caa a22 4500 606219056 CHVBK 20210128101116.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11104-015-2428-2 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11104-015-2428-2 Intercropping maintains soil fertility in terms of chemical properties and enzyme activities on a timescale of one decade [Elektronische Daten] [Zhi-gang Wang, Xing-guo Bao, Xiao-fei Li, Xin Jin, Jian-hua Zhao, Jian-hao Sun, Peter Christie, Long Li] Background: Overyielding (i.e., mixtures of crops yielding higher than expected when compared with monocultures) and increased nutrient acquisition have been found in many intercropping systems. However, there are very few published studies on long-term changes in soil chemical and biological properties in intercropping systems compared to sole cropping. Methods: A field experiment was established in 2003 in Gansu province, northwest China. The treatments comprised three intercropping systems (either continuous or rotational wheat/maize, wheat/faba bean, maize/faba bean intercropping), rotational cropping (wheat-maize, wheat-faba bean, faba bean-maize, and wheat-maize-faba bean rotations), and monocropping (sole wheat, faba bean and maize) systems. In 2011 (ninth year of the experiment) and 2012 (tenth year) the yields and some soil chemical and biological properties were examined after all crop species were harvested. Results: There was overyielding by 6.6% and 32.4% in wheat/maize intercropping in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Faba bean/maize intercropping was enhanced by 34.7% and 28.6%, respectively but not wheat/faba bean intercropping. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, Olsen P, exchangeable K and cation exchange capacity in all intercropping systems did not differ from the monocultures except for soil pH in wheat/maize and faba bean/maize intercropping in 2011 and soil exchangeable K and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in 2012. Soil pH in wheat/maize and faba bean/maize intercropping was significantly reduced by 3.2% and 1.9%, respectively. Soil exchangeable K in wheat/maize, faba bean/maize and wheat/faba bean intercropping declined markedly by 15%, 21.7% and 12.1%, respectively. Soil cation exchange capacity in wheat/maize, faba bean/maize and wheat/faba bean intercropping was notably lower than the corresponding monocultures by 17.5%, 23.3% and 18.3%, respectively. Soil enzyme activities after 9 and 10years of intercropping differed littlefrom monocultures or rotations. Conclusions: The results indicate that intercropping overyielded compared with monocropping or rotational cropping and also maintained the stability of most of the soil chemical and enzyme activities relative to rotations and monocropping in the relatively fertile soil studied. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015 Intercropping nationallicence Monoculture and crop rotation nationallicence Overyielding nationallicence Soil available nutrients nationallicence Soil enzyme activities nationallicence Soil fertility nationallicence Soil organic matter nationallicence Soil total nitrogen nationallicence OM : organic matter nationallicence TN : total nitrogen nationallicence CEC : cation exchange capacity nationallicence M : monoculture or monocropping nationallicence R : rotation nationallicence Inter (C) : continuous intercropping nationallicence Inter (R) : rotational intercropping nationallicence W + M : wheat and maize combination nationallicence F + M : faba bean and maize combination nationallicence W + F : wheat and faba bean combination nationallicence LER : land equivalent ratio nationallicence Wang Zhi-gang Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Bao Xing-guo Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut Li Xiao-fei Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Jin Xin Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Zhao Jian-hua Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut Sun Jian-hao Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut Christie Peter Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Li Long Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 391/1-2(2015-06-01), 265-282 0032-079X 391:1-2<265 2015 391 11104 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2428-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2428-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wang Zhi-gang Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bao Xing-guo Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Li Xiao-fei Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jin Xin Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zhao Jian-hua Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sun Jian-hao Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-Saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 730070, Lanzhou, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Christie Peter Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Li Long Key Laboratory of Plant and Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education; Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 391/1-2(2015-06-01), 265-282 0032-079X 391:1-2<265 2015 391 11104