Effects of interspecific competition on crop yield and nitrogen utilisation in maize-soybean intercropping system

Abstract

Intercropping system plays a crucial role in improving crop yield, nitrogen utilisation efficiency (NUE) and economic benefit. The difference in crop yield and interspecific relationship under different bandwidth and row ratio allocation patterns are still unclear. A field experiment was carried out to explore change regularities between crop yield and interspecific relationships under maize soybean intercropping with different bandwidths and row ratios. The results showed that the yield of intercropped crops was lower than that of the sole crop. The nitrogen accumulation (NA), NUE and nitrogen competition ratio was the highest under the intercropping mode with a bandwidth of 2.0 m, which indicated that this mode was more conducive to the N uptake and utilisation in crops. In all intercropping systems, nitrogen equivalent ratio (NER) and land equivalent ratio (LER) were all greater than one, indicating that intercropping systems were conducive to improving land utilisation efficiency and NUE. Under the same bandwidth pattern, expanding the maize soybean row ratio from 2 : 4 to 3 : 4 was beneficial to the improvement of LER, NER, NUE, crop group yield. In conclusion, it was preferable in the NA, NUE, crop group yield under the system of bandwidth 2.0 m and row ratio 2 : 2, which could be a reference for maize soybean intercropping system.

Post-Tin-Mining Agricultural Soil Regeneration Using Local Organic Amendments Improve Nitrogen Fixation and Uptake in a Legume–Cassava Intercropping System

“…Soil amended with dolomite exhibited a higher TN 2 -fixation than TN DFS , whereas soils with greater nutrient content, such as those observed with the combined charcoal and compost treatment, exhibited a lower TN 2 -fixation than TN DFS (Table 2). This study revealed that when access to soil N is limited, legumes can meet their N demand through N 2 -fixation, as found in the previous study by Lambers et al [52].…”

Rare taxa mediate microbial carbon and nutrient limitation in the rhizosphere and bulk soil under sugarcane–peanut intercropping systems

“…In contrast, sugarcane–peanut intercropping (IS treatment) increased soil N availability and promoted microbial growth and metabolism, particularly in bulk soil. Taken together, the differences in microbial C and P limitation across crops might be explained by the interspecific competition on soil N in the intercropping system (Feng et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Compared with sole crop, on the one hand, the increase in soil nutrient and root-derived C (root exudates) induced by intercropping might alleviate microbial C and nutrient limitation by increasing fertilizer use efficiency (Steinauer et al, 2015 ; Tang X. Y. et al, 2021 ). On the other hand, intercropping-induced frequent interactions in root–soil–microbes systems and fast-growing microbes appear to enhance nutrient competition between microbes–microbes and microbes–crops, which is likely to regulate microbial C and nutrient limitation (Hilbig and Allen, 2015 ; Kuster et al, 2016 ; Feng et al, 2021 ). It is therefore essential to explore the intercropping effects on microbial C and nutrient limitation, which could further affect soil nutrient uptake and plant biomass productivity and yields (Tang X. Y. et al, 2021 ).…”

Maize–soybean intercropping: A bibliometric analysis of 30 years of research publications

“…In addition, intercropped maize provides equal yields or minimal yield losses compared with monoculture maize, whereas increased additional soybean yields can be obtained, providing additional income compared with maize alone (Iqbal et al., 2018). Maize strips contain two rows with a distance of 40 cm, and the two rows of maize are all border rows, which will amplify the maize yield in border rows (Feng et al., 2021). Soybean strips consist of four rows of soybean with a row‐to‐row distance of 40 cm.…”