Horizon 1 1 17 ACL : Articles dans des revues avec comité de lecture répertoriées par l'AERES Plant and Soil 149-160 Soil fauna Nitrogen Chickpea Durum wheat Resource allocation Competition 2014 fdi:010061995 ENG Plant and Soil 0032-079X ISI:000335166300011 1-2 10.1007/s11104-014-2046-4 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010061995 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2014/06/010061995.pdf 379 Horizon (IRD) Intercropping of legumes and cereals appears as an alternative agricultural practice to decrease the use of chemical fertilizers while maintaining high yields. A better understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors determining interactions between plants in such associations is required. Our study aimed to analyse the effect of earthworms on the legume-cereal interactions with a focus on the modifications induced by earthworms on the forms of soil phosphorus (P). In a glasshouse experiment we investigated the effect of an endogeic earthworm (Allolobophora chlorotica) on the plant biomass and on N and P acquisition by durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) either grown alone or intercropped. The modifications of the different organic and inorganic P forms in the bulk soil were measured. There was no overyielding of the intercrop in the absence of earthworms. Earthworms had a strong influence on biomass and resource allocation between roots and shoots whereas no modification was observed in terms of total biomass production and P acquisition. Earthworms changed the interaction between the intercropped species mainly by reducing the competition for nutrients. Facilitation (positive plant-plant interactions) was only observed for the root biomass and P acquisition in the presence of earthworms. Earthworms decreased the amount of organic P extracted with NaOH (Po NaOH), while they increased the water soluble inorganic P (Pi H2O) content. In this experiment, earthworms could be seen as "troubleshooter" in plant-plant interaction as they reduced the competition between the intercropped species. Our study brings new insights into how earthworms affect plant growth and the P cycle. 074 ; 068 ; 076 UR210