The Effects of Leguminous Living Mulch Intercropping and Its Growth Management on Organic Cabbage Yield and Biological Nitrogen Fixation

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article is well written with sufficient data, however, i feel the introduction and methods section is too long, which readers may loose focus. Further, the tables are too many (8 numbers). As mentioned by the author, weed suppression efficiencies should be studied

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Title has only yield as effect but BNF was big part, how about: “The Effects of Leguminous Living Mulch Intercropping and Their Growth Management on Organic Cabbage Yield and Biological Nitrogen Fixation”

 

16 was this 3-year repeated field trial if so make it clear?

 

19 New sentence: Bare soil (kept weed free or not??) with no intercropping was the control treatment.

 

20 growth management (it is a better word then control as – you have control treatments, then also needs to change in title. Also management is better as technically any organic fertiliser, if used and irrigation are not ‘control’ and part of management choices like variety and growth type choice of LM

 

22 Results show, rototilling…

22 is it higher or significantly higher?

 

28 on the conclusion was this irrigated? With enough water your result is true but maybe in a drier climate without irrigation, even East of England can be very dry in summer as many vegetable and arable growing area in Europe are or becoming in the future.

Then it could have been different. So this info should be given to understand results in a wider context besides southern Germany.

 

28 Explain BNF in abstract Biological N2 Fixation

Living Mulch (LM) only once when you define it use capitals as to match with short-cut defined

 

181 “Irrigation was carried out according to standard agronomic practices.” This says not a lot, need to say a bit more… was there never water stress, what type of irrigation, was this by sensor or expert knowledge. Since this input affects the results and its wider applicability - it is necessary to add FULL detail here.

 

275 Table 7 where is the data for control? If not remove C from legend also was the control kept weed free ? If not there should be a very small biomass too?

 

603 do not sounds like a normative statement – did not is better if you have measured this. e.g. if cabbage is grown over winter for spring harvest in an Atlantic climate with no frost there could still be a BNF effect in the main crop itself, otherwise in the winter wheat.

This WW you could also mention again in the conclusion (it is mentioned earlier that data are not shown but you may have the results)

The rotational effect (or potential leaching over winter) could make a further case for LL – or, if too much leaching – against.

 

613 double check e.g. was any EU project e.g. TRUE project use possibility partly too?

 

622 please in conclusions also discuss difference in spring and fall crop (if using European English this would be called autumn)

Please in conclusions also discuss irrigation and weed growth on control

A picture of the treatments would help also international reader to understand context.

And how bare was bare soil?

If you look at work by Rosemary Collier a LL in cabbage could be to done for pest control or distracting pests – this effect was not measured but could just be mentioned again as could be a big benefit e.g. this paper. “Can imitation companion planting interfere with host selection by Brassica pest insects? http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/52134/(attached as PDF)

You contrast ryegrass with clover in terms of benefits often a grass/clover mix is used (as fodder) for a reason. This could be mentioned in discussion to explore as less vigorous and more leaching retention than clover alone.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx