AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Introduction: Intercropping practices play a crucial role in enhancing and maintaining the biodiversity and resiliency of agroecosystems, as well as promoting stable and high crop yields. Yet the relationships between soil nitrogen, microbes, and yield in maize cultivated under maize/soybean intercropping systems remain unclear.
Methods: To fill that knowledge gap, here we collected maize rhizosphere soil at the staminate stage after 6 consecutive years of maize/soybean intercropping, to investigate how intercropping and nitrogen application rates affected nitrogen utilization by crops and soil microbial community composition and function. We also examined correlations of those responses with yields, to clarify the main ways that yield is enhanced via intercropping and by nitrogenous fertilizer gradient changes generated by different nitrogen application rates.
Results: The amount of applied fertilizer was 240 kg N ha was best for obtaining a high maize yield and also led to the greatest nitrogen-use efficiency and bacterial diversity. Under the same N application rate, intercropping increased the maize yield by 31.17% and soil nitrogen (total, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen) by 14.53%, on average, in comparison to monocropping. The enrichment of and significantly increased the soil nitrogen content, and a greater relative abundance of and increased the maize yield, whereas enrichment of and decreased it. The benefits of intercropping mainly arise from augmenting the abundance of beneficial microorganisms and enhancing the efficiency of N use by crop plants.
Discussion: This study's findings are of key importance to bolster the stability of agro-ecosystems, to guide the scientific rational use of nitrogen fertilizers, and to provide a sound theoretical basis for achieving the optimal management of intensive crop-planting patterns and green sustainable development.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405324 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1437631 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The potential of the amaranth collection maintained at VIR in the context of global plant breeding and utilization trends.
Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii
November 2024
Federal Research Center the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), St. Petersburg, Russia.
Amaranth is an ancient crop of the family Amaranthaceae, but it is fairly new to Russia. Its seeds and leaf biomass contain a high-quality gluten-free protein, fatty acids, squalene (a polyunsaturated hydrocarbon), flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. A comprehensive study of amaranth, enhancement of its breeding, and development of new cultivars will contribute to food quality improvement through the use of plant raw materials enriched for wholesome and highly nutritious components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpact of tillage, cover crop, and in situ bioreactors on nutrient loss from an artificially drained Midwestern Mollisol.
J Environ Qual
December 2024
USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Nutrient losses via subsurface tile cause environmental degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Various management practices are primarily aimed at reduction of nitrate leaching in tile discharge; however, studies on leaching of other nutrients are limited. A replicated plot experiment was initiated in 2016 as part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network Croplands Common Experiment to quantify the effectiveness of management practices on leaching of NO-N, total P, K, and S from drained soils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Effect of Organic Fertilizer Replacing Nitrogen Fertilizer on Major Grain Yield in China].
Huan Jing Ke Xue
January 2025
School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China.
To comprehensively assess the changing pattern of organic fertilizer substitution with nitrogen fertilizer on the yield of major grains in China, with 102 literature as the research object, through Meta-analysis we quantitatively explored the impacts of soil physicochemical properties, climatic conditions, and different nitrogen fertilizer replacement rates and supplemental application amounts. The results showed that the replacement of nitrogen fertilizer by organic fertilizer could increase crop yields compared with those from the application of nitrogen fertilizer alone, and soil quick-acting potassium content, pH, and annual average temperature had the most significant effects on the yields of the three major grains. When the nitrogen fertilizer replacement rate and the amount of supplemental nitrogen fertilizer applied were 31.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnhancing maize drought and heat tolerance: single vs combined plant growth promoting rhizobacterial inoculation.
Front Plant Sci
December 2024
Unit for Environment Science and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Maize ( L.), a key staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, is particularly vulnerable to concurrent drought and heat stress, which threatens crop yield and food security. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have shown potential as biofertilizers to enhance plant resilience under such abiotic stresses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople have known that El Niño events are associated with low rainfall in Southern Africa for a century, and seasonal rainfall forecasts are now available in agricultural advisories for farmers. While there is abundant theory as to how farmers might (or should) use seasonal rainfall information on their farms, little is known about whether this information has been widely used or has had widespread benefit. In this study, we use subnational data on cropping area and yield to see if we can detect any macro-level patterns in agricultural choices or outcomes that are related to knowledge of the El Niño Southern Oscillation or seasonal forecast information in Southern Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!