Maize/peanut intercropping improves nutrient uptake of side-row maize and system microbial community diversity

Abstract

Background Intercropping, a diversified planting pattern, increases land use efficiency and farmland ecological diversity. We explored the changes in soil physicochemical properties, nutrient uptake and utilization, and microbial community composition in wide-strip intercropping of maize and peanut. Results The results from three treatments, sole maize, sole peanut and intercropping of maize and peanut, showed that intercropped maize had a marginal advantage and that the nutrient content of roots, stems and grains in side-row maize was better than that in the middle row of intercropped maize and sole maize. The yield of intercropped maize was higher than that of sole cropping. The interaction between crops significantly increased soil peroxidase activity, and significantly decreased protease and dehydrogenase activities in intercropped maize and intercropped peanut. The diversity and richness of bacteria and fungi decreased in intercropped maize rhizosphere soil, whereas the richness of fungi increased intercropped peanut. RB41, Candidatus-udaeobacter, Stropharia, Fusarium and Penicillium were positively correlated with soil peroxidase activity, and negatively correlated with soil protease and dehydrogenase activities. In addition, intercropping enriched the functional diversity of the bacterial community and reduced pathogenic fungi. Conclusion Intercropping changed the composition and diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities in rhizosphere soil, enriched beneficial microbes, increased the nitrogen content of intercropped maize and provided a scientific basis for promoting intercropping in northeastern China.

Maize and peanut intercropping improves the nitrogen accumulation and yield per plant of maize by promoting the secretion of flavonoids and abundance of Bradyrhizobium in rhizosphere

“…Rhizosphere soil samples were collected in the same way as described in a ( Zhao et al, 2022a ). Total nitrogen (TN) was measured using the Kjeldahl method, and the soil ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) was measured using the colourimetric method of Nessler’s reagent.…”

“…Rhizosphere soil samples collected at 60 days after sowing were tested for soil enzyme activity. The activities of the soil enzymes urease (UE), nitrate reductase (NR), protease (Pro), and dehydrogenase (DHO) were measured using an ELISA kit (MLBIO, Shanghai, China; Zhao et al, 2022a ).…”

“…Therefore, many studies have been conducted on the soil microbiome related to the intercropping of cereals and legumes ( Inal et al, 2007 ; Zhang et al, 2020b ; Pang et al, 2021 ). A previous study found that the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as RB41 , Candidatus-Udaeobacter , Stropharia , Fusarium and Penicillium increased in the rhizosphere soil under the intercropping of maize and peanut ( Zhao et al, 2022a ). Studies have also shown that more than half of the increase in nitrogen fixation in intercropped broad beans is due to key bacteria, such as, Agromyces , Arthrobacter , Bacillus , Lysobacter , Paenibacillus , Gemmatimonas , Heliobacillus , Natronocella , and Sorangium recruited by maize root exudates play an important role in root interactions ( Hu et al, 2021 ).…”

Mechanisms underlying cereal/legume intercropping as nature-based biofortification: A review

“…Plant Growth Promoting Microbe (PGPMs) includes beneficial soil microorganisms such as bacteria (Azospirillum, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Paenibacillus, and Pseudomonas) and mycorrhizal fungi species that colonize plant roots. Intercropping favors the development of different types of microorganisms (Hinsinger 2001;Song et al 2007;Weisany et al 2016;Duchene et al 2017;Li et al 2018;Zhao et al 2022) through diverse litter quality, litter types or root exudates entering the soil (Hooper et al 2000;Maitra and Ray 2019;Wang and Shen 2019) regulating plant hormones (Chen et al 2022), which are described as ecosystem engineers (Zhang et al 2010;Kudoyarova et al 2015;Duchene et al 2017;Kumar and Verma 2018;Neina 2019). Among microbiota, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis is arguably the essential symbiosis on earth (Bücking et al 2012) and serves as 'biofertilizers and bioprotectors' in environmentally sustainable agriculture and plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling, absorption and translocation of nutrients (Qiu and Wang 2006;Soka and Ritchie 2014) that can be occurred through the direct pathway (by roots) and the AM fungal pathway (Smith and Smith 2011;Lurthy et al 2021).…”

Intercropping Pinto Peanut in Litchi Orchard Effectively Improved Soil Available Potassium Content, Optimized Soil Bacterial Community Structure, and Advanced Bacterial Community Diversity

“…Tang et al ( 2021 ) suggested that sugarcane/peanut intercropping significantly boosted the content of total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), and total potassium (TK) and enhanced the activity of acid phosphatase compared to monoculture. Moreover, soil properties, nutrient use efficiency, and soil microbial diversity were significantly improved in the intercropping system (Zhao et al, 2022 ).…”