Crop nitrogen use and soil mineral nitrogen accumulation under different crop combinations and patterns of strip intercropping in northwest China

Li, Chunjie; Li, Yuying; Yu, Chang Yeon; Sun, Jianhao; Christie, Peter; An, Min; Zhang, Fusuo; Li, Long

doi:10.1007/s11104-010-0686-6

Cited by 57 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…This is of particular interest for developing low-input and sustainable cropping systems. In addition, legume/maize (Zea mays L.) intercropping has higher land use efficiency, lower water consumption and more ecological and environmental benefits compared to a cereal-cereal intercropping [7,8]. For intercropping, interspecific interactions often occur, including interspecific…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agronomic and Economic Benefits of Pea/Maize Intercropping Systems in Relation to N Fertilizer and Maize Density

2018

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Abstract:Intercropping has been shown to increase crop yields and improve land utilization in many cases but it is unknown how the interspecies relationship is enhanced with improved crop management schemes. In this study, we investigated the effect of different maize densities and N rates on the growth, crop yields and economic benefits of pea (Pisum sativum L.)/maize (Zea mays L.) intercropping. The results indicated that total yields of pea/maize intercropping were higher than the yield of maize alone, and that pea/maize intercropping improved land use efficiency significantly compared to sole crops, the partial land equivalent ratio (LER) of maize and pea with high planting density increased from 0.98% to 9.36% compared to low planting densities during 2012 and 2013. The pea strips provided significant compensatory effects on the growing maize after the earlier-sown, shorter-seasoned pea was harvested. The crop growth rate (CGR) of the intercropped maize was 18.5% to 216.9% greater than that of sole maize after pea harvest, the leaf area index (LAI) of pea/maize intercropping was 6.9% and 45.4% greater compared with the weighted average of sole maize and sole pea in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Net returns and benefit to cost ratios of pea/maize intercropping were increased with an increase of maize planting density. A low rate of N fertilizer was coupled with increased maize plant density, allowing interspecific facilitation to be fully expressed, thus improving the land utilization rate and increasing economic benefits. Overall, our findings show that a higher density of maize and lower N application can be used to increase grain production with no adverse effects on the growth components of either pea or maize crops. It could be considered an advanced farming system for agricultural sustainable development in the oasis region of northwest China.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agronomic and Economic Benefits of Pea/Maize Intercropping Systems in Relation to N Fertilizer and Maize Density

2018

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“…Observations have focused on nutrient acquisition in intercropping systems such as maize/faba bean which significantly enhanced total N and P by over 50 % compared with monoculture in Gansu (Li et al , 2011a. In a newly-reclaimed desert soil our previous study showed that in maize/faba bean intercropping P acquisition was 17.9-29.6 % greater than in corresponding monocultures (Mei et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercropping maintains soil fertility in terms of chemical properties and enzyme activities on a timescale of one decade

Wang

Bao

et al. 2015

Plant Soil

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Background Overyielding (i.e., mixtures of crops yielding higher than expected when compared with monocultures) and increased nutrient acquisition have been found in many intercropping systems. However, there are very few published studies on long-term changes in soil chemical and biological properties in intercropping systems compared to sole cropping. Methods A field experiment was established in 2003 in Gansu province, northwest China. The treatments comprised three intercropping systems (either continuous or rotational wheat/maize, wheat/faba bean, maize/faba bean intercropping), rotational cropping (wheat-maize, wheat-faba bean, faba bean-maize, and wheat-maizefaba bean rotations), and monocropping (sole wheat, faba bean and maize) systems. In 2011 (ninth year of the experiment) and 2012 (tenth year) the yields and some soil chemical and biological properties were examined after all crop species were harvested. ResultsThere was overyielding by 6.6 % and 32.4 % in wheat/maize intercropping in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Faba bean/maize intercropping was enhanced by 34.7 % and 28.6 %, respectively but not wheat/faba bean intercropping. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, Olsen P, exchangeable K and cation exchange capacity in all intercropping systems did not differ from the monocultures except for soil pH in wheat/maize and faba bean/maize intercropping in 2011 and soil exchangeable K and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in 2012. Soil pH in wheat/maize and faba bean/maize intercropping was significantly reduced by 3.2 % and 1.9 %, respectively. Soil exchangeable K in wheat/ maize, faba bean/maize and wheat/faba bean intercropping declined markedly by 15 %, 21.7 % and 12.1 %, respectively. Soil cation exchange capacity in wheat/maize, faba bean/maize and wheat/faba bean intercropping was notably lower than the corresponding monocultures by 17.5 %, 23.3 % and 18.3 %, respectively. Soil enzyme activities after 9 and 10 years of intercropping differed little from monocultures or rotations.Conclusions The results indicate that intercropping overyielded compared with monocropping or rotational cropping and also maintained the stability of most of the soil chemical and enzyme activities relative to rotations and monocropping in the relatively fertile soil studied.

