Microbial mechanism of soil carbon emission reduction in maize-pea intercropping system with no tillage in arid land areas of northwestern China
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Reducing carbon emissions from agricultural soils contributes to global greenhouse mitigation. Although the integration of no-tillage practices into maize/pea intercropping systems can achieve this reduction, the specific microbial mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the effects of integrating maize/pea intercropping and no-tillage technologies on soil carbon emissions and microbial communities. The results indicated that intercropping no-till maize with peas reduced the average soil respiration rates by 19%. In 2021 and 2022, intercropping no-till maize with peas decreased soil carbon emissions by 25.1 and 30.4%, respectively. This practice resulted in a reduction of soil microbiota carbon and nitrogen by 26.9 and 19.7%, respectively, while simultaneously increasing the soil microbial gene beta diversity. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria collectively represented over 95% of the population and were predominant across all treatments. Intercropping no-till maize with peas decreased the abundance of carbohydrate-active enzymes in the soil. The structural equation modeling indicated that combined no-tillage and intercropping practices effectively decreased soil carbon emissions by modulating the community structure of soil microorganisms. This affected the abundance of carbohydrate-active enzymes and carbon-metabolizing genes in the soil. This study indicated that no-tillage and intercropping methods contributed to carbon reduction by influencing soil microbes. This study can provide microbial-level insights for refining agronomic practices to mitigate soil carbon emissions.Keywords:
Intercropping
Carbon fibers
Background: Mixed intercropping is the commonly practiced cropping system but it is unproductive with a low return on investment. This study was conducted at the Bela-Bela region of Limpopo province, South Africa to assess the performance of improved cowpea varieties in a cowpea-maize strip intercropping in comparison with farmers’ traditional cropping practice (mixed intercropping). Strip intercropping is a novel productive cropping system and its productivity has not been tested in study region. There is a dire need to test the productivity of this important novel cropping system practice in the region. Methods: Five cowpea varieties (TVu 13464, IT86D-1010, Glenda, IT82E-16 and IT87K-499-35) and maize were planted under strip intercropping, monocropping and mixed intercropping as control treatments. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters and were analyzed using Genstat software 20.1. Result: Strip intercropping significantly improved the yield attributes and land equivalent ratio (LER) of the varieties as compared to the mixed intercropping. Strip intercropping significantly enhanced the grain yield and land equivalent ratio (LER) of IT82E-16, IT86D-1010, TVu 13464 and IT87K-499-35 as compared to Glenda. Adoption of strip intercropping and the high-yielding varieties will enhance crop diversity, food security, and nutrition in Limpopo Province.
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Crop rotation and intercropping are important ways to increase agricultural resource utilization efficiency and crop productivity. Alternate intercropping, or transposition intercropping, is a new intercropping pattern in which two crops are intercropped in a wide strip with planting positions switched annually on the same land. Transposition intercropping combines intercropping and rotation and thus performs better than either practice alone. Compared with traditional intercropping or rotation, it can increase yield and net return by 17–21% and 10–23%, respectively, and the land equivalent ratio (LER) by 20% to 30%. In crop growth and development, a balanced root–shoot relation is essential to obtain satisfactory yields and yield quality. Intercropping, rotation, or the combination can alter the original root–shoot relation by changing the ecology and physiology of both root and shoot to achieve a rebalancing of the relation. The crop yield and yield quality are thus regulated by the root–shoot interactions and the resulting rebalancing. The review examines the effects of above- and belowground interactions and rebalancing of root–shoot relations on crop yields under cotton-based intercropping, rotation, and particularly alternate intercropping with the practices combined. The importance of signaling in regulating the rebalancing of root–shoot relations under intercropping, rotation, and the combination was also explored as a possible focus of future research on intercropping and rotation.
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Intercropping is the cultivation of multiple crop species on the same land. Relay strip intercropping is an intercropping system in which the component species are grown in strips, while the growing periods of the crop species overlap only partially. The effects of strip width on yields in relay-strip intercropping are still poorly understood. Here in a case study on wheat-maize relay intercropping a simple strip intercropping model was applied to quantify intercropping performance as a function of a wide range of strip widths. Simulations showed that (1) the optimum strip width is less than 1 meter and (2) benefits of intercropping rapidly drop as strips become wider. Most previous experimental work was also done at narrow configurations, with strips less than 3 meters wide. Benefits of intercropping may therefore be less than what would be expected from experiments if narrow configurations are not attainable because of lack of mechanisation. All optimised strip configurations showed a Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) larger than 1 indicating benefits of intercropping, irrespective of assumptions that were made on radiation use efficiency in intercropped species as compared to sole crops. At current prices of wheat and maize, however, intercropping gross margin exceeded sole cropping gross margin only if the intercrop RUE was larger than sole crop RUE for both species. This study shows that strip crop growth models can be used to specify needs for future machinery, that will enable farmers to attain benefits from intercropping.
