Influence of relay intercropping of barley with chickpea on biochemical characteristics and yield under water stress

Relay intercropping of legumes with cereals is a useful technique for yield improvement. Intercropping may be affected the photosynthetic pigments, enzymes activity and yield of barley and chickpea under water stress. To investigate the effect of relay intercropping of barley with chickpea on pigments content, enzymes activity and yield under water stress, a field experiment as split plot based on a randomized complete block design was conducted during 2017 and 2018. The treatments included irrigation regimes (normal irrigation and cutting off irrigation at milk development stage) as main plot. Also, cropping systems consisted of sole cropping of barley in December (b1) and January (b2), sole cropping of chickpea in December (c1) and January (c2), barley + chickpea in December (b1c1), barley in December + chickpea in January (b1c2), barley in January + chickpea in December (b2c1) and barley + chickpea in January (b2c2) as sub plot. Chlorophyll a content of barley increased in b1c2, by consuming less water compared to sole cropping. In barley, sowing of barley in December intercropped with chickpea in December and January (b1c1 and b1c2) created a suitable canopy in pigment contents improvement. Late sowing of chickpea enhanced the carotenoid content of chickpea, catalase and peroxidase activities. Barley-chickpea intercropping reacted to water deficit through enzymes activity, water use efficiency and land equivalent enhancement compared to sole cropping. Under water stress, in b1c2, by increasing total chlorophyll and water use efficiency, grain yield of barley enhanced compared to b1. It seems that in b1c2, barley and chickpea response to water stress be increasing total chlorophyll and enzymes activity, respectively. In this relay intercropping treatment, each crop occupied and used the growth resources from different ecological niches at different times which is recommended in semi-arid areas.