Long-term increased grain yield and soil fertility from intercropping

Xiao Fei Li; Zhi Gang Wang; Xing Guo Bao; Jian Hao Sun; Si Cun Yang; Ping Wang; Cheng Bao Wang; Jin Pu Wu; Xin Ru Liu; Xiu Li Tian; Yu Wang; Jian Peng Li; Yan Wang; Hai Yong Xia; Pei Pei Mei; Xiao Feng Wang; Jian Hua Zhao; Rui Peng Yu; Wei Ping Zhang; Zong Xian Che; Lin Guo Gui; Ragan M. Callaway; David Tilman; Long Li

doi:10.1038/s41893-021-00767-7

Long-term increased grain yield and soil fertility from intercropping

Xiao Fei Li, Zhi Gang Wang, Xing Guo Bao, Jian Hao Sun, Si Cun Yang, Ping Wang, Cheng Bao Wang, Jin Pu Wu, Xin Ru Liu, Xiu Li Tian, Yu Wang, Jian Peng Li, Yan Wang, Hai Yong Xia, Pei Pei Mei, Xiao Feng Wang, Jian Hua Zhao, Rui Peng Yu, Wei Ping Zhang, Zong Xian CheLin Guo Gui, Ragan M. Callaway, David Tilman, Long Li

Ecology, Evolution and Behavior

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

Population and income growth are increasing global food demand at a time when a third of the world’s agricultural soils are degraded and climate variability threatens the sustainability of food production. Intercropping, the practice of growing two or more spatially intermingled crops, often increases yields, but whether such yield increases, their stability and soil fertility can be sustained over time remains unclear. Using four long-term (10–16 years) experiments on soils of differing fertility, we found that grain yields in intercropped systems were on average 22% greater than in matched monocultures and had greater year-to-year stability. Moreover, relative to monocultures, yield benefits of intercropping increased through time, suggesting that intercropping may increase soil fertility via observed increases in soil organic matter, total nitrogen and macro-aggregates when comparing intercropped with monoculture soils. Our results suggest that wider adoption of intercropping could increase both crop production and its long-term sustainability.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	943-950
Number of pages	8
Journal	Nature Sustainability
Volume	4
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00767-7
State	Published - Oct 4 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank all members involved in the maintenance of the long-term field experiments. We also thank H. Xu (Hebei Agricultural University) for advice on yield detrending method and X. Li (CSIRO Agriculture and Food) for assistance on data analysis and visualization. This work was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31430014), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300202) and the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2011CB100405). R.M.C. thanks the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351 for partial support.

Funding Information:
Access & import/export The research was carried out under the National Science Foundation of China (31430014), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300202) and the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

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10.1038/s41893-021-00767-7

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Li, X. F., Wang, Z. G., Bao, X. G., Sun, J. H., Yang, S. C., Wang, P., Wang, C. B., Wu, J. P., Liu, X. R., Tian, X. L., Wang, Y., Li, J. P., Wang, Y., Xia, H. Y., Mei, P. P., Wang, X. F., Zhao, J. H., Yu, R. P., Zhang, W. P., ... Li, L. (2021). Long-term increased grain yield and soil fertility from intercropping. Nature Sustainability, 4(11), 943-950. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00767-7

Li, XF, Wang, ZG, Bao, XG, Sun, JH, Yang, SC, Wang, P, Wang, CB, Wu, JP, Liu, XR, Tian, XL, Wang, Y, Li, JP, Wang, Y, Xia, HY, Mei, PP, Wang, XF, Zhao, JH, Yu, RP, Zhang, WP, Che, ZX, Gui, LG, Callaway, RM, Tilman, D & Li, L 2021, 'Long-term increased grain yield and soil fertility from intercropping', Nature Sustainability, vol. 4, no. 11, pp. 943-950. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00767-7

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note = "Funding Information: We thank all members involved in the maintenance of the long-term field experiments. We also thank H. Xu (Hebei Agricultural University) for advice on yield detrending method and X. Li (CSIRO Agriculture and Food) for assistance on data analysis and visualization. This work was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31430014), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300202) and the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2011CB100405). R.M.C. thanks the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351 for partial support. Funding Information: Access & import/export The research was carried out under the National Science Foundation of China (31430014), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0300202) and the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement OIA-1757351. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.",

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AU - Wang, Ping

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AU - Wang, Yu

AU - Li, Jian Peng

AU - Wang, Yan

AU - Xia, Hai Yong

AU - Mei, Pei Pei

AU - Wang, Xiao Feng

AU - Zhao, Jian Hua

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AU - Gui, Lin Guo

AU - Callaway, Ragan M.

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N2 - Population and income growth are increasing global food demand at a time when a third of the world’s agricultural soils are degraded and climate variability threatens the sustainability of food production. Intercropping, the practice of growing two or more spatially intermingled crops, often increases yields, but whether such yield increases, their stability and soil fertility can be sustained over time remains unclear. Using four long-term (10–16 years) experiments on soils of differing fertility, we found that grain yields in intercropped systems were on average 22% greater than in matched monocultures and had greater year-to-year stability. Moreover, relative to monocultures, yield benefits of intercropping increased through time, suggesting that intercropping may increase soil fertility via observed increases in soil organic matter, total nitrogen and macro-aggregates when comparing intercropped with monoculture soils. Our results suggest that wider adoption of intercropping could increase both crop production and its long-term sustainability.

AB - Population and income growth are increasing global food demand at a time when a third of the world’s agricultural soils are degraded and climate variability threatens the sustainability of food production. Intercropping, the practice of growing two or more spatially intermingled crops, often increases yields, but whether such yield increases, their stability and soil fertility can be sustained over time remains unclear. Using four long-term (10–16 years) experiments on soils of differing fertility, we found that grain yields in intercropped systems were on average 22% greater than in matched monocultures and had greater year-to-year stability. Moreover, relative to monocultures, yield benefits of intercropping increased through time, suggesting that intercropping may increase soil fertility via observed increases in soil organic matter, total nitrogen and macro-aggregates when comparing intercropped with monoculture soils. Our results suggest that wider adoption of intercropping could increase both crop production and its long-term sustainability.

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Long-term increased grain yield and soil fertility from intercropping

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Bibliographical note

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