Plant architectural responses in simultaneous maize/soybean strip intercropping do not lead to a yield advantage

Maize/soybean strip intercropping is a commonly used system throughout China with high crop yields at reduced nutrient input compared to sole maize. Maize is the taller crop, and due to its dominance in light capture over soybean in the intercrop, maize is expected to outperform maize in sole cropping. Conversely, soybean is the subordinate crop and intercropped soybean plants are expected to perform worse than sole soybean. Crop plants show plastic responses in plant architecture to their growing conditions to forage for light and avoid shading. There is little knowledge on plant architectural responses to growing conditions in simultaneous (non-relay) intercropping and their relationship to species yields. A two-year field experiment with two simultaneous maize/soybean intercropping systems with narrow and wide strips was conducted to characterise architectural traits of maize and soybean plants grown as intercrop and sole crops. Intercropped maize plants, especially those in border rows, had substantially greater leaf area, biomass and yield than maize plants in sole crops. Intercropped soybean plants, especially those in border rows, had lower leaf area, biomass and yield than sole soybean plants. Overall intercrop performance was similar to that of sole crops, with the land equivalent ratio (LER) being only slightly greater than one (1.03–1.08). Soybean displayed typical shade avoidance responses in the intercrop, such as greater internode elongation and changes in specific leaf area, but these responses could not overcome the consequences of the competition with the taller maize plants. Therefore, in contrast to relay intercrop systems, in the studied simultaneous maize/soybean system, plastic responses did not contribute to practically relevant increases in resource capture and yield at whole system (i.e., intercrop) level.     

Incidence and severity of foliar diseases of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.)

This study evaluates the effects of different row arrangements on incidence and severity of Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) and Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) diseases and seed health of sesame intercropped with maize. Row arrangements were: sesame intercropped with maize in alternate pair of rows (2:2), two rows of sesame intercropped with one row of maize (2:1), sesame intercropped with maize in single alternate rows (1:1) with sole sesame as control. Intercropping maize with sesame reduced the incidence and severity of diseases. Sesame intercropped with maize in a (1:1) ration recorded a significantly lower number of infected leaves by CLS and ALB incidence than other row arrangements. ALB lesion number was between 17 and 20 in the (1:1) arrangement relative to 65–104 and 28–43 in the sole crop and other row arrangements, respectively. ALB lesion size was also reduced in the (1:1) than other row arrangements. Fungal infection of harvested sesame seeds was significantly reduced in the intercrop relative to the sole crop. CLS incidence was significant and negatively correlated with seed weight while defoliation was significant and positively correlated with ALB or CLS incidence. Rainfall was significant and positively correlated with CLS or ALB incidence while intercropping induced microclimatic effects that influenced disease incidence. Grain yield, weight of 1000-seed, number of capsules/plant and weight of seed/plant were significantly higher in the (1:1) row arrangement than the sole crop or other row arrangements. The study demonstrates that intercropping sesame with maize in a single alternate row (1:1) arrangement can be used to reduce foliar diseases of sesame.     

Using competitive and facilitative interactions in intercropping systems enhances crop productivity and nutrient-use efficiency

This paper reviews recent research on the processes involved in the yield advantage in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/maize (Zea mays L.), wheat/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], faba bean (Vicia faba L.)/maize, peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)/maize and water convolvulus (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk.)/maize intercropping. In wheat/maize and wheat/soybean intercropping systems, a significant yield increase of intercropped wheat over sole wheat was observed, which resulted from positive effects of the border row and inner rows of intercropped wheat. The border row effect was due to interspecific competition for nutrients as wheat had a higher competitive ability than either maize or soybean had. There was also compensatory growth, or a recovery process, of subordinate species such as maize and soybean, offsetting the impairment of early growth of the subordinate species. Finally, both dominant and subordinate species in intercropping obtain higher yields than that in corresponding sole wheat, maize or soybean. We summarized these processes as the `competition-recovery production principle'. We observed interspecific facilitation, where maize improves iron nutrition in intercropped peanut, faba bean enhances nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by intercropped maize, and chickpea facilitates P uptake by associated wheat from phytate-P. Furthermore, intercropping reduced the nitrate content in the soil profile as intercropping uses soil nutrients more efficiently than sole cropping.     

