Growth and Carotenoid Contents of Intercropped Vegetables in Building-Integrated Urban Agriculture

Abstract

Sustainable food security due to climate and social change is more important than ever. This study was conducted to increase plant growth and bioactive contents using intercropping technology in urban agriculture. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) were intercropped in different ratios in outdoor rooftop, and lettuce (Lactuca savita L.) was grown with chicory (Cichorium intybus. L.) in the indoor LED plant growth chambers. Carotenoids in plant foods were analyzed using an ultraperformance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. Chlorophyll contents were determined by the soil analysis development chlorophyll meter. Tomatoes planted with sunflowers (3: 1) had a significantly larger stem diameter (p<0.05), a large number of leaves (p<0.05), and significantly higher lycopene at d88 (p<0.05), d102 (p<0.001), and d115 (p<0.01), and β-carotene contents at d102 (p<0.05) as compared to those of monocultured tomatoes. Lettuce planted in a ratio of 1: 3 with lettuce and chicory had significantly higher contents of chlorophyll (p<0.05), β-carotene (p<0.05), and lutein (p<0.01), than lettuce planted alone. On the other hand, intercropping of chicory and lettuce did not have a beneficial effect on the growth and carotenoid content of chicory. The current study indicates that plant growth and carotenoid content can be substantially modified by cocultivation, and the effects may vary depending on the type of plant and the crop ratio.