The effect of maize–alfalfa intercropping on the physiological characteristics, nitrogen uptake and yield of maize

Abstract

In Northeastern China, the intensive cropping system and increased use of chemical fertilizer has caused severe problems in terms of sustainable agricultural development. Therefore, to improve agricultural sustainability and crop productivity the farming system needs to be modified in the region. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of maize–alfalfa intercropping on the physiological characteristics, nitrogen (N) uptake and yield of the maize crops in northeast China in 2017–2018. The study findings showed that intercropping under N fertilization progressively improved the physio‐agronomic indices of the maize crop as compared to mono‐cropping. The grain yield, 100 seed weight and biomass dry matter of maize crop improved in intercropping when it was practiced with N fertilizer. Furthermore, intercropping with N fertilization increased the chlorophyll content of the maize crop at bell‐mouthed, silking, filing and mature stages by 19%, 44%, 12%, and 9% in 2017 and by 23%, 43%, 15%, and 11% in 2018, respectively, as compared with the monocropping system. Unlike monocropping, intercropping with N fertilization increased the photosynthesis rate (14% and 15%), stomatal conductance (74% and 98%) and transpiration rate (74% and 75%) in 2017 and 2018, respectively. However, intercropping reduced intercellular CO2 (Ci). Moreover, intercropping with N fertilization increased the maize N content of grain and leaves as well as total N uptake by 49%, 31% and 93% in 2017 and 53%, 34% and 132%, respectively, in 2018 as compared to monocropping. In conclusion, our results suggest that maize–alfalfa intercropping with optimal N fertilization provides a practical method for improving growth, yield and N accumulation in the maize crop.

A Multi-Site Evaluation of Winter Hardiness in Indigenous Alfalfa Cultivars in Northern China

“…Taking together, compared to the introduced cultivars, the indigenous cultivars showed more extensive variability. Overall, winter hardiness can be used as a reliable metric in screening cold-resistant alfalfa cultivars for integration into the regional agroecosystems in the face of climate change [37][38][39][40][41].…”

“…On the one hand, the successful establishment of alfalfa can provide bulk quantities of high-quality protein forage for animal husbandry, especially for the development of the dairy industry [5,37,40,[43][44][45]. On the other hand, the forage-crop rotation can improve the soil quality, especially in saline-alkaline land, or medium-to low-yielding land areas, which plays a great role in improving soil fertility, consolidating farmland quality, and ensuring food safety and stable production [37,38,43,[46][47][48]. The world is entering an era of low-carbon economy.…”

The effects of the depth of fertilization on losses of nitrogen and phosphorus and soil fertility in the red paddy soil of China

“…The application of fertilizers, especially nitrogen and phosphorus which have great promotion to grain yield of, remains essential for food security. However, the loss of N and P from agroecosystems results in environmental problems and threatens the sustainability of agricultural practices ( Nasar et al, 2020 ). This concern has been considered one of the major challenges to feed the world in 2050 ( Ehrlich & Harte, 2015 ; Mueller et al, 2012 ).…”

The financial analysis of nitrogen fertilizers and planting systems and its implications on maize agribusiness: Evidence from Peshawar, Pakistan

“…However, the best nutrient intake was 50% YM + 50% urea with the highest total yield result of 12,749.50 kg per ha. It is suggested that another treatment to control weed and nitrogen fixation be added to provide sustainable nutrients (Nasar et al, 2020), and some plant regulators such as Salicylic acid as a hormone be given for maize growth and yield (Arshad et al, 2020). Meanwhile, the soil temperature management technologies can increase agricultural productivity and sustainability while reducing environmental impact (Cameron et al, 2013).…”