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A micro plot experiment and a root barrier technique were employed to investigate the intercropping advantage and the relative contribution of aboveground and under-ground interactions to the yield and nutrient uptaking in the wheat-maize intercropping system with or without plastic sheet mulching.The results showed that the land equivalent ratios(LERs) of both grain yield and biomass were 1.30 and 1.29 respectively for the intercropping of wheat and maize without plastic sheet mulching,showing a evident yield advantage of the intercropping.However,LERs with plastic sheet mulching were 1.41 for grain yield and 1.40 for biomass,indicating a significant yield advantage of the intercropping.There was evident advantage of nutrient uptaking in the intercropping of wheat and maize without plastic sheet mulching,whereas there was greatly significant advantage of nutrient uptaking in the intercropping with plastic sheet mulching.The contributions of above-ground and under-ground interactions to the intercropping advantage of both grain yield and biomass were 75% and 25% respectively for the intercropping without plastic sheet mulching.However,results of both grain yield and biomass were 67% and 33% respectively for the intercropping with plastic sheet mulching.The contribution of above-ground and below-ground interactions to the increase of nutrient uptaking were 67% and 33% for nitrogen,67% and 33% for phosphorus,50% and 50% for potassium respectively when intercropped maize was not mulched with plastic sheet.However,results of nutrient uptaking were 50% and 50% for nitrogen,55% and 45% for phosphorus,50% and 50% for potassium respectively when intercropped maize was mulched with plastic sheet.
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Aims Optimization of resource structure is important for improving the yield of intercropping systems.Our objective was to clarify the contribution of above-and below-ground interactions to the intercropping advantage.Methods We employed a micro-plot experiment and root barriers in a wheat-maize intercropping system with or without maize plastic sheet mulching.Important findings Non-plastic sheet mulching wheat-maize intercropping system has a yield advantage with land equivalent ratios(LERs)for grain yield and biomass of 1.30 and 1.29,respectively.Plastic sheet mulching with maize can significantly increase the yield advantage of intercropping,with LERs for grain yield and biomass of 1.41 and 1.40,respectively.There is increased nitrogen,phosphorous and potassium uptake in the non-plastic sheet mulching wheat-maize intercropping and with plastic sheet mulching with maize.In the non-plastic sheet mulching intercropping system,the relative contribution to the intercropping advantage is 75% above-ground and 25% below-ground,but in the plastic sheet mulching intercropping system it is 67% above-ground and 33% below-ground.The relative contribution of above-and below-ground interactions to nutrient advantage are 67% and 33% for nitrogen and phosphorus and 50% and 50% for potassium,respectively,in non-plastic sheet mulching intercropping;however,plastic sheet mulching with maize can increase the below-ground contribution to nitrogen and phosphorus advantage in the intercropping(there is no significant influence to potassium advantage).Intercropping advantage can be obtained by crop matching and controlled by plastic sheet mulching.Plastic sheet mulching with maize can significantly increase yield advantage,nutrients absorption advantage and the below-ground contribution.
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A microplot experiment and a root barrier technique were employed to investigate the intercropping advantage and the relative contribution of above-and below-ground interactions to the yield and nutrient uptaking in the barley-maize intercropping system with or without plastic sheet mulching.The results showed that the land equivalent ratios (LERs) of both grain yield and biomass were around 1 (average 1.06) for the intercropping of barley and maize without plastic sheet mulching,showing a yield disadvantage of the intercropping.In contrast,LERs with plastic sheet mulching were 1.32 for grain yield and 1.30 for biomass,indicating a significant yield advantage of the intercropping.There was no significant advantage of nutrient uptaking in the intercropping of barley and maize without plastic sheet mulching,whereas there was significant advantage of nutrient uptaking in the intercropping with plastic sheet mulching.The contribution of above-ground and below-ground interactions to the intercropping advantage of grain yield were 80% and 20%,respectively,for the intercropping with plastic sheet mulching.Similar results were observed for above-ground biomass.The contribution of above-ground and below-ground interactions to the increase of nutrient uptaking were 50% and 50% for nitrogen,60% and 40% for phosphorus,45% and 55% for potassium respectively,when intercropped maize was mulched with plastic sheet.
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