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Long-Term Maize Intercropping with Peanut and Phosphorus Application Maintains Sustainable Farmland Productivity by Improving Soil Aggregate Stability and P Availability
Zan, Z.; Jiao, N.; Ma, R.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Ning, T.; Zheng, B.; Liu, L.; Zhao, X.; Cong, W. Long-Term Maize Intercropping with Peanut and Phosphorus Application Maintains Sustainable Farmland Productivity by Improving Soil Aggregate Stability and P Availability. Agronomy2023, 13, 2846.
Zan, Z.; Jiao, N.; Ma, R.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Ning, T.; Zheng, B.; Liu, L.; Zhao, X.; Cong, W. Long-Term Maize Intercropping with Peanut and Phosphorus Application Maintains Sustainable Farmland Productivity by Improving Soil Aggregate Stability and P Availability. Agronomy 2023, 13, 2846.
Zan, Z.; Jiao, N.; Ma, R.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Ning, T.; Zheng, B.; Liu, L.; Zhao, X.; Cong, W. Long-Term Maize Intercropping with Peanut and Phosphorus Application Maintains Sustainable Farmland Productivity by Improving Soil Aggregate Stability and P Availability. Agronomy2023, 13, 2846.
Zan, Z.; Jiao, N.; Ma, R.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Ning, T.; Zheng, B.; Liu, L.; Zhao, X.; Cong, W. Long-Term Maize Intercropping with Peanut and Phosphorus Application Maintains Sustainable Farmland Productivity by Improving Soil Aggregate Stability and P Availability. Agronomy 2023, 13, 2846.
Abstract
Intercropping of maize (Zea mays L.) and peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) (M||P) significantly enhances crop yield. In a long-term M||P field experiment with two P fertilizer levels, we examined how long-term M||P affects topsoil aggregate fractions and stability, organic carbon (SOC), available phosphorus (AP), and total phosphorus (TP) in each aggregate fraction, along with crop yields. Compared to their respective monocultures, long-term M||P substantially increased the proportion of topsoil mechanical macroaggregates (7.6–16.3%) and water-stable macroaggregates (>1 mm) (13.8–36.1%), while reducing the unstable aggregate index (ELT) and the percentage of aggregation destruction (PAD). M||P significantly boosted the concentration (12.9–39.9%) and contribution rate (4.1–47.9%) of SOC in macroaggregates compared to single crops. Moreover, the concentration of TP in macroaggregates (>1 mm) and AP in each aggregate fraction of M||P exceeded that of the respective single crops (P<0.05). Furthermore, M||P significantly increased the Ca2-P, Ca8-P, Al-P, and Fe-P concentrations of intercropped maize (IM) and the Ca8-P, O-P, and Ca10-P concentrations of intercropped peanuts (IP). The land equivalent ratio (LER) of M||P was higher than one, and M||P stubble improved the yield of subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) compared with sole-crop maize stubble. P application augmented the concentration of SOC, TP, and AP in macroaggregates, resulting in improved crop yields. In conclusion, our findings suggest that long-term M||P combined with P application, sustains farmland productivity in the North China Plain by increasing SOC and macroaggregate fractions, improving aggregate stability, and enhancing soil P availability.
Keywords
maize and peanut intercropping; aggregate stability; soil available phosphorus; soil organic carbon; farmland productivity
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Agricultural Science and Agronomy
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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