Abstract
Productive cropping systems like cereal-legume intercropping might contribute to feeding the ever-growing population. However, intercropping systems require adapted nitrogen (N) fertilizer management that better match temporal and spatial N supply with crop demand. On the basis of field experiment conducted in northwestern China from 2012 to 2014, the study evaluated three N management practices in maize (Zea mays L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L.) intercropping on yield performance. All three treatments (N1, N2, and N3) received the same amount of fertilizer N prior to planting and at the pre-tasseling stage of maize, while they received different ratios of fertilizer N at jointing (45, 90, and 135 kg N ha−1 for N1, N2 and N3, respectively) and at 15 d post-flowering (135, 90, and 45 kg N ha−1 for N1, N2 and N3, respectively). The N1 treatment was superior to other treatments as it achieved a mean N nutrition index (NNI) near 1 and extended the duration of N accumulation by 3.6 d for pea and 9.0 d for maize. This treatment also improved the nodulation advantage of intercropped pea, enhanced compensatory intensity of intercropped maize, and increased yield components of pea and maize, compared to N3 (current farmer practice). Consequently, grain yield of pea and maize in intercropping with N1 was increased by 6 and 14 %, respectively, compared to N3. The optimized NNI and improved grain yield allow us to conclude that the N1 treatment with jointing top-dress N at 45 kg N ha−1 and 15 d post-flowering top-dress N at 135 kg N ha−1 can be used as an efficient N management practice for maize-pea intercropping.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 126117 |
Journal | European Journal of Agronomy |
Volume | 119 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful for research funding provided by the Special Funds for Discipline Construction of Gansu Agricultural University (No. GAU-XKJS-2018-087), the Open Funds of Laboratory of Gansu Agricultural University (No. GSAU-2018-5), the China Agricultural Research System (No. CARS-22-G-12), the National Natural Science Fund of China (No. 31771738 and 31160265), and the Special Fund for Talents of Gansu Agricultural University (No.2017RCZX-03).
Funding Information:
We are grateful for research funding provided by the Special Funds for Discipline Construction of Gansu Agricultural University (No. GAU-XKJS-2018-087 ), the Open Funds of Laboratory of Gansu Agricultural University (No. GSAU-2018-5 ), the China Agricultural Research System (No. CARS-22-G-12 ), the National Natural Science Fund of China (No. 31771738 and 31160265 ), and the Special Fund for Talents of Gansu Agricultural University (No. 2017RCZX-03 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords
- Cereal-legume intercropping
- Compensatory effect
- Fertilizer N management
- Nitrogen nutrition index
- Nodulation