TY - JOUR

T1 - Resistance vs. surrender

T2 - Different responses of functional traits of soybean and peanut to intercropping with maize

AU - Zhang, Wei-Ping

AU - Li, Zhao-Xin

AU - Gao, Sai-Nan

AU - Yang, Hao

AU - Xu, Hua-Sen

AU - Yang, Xin

AU - Fan, Hong-Xia

AU - Su, Ye

AU - Surigaoge, null

AU - Weiner, Jacob

AU - Fornara, Dario

AU - Li, Long

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Context: Plants can modify their morphological or physiological traits in response to nutrient availability and to the presence and identity of neighboring individuals. However, few studies have addressed the effects of changes in above-and below-ground functional traits for the productivity advantage in intercropping. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the plasticity of above-and below-ground functional traits of crops in response to nutrients availability and interspecific interactions affects biomass of both crop species and whole inter -cropping systems.Methods: A 2-year field experiment was performed with two N levels (with and without), two P levels (with and without) and five cropping systems (i.e. sole maize, peanut and soybean, and maize/peanut and maize/soybean intercropping). We measured thirteen above-and below-ground functional traits related to light interception and use efficiency, root length and distribution at the grain filling stage of maize, and final biomass at harvest.Results: Maize/peanut and maize/soybean intercrops has productivity advantages compared to monoculture, and this was mainly in terms of increases in maize biomass. Compared with monoculture, intercropping increased maize biomass more than it decreased soybean (24 %) or peanut (49 %) biomass. Maize had a yield advantage through greater leaf area, root length and root biomass density when intercropped. Intercropped soybean resisted suppression by maize through increased height and specific leaf area, but intercropped soybean had decreased specific leaf N and biomass. Branch number, leaf area, specific leaf nitrogen and root biomass density of peanut were all suppressed by maize, which caused a large decrease in peanut biomass when intercropped. Conclusions and significance: Our study provides evidence that changes in above-and below-ground functional traits in response to nutrients availability and interspecific interactions are key to explaining patterns of trans-gressive overyielding. Our findings can help to better understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate productivity advantages in species mixtures, and have implications for the sustainable management of species -diverse food-production systems.

AB - Context: Plants can modify their morphological or physiological traits in response to nutrient availability and to the presence and identity of neighboring individuals. However, few studies have addressed the effects of changes in above-and below-ground functional traits for the productivity advantage in intercropping. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the plasticity of above-and below-ground functional traits of crops in response to nutrients availability and interspecific interactions affects biomass of both crop species and whole inter -cropping systems.Methods: A 2-year field experiment was performed with two N levels (with and without), two P levels (with and without) and five cropping systems (i.e. sole maize, peanut and soybean, and maize/peanut and maize/soybean intercropping). We measured thirteen above-and below-ground functional traits related to light interception and use efficiency, root length and distribution at the grain filling stage of maize, and final biomass at harvest.Results: Maize/peanut and maize/soybean intercrops has productivity advantages compared to monoculture, and this was mainly in terms of increases in maize biomass. Compared with monoculture, intercropping increased maize biomass more than it decreased soybean (24 %) or peanut (49 %) biomass. Maize had a yield advantage through greater leaf area, root length and root biomass density when intercropped. Intercropped soybean resisted suppression by maize through increased height and specific leaf area, but intercropped soybean had decreased specific leaf N and biomass. Branch number, leaf area, specific leaf nitrogen and root biomass density of peanut were all suppressed by maize, which caused a large decrease in peanut biomass when intercropped. Conclusions and significance: Our study provides evidence that changes in above-and below-ground functional traits in response to nutrients availability and interspecific interactions are key to explaining patterns of trans-gressive overyielding. Our findings can help to better understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate productivity advantages in species mixtures, and have implications for the sustainable management of species -diverse food-production systems.

KW - Competition

KW - Leaf traits

KW - Light interception

KW - Plant -plant interactions

KW - Root traits

KW - PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY

KW - PLANT DIVERSITY

KW - GROWTH

KW - PRODUCTIVITY

KW - ROOTS

KW - YIELD

KW - GRAIN

KW - CORN

KW - SOIL

U2 - 10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108779

DO - 10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108779

M3 - Journal article

VL - 291

JO - Field Crops Research

JF - Field Crops Research

SN - 0378-4290

M1 - 108779

ER -