ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Yasmine Elouattassi1,2 , Mohamed Ferioun3, Naima El Ghachtouli4, Khalid Derraz1, Ikram Legrifi1, Aziza Irhza2 and Fouad Rachidi2
1Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, Sciences and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
2Department of Plant and Environment Protection, National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Morocco.
3Department of Agri-Food Biotechnology, Higher School of Technology Fkih Ben Salah, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni Mellal 23000, Morocco.
4Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules laboratory, Sciences and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
Article Number: 10718 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(1):219-236. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.1.07
Received: 23 June 2025 | Accepted: 27 August 2025 | Published online: 22 January 2026
Issue online: March 2026
Abstract

Intercropping and fertilization practices are increasingly promoted as ecological alternatives to improve soil health and crop productivity. This work examined their combined effects on soil microbial communities and onion yield over two growing seasons. The aim of this study was to assess how different intercropping systems combined with organic and mineral fertilization influence soil microbial communities and onion performance. Treatments included onion monoculture and intercropping with carrot, pepper or fennel, under compost and NPK fertilization, arranged in a randomized block design. Soil analyses focused on bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes loads, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and their relationship with onion yield. Results indicated that growing season, fertilization, and intercropping, as well as their interactions, had significant effects on all microbial parameters and yield (p < 0.001). Compost application led to the highest microbial stimulation, increasing bacterial populations by 42%, fungal counts by 33%, actinomycetes by 45%, and MBC by 32%, compared to the unfertilized control. Carrot intercropping further enhanced soil activity, raising actinomycetes by 48% and MBC by 35%. This cropping system also improved onion performance, with yield rising from 2.5 kg/plant in the control to 5.4 kg/plant under compost treatments and 5.1 kg/plant with carrot intercropping, highlighting the positive link between microbial enhancement and productivity. Moderate positive correlations were observed between microbial parameters and yield, particularly for bacteria (R² = 0.27) and actinomycetes (R² = 0.20). These findings emphasize the potential of integrating organic fertilization with strategic intercropping to enhance soil biological functioning and promote sustainable onion production.

Keywords

Ecological Intensification, Crop Productivity, Compost Amendment, Rhizospheric Microbial Community, Agroecological Practices

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© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.