Row Ratios of Intercropping Maize and Soybean Can Affect Agronomic Efficiency of the System and Subsequent Wheat

Intercropping is regarded as an important agricultural practice to improve crop production and environmental quality in the regions with intensive agricultural production, e.g., northern China. To optimize agronomic advantage of maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) intercropping system compared to monoculture of maize, two sequential experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 was to screening the optimal cropping system in summer that had the highest yields and economic benefits, and Experiment 2 was to identify the optimum row ratio of the intercrops selected from Experiment 1. Results of Experiment 1 showed that maize intercropping with soybean (maize || soybean) was the optimal cropping system in summer. Compared to conventional monoculture of maize, maize || soybean had significant advantage in yield, economy, land utilization ratio and reducing soil nitrate nitrogen (N) accumulation, as well as better residual effect on the subsequent wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop. Experiment 2 showed that intercropping systems reduced use of N fertilizer per unit land area and increased relative biomass of intercropped maize, due to promoted photosynthetic efficiency of border rows and N utilization during symbiotic period. Intercropping advantage began to emerge at tasseling stage after N topdressing for maize. Among all treatments with different row ratios, alternating four maize rows with six soybean rows (4M:6S) had the largest land equivalent ratio (1.30), total N accumulation in crops (258 kg ha^-1), and economic benefit (3,408 USD ha^-1). Compared to maize monoculture, 4M:6S had significantly lower nitrate-N accumulation in soil both after harvest of maize and after harvest of the subsequent wheat, but it did not decrease yield of wheat. The most important advantage of 4M:6S was to increase biomass of intercropped maize and soybean, which further led to the increase of total N accumulation by crops as well as economic benefit. In conclusion, alternating four maize rows with six soybean rows was the optimum row ratio in maize || soybean system, though this needs to be further confirmed by pluri-annual trials.     

Insights on the role of tillering in salt tolerance of spring wheat from detillering

Tillering is reduced by salinity, with the primary and secondary tillers being more affected than is the mainstem. To understand the importance of tillering in the salt tolerance of wheat plants, two contrasting genotypes of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were grown in a greenhouse under saline or non-saline conditions and were subjected to five progressive levels of detillering. Regardless of the genotype and salinity, shoot dry weight, seed yield and seed number per plant were all significantly decreased in the treatments where only one or two tillers per plant remained compared with the untouched treatment (more than three tillers), whereas these same variables per tiller tended to be increased on a per tiller (mainstem or substem tiller) basis. The increased seed yield per tiller observed with tiller reduction may be attributed to the enhanced seed number within the spikelet. Under saline conditions, the reductions in shoot dry weight, seed yield and seed number per plant for the salt-tolerant genotype Kharchia were of a greater magnitude in the treatments where only one or two tillers per plant were present compared with the untouched treatment, whereas the magnitude of this reduction in the salt-sensitive genotype Sakha 61 was decreased.     

冬小麦(Triticum aestivum)分蘖冗余生态学意义以及减少冗余对水分利用效率的影响

通过盆栽试验,以旱作冬小麦(Triticum aestivum)为材料,分别在拔节和抽穗期对分蘖进行人工干扰,来模拟不可预测的自然干扰,对冬小麦分蘖冗余的生态学意义以及减少这些冗余对水分利用效率影响进行研究.设置3个处理:从拔节期开始剪去所有小的分蘖,仅保留主茎和一个大的分蘖(A);在拔节期剪去主茎和两个大的分蘖,保留所有小的分蘖(B);在孕穗期剪去主茎和有效分蘖,保留无效分蘖(C).没有被干扰的植物作为对照(CK).通过花期测定叶片的叶绿素含量、叶绿素荧光参数、气孔导度和蒸腾速率等生理指标来评价植物的生理与生化活性.结果显示,在拔节期和抽穗期去除主茎和大蘖后,无效分蘖的生理活性被激活,开始执行有效分蘖的功能.到花期时,这些无效分蘖已经在生理活性上满足了补充和替代有效茎的要求.虽然株高和穗的整齐度、穗数和产量显著下降,但并没有防碍小麦的繁衍子代,因此,正是这些由早期"无效分蘖"补充而来的有效茎,避免了小麦绝种的风险.而在拔节期去除无效分蘖后,对小麦产量没有显著影响,但提高了水分利用效率,和对照相比水分利用效率提高了10%.因此,可以认为小麦在分蘖上存在着对水分利用不利的生长冗余,减少这些冗余有望节约用水、提高作物的水分利用效率.     

