Effects of relay intercropping eggplant with garlic on the contents of available nitrogen (A), available phosphorus (B), and available potassium (C) in soil from September 2010 to November 2012.

Fig. 5 was drawn using the software program Sigmaplot 12 (Systat Software, Inc.). CK: eggplant monoculture; NG: eggplant relay intercropping with normal garlic cv. G110; GG: eggplant relay intercropping with green garlic cv. G064 Error bars represent the standard error of the mean. Different letters above the bars indicate significant differences at a P<0.05 level (ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test), n = 3. The capital letters from A to G behind dates in the X-axis represent different periods of crop cycles in the experiment: A represents five days before eggplant transplanted in spring (garlic-only); B represents eggplant/garlic co-growth stage in spring; C represents eggplant-only stage; D represents five days before green garlic planted (eggplant-only); E represents several days before normal garlic planted; F represents eggplant/garlic co-growth stage in autumn; G represents several days before eggplant uprooted (co-growth).