caa a22 4500 60621917X CHVBK 20210128101116.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11104-015-2433-5 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11104-015-2433-5 Intercropping affects the rate of decomposition of soil organic matter and root litter [Elektronische Daten] [Wen-Feng Cong, Ellis Hoffland, Long Li, Bert Janssen, Wopke van der Werf] Aims: Intercropping increases aboveground and belowground crop productivity, suggesting potential for carbon sequestration. Here we determined whether intercropping affects decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and root litter. Methods: We measured in the laboratory and the field the breakdown of SOM, root litter of maize, wheat, or faba bean, litter mixtures, and a standard substrate (compost) in soils from a long term intercropping experiment. Results: Soil organic matter from intercrop plots decomposed faster than SOM from monocrop plots, but compost decomposed at similar rates in different soils. Faster SOM decomposition was associated with lower soil C:N ratio. Root litter mixtures of maize and wheat decomposed as expected from single litters, but litter mixture of maize and faba bean decomposed faster than expected, both in the laboratory and in the field. Root litter decomposed slowly in maize/wheat intercrop soil compared to the two monocropped soils in the laboratory, but the effect was absent in the field. Conclusions: Intercropping increases SOM decomposition, presumably through reduced SOM recalcitrance resulting from lower C:N ratio, higher litter input and better N retention. Depending on the crop combination, also non-additive effects of root litter mixing can enhance organic matter decomposition in intercropping soils. The Author(s), 2015 Decomposition nationallicence Decomposition environment nationallicence Intercropping nationallicence Litter mixing nationallicence Litterbags nationallicence Microbial respiration nationallicence Cong Wen-Feng Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut Hoffland Ellis Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut Li Long College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut Janssen Bert Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut van der Werf Wopke Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 391/1-2(2015-06-01), 399-411 0032-079X 391:1-2<399 2015 391 11104 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2433-5 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/s11104-015-2433-5 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cong Wen-Feng Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hoffland Ellis Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Li Long College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Janssen Bert Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- van der Werf Wopke Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 391/1-2(2015-06-01), 399-411 0032-079X 391:1-2<399 2015 391 11104