不同种植密度下玉米与豌豆间作对群体总产量的影响

于2014和2015年在黄土高原半干旱区全膜覆盖种植技术下,研究了不同种植密度下玉米行内间作豌豆对作物群体总产量的影响.结果表明: 2014年,当玉米株距为40和50 cm时,与不插播相比,在玉米株间插播2株豌豆显著提高了作物群体籽粒总产量;而在株距60 cm情况下,插播豌豆对作物群体总产量无显著影响.2015年,玉米株距40和50 cm情况下,与对应株距的单作玉米相比,在玉米株间插播2株豌豆对群体籽粒总产量无显著影响;但是在玉米株距60 cm的情况下,株间插播2株豌豆使作物群体籽粒总产量显著增加.导致两个试验年份之间玉米行内间作豌豆的产量效应差异的主要原因是生长季降水量在2014年较2015年充沛.综合比较,玉米株距40 cm、株间插播2株豌豆间作形式的籽粒总产量最高.此外,在玉米单作和行内间作中,籽粒总产量均随玉米株距的增大而减小.     

Intercropping drives plant phenotypic plasticity and changes in functional trait space

The relevance of intercropping, where two or more crop species are simultaneously grown on the same land space, is growing due to its potential for improving resource use and maintaining stable yields under variable weather conditions. However, the actual growth of intercropped species may differ resulting from the idiosyncratic effect of crop diversity, and with this, the realized benefits from intercrops are found to depend critically on the cultivar, species, management and environmental conditions. This study aimed to apply a trait-based approach, in which ecological niche spaces are defined through n-dimensional hypervolumes, to identify the contribution of species/cultivar, cultivation design (sole crop or intercrop) and management (low or high fertilization) to the trait diversity of four crop species, pea-barley and faba bean-wheat, when grown as sole crops and intercrops. Four traits were used as trait axes for the trait space analysis: canopy height, shoot biomass, tiller/node number, and grain yield. We found that trait spaces differed with crop species and cultivars, and whether they were grown as intercrops or sole crops. Trait spaces differed between high and low fertilization only for the cereals grown in the more productive site (i.e. Denmark). Species grown as intercrops had larger volumes than when grown as sole crops, as a result of trait plasticity. This response to intercropping was apparent in almost all the species grown in Sweden and Denmark, except for wheat in Denmark. The study demonstrated that individual species responded to intercropping compared to sole cropping through the plasticity of traits, which influenced the shape of the hypervolumes to divide up the trait space between the species. The findings are important in illustrating the plastic responses of arable crops, which are relevant for understanding the productivity of species grown in intercrops as compared to sole crops.     

玉米和水稻重要性状QTL的比较研究

在构建玉米分子标记连锁图和对重要性状进行QTL定位的基础上,以玉米和水稻的分子标记比较图谱为桥梁,分析了控制玉米和水稻F2：3群体重要农艺和产量性状QTL的共线性关系。研究结果表明：在玉米和水稻共线性的染色体区段,控制玉米株高、行数和行粒数的QTL与控制水稻株高、单株有效穗和每穗实粒数的QTL存在广泛的对应关系;在已定位的影响玉米株高等5个性状的45个QTL中,有16个与水稻“汕优63”群体中5个相同或相似性状所定位的38个QTL中的12个具有共线性关系。这一结果为利用水稻的基因组数据来定位、分离和克隆玉米重要性状的QTL提供了有益信息。同时发现,控制水稻某一个性状的QTL常常与控制玉米同一性状的两个QTL相对应,这一结果为玉米染色体是由水稻染色体加倍而来的理论假设提供了支持。研究还发现,不管是玉米还是水稻在染色体上都存在QTL的富集区域,而这些富集区域常常存在于相同的共线性区域,暗示着玉米和水稻控制相同或相似性状的QTL可能有着相同的起源。基于性状的比较基因组研究不但有助于新基因或QTL的发现、克隆和利用,同时还有助于研究不同物种间染色体的演变和进化规律。     

