Enhancement of faba bean competitive ability by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is highly correlated with dynamic nutrient acquisition by competing wheat

Abstract

The mechanistic understanding of the dynamic processes linking nutrient acquisition and biomass production of competing individuals can be instructive in optimizing intercropping systems. Here, we examine the effect of inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae on competitive dynamics between wheat and faba bean. Wheat is less responsive to mycorrhizal inoculation. Both inoculated and uninoculated wheat attained the maximum instantaneous N and P capture approximately five days before it attained the maximum instantaneous biomass production, indicating that wheat detected the competitor and responded physiologically to resource limitation prior to the biomass response. By contrast, the instantaneous N and P capture by uninoculated faba bean remained low throughout the growth period, and plant growth was not significantly affected by competing wheat. However, inoculation substantially enhanced biomass production and N and P acquisition of faba bean. The exudation of citrate and malate acids and acid phosphatase activity were greater in mycorrhizal than in uninoculated faba bean, and rhizosphere pH tended to decrease. We conclude that under N and P limiting conditions, temporal separation of N and P acquisition by competing plant species and enhancement of complementary resource use in the presence of AMF might be attributable to the competitive co-existence of faba bean and wheat.

Temporal Differentiation of Crop Growth as One of the Drivers of Intercropping Yield Advantage

“…3. The results of this study are in agreement with previous studies on the dynamic processes of above-ground dry weight accumulation 33,35–37 and nutrient uptake 13 . Previous research suggests that crops reach their maximum daily growth rate at the stages of canopy closure and maximum leaf area 45 .…”

“…Characterizing the development of plant–plant interactions during crop growth may help us to understand the potential performance of interspecific interactions 17,34 . Recent studies clearly show that the temporal dynamics of competition can be characterized using the logistic growth model 30,33,35–37 . Here, we employ the logistic growth function to analyze the growth trajectories of the interacting species in four intercropping systems with large variation in crop growth traits.…”

Crop acquisition of phosphorus, iron and zinc from soil in cereal/legume intercropping systems: a critical review

“…However, this mechanism has never been explored in cereal/legume intercropping (Hinsinger et al, 2011), in which only the status of soil carbon and N stocks has been studied recently (Cong et al, 2014. Direct transfer of nutrients between intercropped species via common mycorrhizal networks is better documented for N (Johansen and Jensen, 1996;He et al, 2009) than for P (Li et al, 2009;Merrild et al, 2013;Qiao et al, 2015).…”

Variations in response of determinate common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)genotypes to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation

“…Approximately 80% of terrestrial plant species establish mutualistic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which play a vital role in plant nutrition and both natural and agricultural ecosystems (Qiao et al, 2015). AMF have widespread application in horticultural production (Azcón-Aguilar and Barea, 1997).…”