Synchrony of nitrogen supply and crop demand are driven via high maize density in maize/pea strip intercropping

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 10954 - 14
• Main Authors: Fan, Zhilong, Zhao, Yanhua, Chai, Qiang, Zhao, Cai, Yu, Aizhong, Coulter, Jeffrey A., Gan, Yantai, Cao, Weidong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 29.07.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/2456; 704/158/2456; Agriculture - methods; Corn; Crops; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Crops, Agricultural - metabolism; Fertilizers; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intercropping; Legumes; multidisciplinary; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Pisum sativum; Pisum sativum - growth & development; Pisum sativum - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Soil - chemistry; Zea mays; Zea mays - growth & development; Zea mays - metabolism
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47554-1

Cereal density may influence the balance between nitrogen (N) supply and crop N demand in cereal/legume intercrop systems. The effect of maize ( Zea mays L.) plant density on N utilization and N fertilizer supply in maize/pea ( Pisum sativum L.) strip intercropping was evaluated in a field study with sole maize, sole pea, and intercropped maize/pea with three maize densities (D1, 45,000 plants ha −1 ; D2, 52,500 plants ha −1 ; D3, 60,000 plants ha −1 ) and two N treatments (N0, 0 kg N ha −1 ; N1, 450 kg N ha −1 for maize and 225 kg N ha −1 for pea). Soil mineral N in intercropped strips decreased with increased maize density. Increased maize density decreased N accumulation for intercropped pea but increased it for maize and the sum of both intercrops. The land equivalent ratio for grain yield (LER grain) showed a 24–30% advantage for intercrops than corresponding sole crops, and was greater with D3 than D1 and D2. Maize/pea intercropping had 4–113% greater nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) than sole maize, which was enhanced with increased maize density. Increasing maize density improved the synchrony of N supply and crop demand in maize/pea strip intercropping.