Intercropping Enhances Productivity and Maintains the Most Soil Fertility Properties Relative to Sole Cropping

Abstract

Yield and nutrient acquisition advantages are frequently found in intercropping systems. However, there are few published reports on soil fertility in intercropping relative to monocultures. A field experiment was therefore established in 2009 in Gansu province, northwest China. The treatments comprised maize/faba bean, maize/soybean, maize/chickpea and maize/turnip intercropping, and their correspoding monocropping. In 2011 (the 3rd year) and 2012 (the 4th year) the yields and some soil chemical properties and enzyme activities were examined after all crop species were harvested or at later growth stages. Both grain yields and nutrient acquisition were significantly greater in all four intercropping systems than corresponding monocropping over two years. Generally, soil organic matter (OM) did not differ significantly from monocropping but did increase in maize/chickpea in 2012 and maize/turnip in both years. Soil total N (TN) did not differ between intercropping and monocropping in either year with the sole exception of maize/faba bean intercropping receiving 80 kg P ha−1 in 2011. Intercropping significantly reduced soil Olsen-P only in 2012, soil exchangeable K in both years, soil cation exchangeable capacity (CEC) in 2012, and soil pH in 2012. In the majority of cases soil enzyme activities did not differ across all the cropping systems at different P application rates compared to monocrops, with the exception of soil acid phosphatase activity which was higher in maize/legume intercropping than in the corresponding monocrops at 40 kg ha−1 P in 2011. P fertilization can alleviate the decline in soil Olsen-P and in soil CEC to some extent. In summary, intercropping enhanced productivity and maintained the majority of soil fertility properties for at least three to four years, especially at suitable P application rates. The results indicate that maize-based intercropping may be an efficient cropping system for sustainable agriculture with carefully managed fertilizer inputs.

Improving soil quality for higher grain yields in Chinese wheat and maize production

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Can Cynodon dactylon Suppress the Growth and Development of the Invasive Weeds Tagetes minuta and Gutenbergia cordifolia?

“…Competitiveness of C. dactylon has been associated with its stoloniferous nature and its ability to develop deep roots [4] that can easily outcompete other plant species. While monocultures from invasive plants have been reported to not only suppress other native species [18], but also to deteriorate soil health [19] intercrops were shown to be mostly facilitative in nature, especially in maize-legume combinations [20,21]. In our study, inter-planting of C. dactylon/T.…”

Affordable and robust phenotyping framework to analyse root system architecture of soil-grown plants

“…Consistent with this, highest root growth activity is consistently close to the deepest root tips (Figure S4B). Our rhizobox system allows inter-species comparisons which are relevant ecologically and for the development of novel multi-species or multi-cultivar cropping systems aimed at minimising competition for resource acquisition within a given environment (Li et al , 2014, Wang et al , 2014, Weiner et al , 2017).…”