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Abstract

Ecological cultivation of medicinal plants offers a sustainable approach to alleviate continuous cropping obstacles and improve the quality of medicinal materials. In this study, Chrysanthemum morifolium‘Hangju’ was intercropped with seven plant species, including pepper (Capsicum annuum), schizonepeta (Schizonepeta tenuifolia), edible amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum), maize (Zea mays), soya (Glycine max), and purple perilla (Perilla frutescens). Plant morphological traits and physiology were measured to evaluate the effects of intercropping. The results demonstrated that in the first year, intercropping with purple perilla (HZ) induced mild underground stress, which significantly enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activities in Hangju leaves and promoted plant growth. The plant height, leaf length, and leaf width in HZ increased by 39.51%, 30.38%, and 18.03%, respectively, compared with the control (CK). Intercropping with soya (HD) also significantly improved plant height. Regarding antioxidant enzymes, the activities of CAT, SOD, and POD were highest in HZ, with significant increases of 120.86%, 63.45%, and 59.29%, respectively (P<0.05). The HD treatment ranked second, with enzyme activities increasing by 74.70%, 21.64%, and 1.99%, respectively. In the second year, intercropping with soya (HD) improved physiology parameters and increased the content of osmotic adjustment substances during the nutritive growth bud differentiation and full bloom stages. Intercropping with purple perilla (HZ) significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities during the vegetative growth stage: CAT and SOD activities increased significantly by 20.47% and 36.76% (P<0.05), respectively. POD activity increased significantly by 21.87% in HZ and 10.93% in HD. At the full flowering stage, the highest POD activity was observed in HD, which was 17.39% higher than that of CK (P<0.05). Additionally, malondialdehyde (MDA) content in Hangju leaves during the vegetative growth stage was significantly lower in HZ and HD than in CK (P<0.05), with reductions of 24.46% and 32.99%, respectively. These findings suggest that intercropping, particularly with purple perilla and soya, can effectively enhance the growth and physiology of Hangju, thereby supporting the ecological cultivation of this medicinal species.

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