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“…The initial N min value ranged from 240 to 447 kg N ha -1 to a depth of 1 min the soil profile and this was significantly higher than reported at other experimental sites [3, 8, 31]. For example, in paddy soils in southwest China the cumulative soil mineral N ranged from 42 to 115 kg N ha -1 yr -1 in commercial fields.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Nitrogen harvest index (NHI) is frequently used to assess N transport from shoots and leaves to the grain of a crop[3]. NHI of wheat and cotton was calculated as follows: where N grain and N aboveground-biomass are N uptake of grain and crop biomass in a given treatment (CK, NPK, NPKS, NPKM or NPKM+).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highly Arid Oasis Yield, Soil Mineral N Accumulation and N Balance in a Wheat-Cotton Rotation with Drip Irrigation and Mulching Film Management

Liu

Wang

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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Few systematic studies have been carried out on integrated N balance in extremely arid oasis agricultural areas. A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the N input and output balances under long-term fertilization conditions. Five treatments were chosen, namely CK (no fertilizer), NPK, NPKS (10% straw return N and 90% chemical N), NPKM (one third urea-N, two thirds sheep manure) and NPKM+ (1.5 times NPKM). The results show an abundance of dry and wet N deposition (33 kg N ha-1 yr-1) in this area. All treatments (excluding CK) showed no significant difference in wheat production (P>0.05). NPKM gave higher cotton yields (P<0.05). In both crops, NPKM and NPKS treatments had a relatively higher N harvest index (NHI). 15N-labeled results reveal that the fertilizer N in all N treatments leached to<1 m depth and a high proportion of fertilizer-N remained in the top 60 cm of the soil profile. The NPKM+ treatment had the highest residual soil mineral N (Nmin, 558 kg Nd ha-1), and NPKM and NPKS treatments had relatively low soil Nmin values (275 and 293 kg N ha-1, respectively). Most of the treatments exhibited very high apparent N losses, especially the NPKM+ treatment (369kg N ha-1). Our arid research area had a strikingly high N loss compared to less arid agricultural areas. Nitrogen inputs therefore need careful reconsideration, especially the initial soil Nmin, fertilizer N inputs, dry and wet deposition, and appropriate organic and straw inputs which are all factors that must be taken into account under very arid conditions.

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Crop nitrogen use and soil mineral nitrogen accumulation under different crop combinations and patterns of strip intercropping in northwest China

Cited by 57 publications

References 32 publications

Agronomic and Economic Benefits of Pea/Maize Intercropping Systems in Relation to N Fertilizer and Maize Density

Agronomic and Economic Benefits of Pea/Maize Intercropping Systems in Relation to N Fertilizer and Maize Density

Intercropping maintains soil fertility in terms of chemical properties and enzyme activities on a timescale of one decade

Highly Arid Oasis Yield, Soil Mineral N Accumulation and N Balance in a Wheat-Cotton Rotation with Drip Irrigation and Mulching Film Management

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