Crop Conversion from Annual to Perennials: An Effective Strategy to Affect Soil Multifunctionality

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 594
• Main Authors: Liu, Panpan, Wang, Dong, Li, Yue, Liu, Ji, Cui, Yongxing, Liang, Guopeng, Wang, Chaoqun, Wang, Chao, Moorhead, Daryl L., Chen, Ji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Acid phosphatase; Agricultural development; Agricultural land; Agricultural production; Agriculture; agronomy; Alfalfa; Aminopeptidase; annual and perennial crops; annuals; Beans; Beta cells; Biomass; biomass production; carbon; Carbon content; crop type; Crops; Environmental protection; Environmental regulations; Enzymatic activity; Enzymes; farm income; Floodplains; Food security; Glucosaminidase; Glucosidase; Grasses; Heterogeneity; Infiltration (Hydrology); Infiltration rate; land use change; Laws, regulations and rules; Legumes; Leucine; leucyl aminopeptidase; Lolium perenne; Medicago sativa; microbial biomass; Microorganisms; Mimosaceae; Nitrogen; nitrogen cycle; Perennial crops; phosphorus; Phosphorus cycle; Physical properties; soil; Soil erosion; soil extracellular enzymes; Soil fertility; soil functions; Soil mixtures; Soils; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable development; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; Winter wheat; Xylosidase; Yellow River; Yellow River floodplain; China; Germany; Yellow River
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy14030594
• ISSN: 2073-4395

Although crop conversion from annual to perennial crops has been considered as one path towards climate-smart and resource-efficient agriculture, the effects of this conversion on soil multifunctionality and biomass yields remain unclear. The objective of the study is to enhance soil multifunctionality while exerting a marginal influence on farmer income. Here, we investigated the effects of annual winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and two perennial crops (a grass (Lolium perenne L.), a legume (Medicago sativa L.), and their mixture) on soil multifunctionality and biomass yield on the Yellow River floodplain. Soil multifunctionality was assessed by the capacity of water regulation and the multifunctionality of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles. C cycle multifunctionality index is the average of β-xylosidase, β-cellobiosidase, and β-1, 4-glucosidase. N cycle multifunctionality index is the average of L-leucine aminopeptidase and β-1, 4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase represented (and dominated) P cycle functions. The results showed that perennial crops enhanced soil multifunctionality by 207% for L. perenne, 311% for M. sativa, and 438% for L. perenne + M. sativa, compared with annual winter wheat (T. aestivum). The effect of perennial crops on soil multifunctionality increased with infiltration rate, dissolved organic C, microbial biomass C, and extracellular enzymatic activities for both C and N acquisition. However, we observed that perennial crops had a lower biomass yield than annual crop. Therefore, the transition of agricultural landscapes to perennials needs to take into account the balance between environmental protection and food security, as well as environmental heterogeneity, to promote sustainable agricultural development.