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Research paper | Open Access

Relay-intercropping soybean with maize maintains soil fertility and increases nitrogen recovery efficiency by reducing nitrogen input

Qing Dua,c, Li Zhoud, Ping Chena,c, Xiaoming Liue, Chun Songb,c, Feng Yanga,c, Xiaochun Wanga,c, Weiguo Liua,c, Xin Suna,c, Junbo Dua,c, Jiang Liua,c, Kai Shua,c, Wenyu Yanga,c, Taiwen Yonga,c,#( )
College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
College of Environment, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Crop Strip Intercropping System/Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest, Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
Yibing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yibing 644000, Sichuan, China
Shehong Farm Bureau, Suining 629200, Sichuan, China

Peer review under responsibility of Crop Science Society of China and Institute of Crop Science, CAAS.

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Abstract

Optimized nitrogen (N) management can increase N-use efficiency in intercropping systems. Legume-nonlegume intercropping systems can reduce N input by exploiting biological N fixation by legumes. Measurement of N utilization can help in dissecting the mechanisms underlying N uptake and utilization in legume-nonlegume intercropping systems. An experiment was performed with three planting patterns: monoculture maize (MM), monoculture soybean (SS), and maize-soybean relay intercropping (IMS), and three N application levels: zero N (NN), reduced N (RN), and conventional N (CN) to investigate crop N uptake and utilization characteristics. N recovery efficiency and 15N recovery rate of crops were higher under RN than under CN, and those under RN were higher under intercropping than under the corresponding monocultures. Compared with MM, IMS showed a lower soil N-dependent rate (SNDR) in 2012. However, the SNDR of MM rapidly declined from 86.8% in 2012 to 49.4% in 2014, whereas that of IMS declined slowly from 75.4% in 2012 to 69.4% in 2014. The interspecific N competition rate (NCRms) was higher under RN than under CN, and increased yearly. Soybean nodule dry weight and nitrogenase activities were respectively 34.2% and 12.5% higher under intercropping than in monoculture at the beginning seed stage. The amount (Ndfa) and ratio (%Ndfa) of soybean N2 fixation were significantly greater under IS than under SS. In conclusion, N fertilizer was more efficiently used under RN than under CN; in particular, the relay intercropping system promoted N fertilizer utilization in comparison with the corresponding monocultures. An intercropping system helps to maintain soil fertility because interspecific N competition promotes biological N fixation by soybean by reducing N input. Thus, a maize-soybean relay intercropping system with reduced N application is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Keywords

Maize-soybean relay intercroppingReduced nitrogenBiological nitrogen fixationNitrogen recovery efficiencySoil nitrogen dependent rate

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The Crop Journal
Volume 8 Issue 1,
February 2020
Pages 140-152
DOI: 10.1016/j.cj.2019.06.010
Cite this article:
Du Q, Zhou L, Chen P, et al. Relay-intercropping soybean with maize maintains soil fertility and increases nitrogen recovery efficiency by reducing nitrogen input. The Crop Journal, 2020, 8(1): 140-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2019.06.010

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Received: 15 March 2019
Revised: 03 May 2019
Accepted: 26 July 2019
Published: 16 August 2019
© 2019 Crop Science Society of China and Institute of Crop Science, CAAS.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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