presence of Poaceae weeds was observed when cultivated cardoon was under SR treatment.
Temporary intercropping of cultivated cardoon in Mediterranean mountain farmlands: A case study from Gennargentu-Mandrolisai (Sardinia, Italy)
Giannini V.
2024
Abstract
Cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis DC.) is a versatile crop used both for food and energy production that could play a role in the integrated agro-pastoral systems of Mediterranean mountains. This 3-year experiment focused on I) verifying the adaptability of this crop to mountain environmental conditions and II) testing cultivated cardoon temporary intercropping, during its first year of cultivation, with two forage species as a strategy for weed control and for providing additional fodder production. Two intercropping treatments were considered: cultivated cardoon intercropped with fodder radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis Pers) - FR; cultivated cardoon intercropped with serradella (Ornitopus sativus Brot.) – SR and a control treatment with cultivated cardoon without intercropping – NC. Cultivated cardoon well survived the harsh climatic conditions of Mediterranean mountain areas, even characterised by snow events during the first year of cultivation. Temporary intercropping affected the cultivated cardoon plant density, its height and yield components. After three years from sowing, the legacy effect of intercropping was still evident. Already at the beginning of the second year, in the plots where cultivated cardoon was formerly intercropped with fodder radish, the cultivated cardoon density was significantly higher than under the other two treatments (6.8 plants m-2 vs 2.1 - 2.2 plant m-2). The temporary intercropping contributed on average to a dry matter production of 209 g m-2 ( ± 18.2 g m-2 standard error - SE) for fodder radish and 317 g m-2 ( ± 40.1 g m-2 SE) for serradella. The cultivated cardoon achene yield in the 3 rd year was significantly higher in plots under FR treatment (2.73 t ha-1) than in those under SR treatment (0.90 t ha-1) and NC (0.37 t ha-1). A significantly higher presence of Poaceae weeds was observed when cultivated cardoon was under SR treatment.
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