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Maize–soybean intercropping increases soil nutrient availability and aggregate stability

Plant and Soil, ISSN: 1573-5036, Vol: 506, Issue: 1, Page: 441-456
2025
  • 16
    Citations
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  • 16
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Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    16
    • Citation Indexes
      16
  • Captures
    16

Article Description

Background and aims: Studies verify that intercropping effects soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, aggregate stability, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) content in Red Soil (Ultisol in the USDA Taxonomy, Acrisol in the WRB Soil Taxonomy) on sloping farmland. However, the comprehensive contribution of soil nutrients, enzyme activity, AMF community and GRSP to the characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different planting patterns of maize and soybean are not fully understood. Methods: A long-term field experiment commenced in 2018. Three treatments of maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture, soybean (Glycine max L.) monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping were established in an experimental field. The planting patterns, crop varieties and fertilizer rates of each plot were consistent for each of the four years of experiments (2018–2021). Results: Results showed that intercropping can improve the concentrations of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus and total extractable glomalin-related soil protein, the activities of enzyme (urease, invertase, acid phosphatase and catalase) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) in the rhizosphere soil of maize and soybean. Moreover, results proved that intercropping can potentially increase AMF diversity and macro-aggregates (> 2.0 mm) in the maize rhizosphere and macro-aggregates (0.5-2.0 mm) in the soybean rhizosphere. Conclusion: Intercropping of maize and soybean can increase soil aggregate stability in the rhizosphere of the two crops. The easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of > 2.0 mm aggregates in the maize rhizosphere. Soil organic matter was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of 0.5–2.0 mm aggregates in the soybean rhizosphere.

Bibliographic Details

Mei Lu; Jixia Zhao; Zerang Lu; Jifen Yang; Yongmei Li; Maopan Fan; Mingjiang Li; Michael Fullen

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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