Tillering in grain sorghum over a wide range of population densities: identification of a common hierarchy for tiller emergence,leaf area development and fertility

Most studies of tiller development have not related the physiological and morphological features of each culm to its subsequent fertility. This introduces problems when trying to account for the effects of tillering on yield in crop models. The objective of this study was to detect the most likely early determinants of tiller fertility in sorghum by identifying hierarchies for emergence, fertility and grain number of tillers over a wide range of assimilate availabilities. Emergence, phenology, leaf area development and dry weight partitioning were quantified weekly for individual tillers and main culms of tillering and uniculm plants grown at one of four densities, from two to 16 plants m(-2). For a given plant in any given density, the same tiller hierarchy applied for emergence of tillers, fertility of the emerged tillers and their subsequent grain number. These results were observed over a range of tiller fertility rates (from 7 to 91%), fertile tiller number per plant at maturity (from 0.2 to 4.7), and tiller contribution to grain yield (from 5 to 78 %). Tiller emergence was most probably related to assimilate supply and light quality. Development, fertility and contribution to yield of a specific tiller were highly dependent on growing conditions at the time of tiller emergence, particularly via early leaf area development of the tiller, which affected its subsequent leaf area accumulation. Assimilate availability in the main culm at the time of tiller emergence was the most likely early determinant of subsequent tiller fertility in this study.     

The efficiency of a durum wheat-winter pea intercrop to improve yield and wheat grain protein concentration depends on N availability during early growth

Grain protein concentration of durum wheat is often too low, particularly in low-N-input systems. The aim of our study was to test whether a durum wheat-winter pea intercrop can improve relative yield and durum wheat grain protein concentration in low-N-input systems. A 2-year field experiment was carried out in SW France with different fertilizer-N levels to compare wheat (Triticum turgidum L., cv. Nefer) and pea (winter pea, Pisum sativum L., cv. Lucy) grown as sole crops or intercrops in a row-substitutive design. Without N fertilization or when N was applied late (N available until pea flowering less than about 120 kg N ha^?1), intercrops were up to 19% more efficient than sole crops for yield and up to 32% for accumulated N, but were less efficient with large fertilizer N applications. Wheat grain protein concentration was significantly higher in intercrops than in sole crops (14% on average) because more N was remobilized into wheat grain due to: i) fewer ears per square metre in intercrops and ii) a similar amount of available soil N as in sole crops due to the high pea N₂ fixation rate in intercrops (88% compared to 58% in sole crops).     

Use of cytokinins as agrochemicals

Plant hormones cytokinins regulate various aspects of plant growth and development. For their positive effects on branching, delaying of senescence, nutrient remobilisation, flower and seed set control they became interesting substances in search for potential agrochemicals. From the 1970’ of the last century exogenous application of cytokinins have been tested in field conditions to improve yield traits of world-wide important crops such as wheat, rice, maize, barley, and soybean. Despite the extensive testing summarized in this work, so far cytokinins haven’t found their stable place among commercialized plant growth regulators, mainly due to the complexity of their effects. Here we bring an overview of the outcomes obtained in pot and field experiments using cytokinin exogenous treatments, summarize the ways of application and point to the affected traits in various field crops, vegetables, cotton and fruit trees. Further, we present here outcomes of field trials performed with a derivative of N⁶-benzyladenine, 2-chloro-6-(3-methoxybenzyl)aminopurine, in spring barley and winter wheat. The effect on yield forming traits such as number of tillers, grains per ear, number of ears and the final yield was evaluated and compared after spraying of the both crops in different phenological stages.     

Intercropping enhances soil carbon and nitrogen

Intercropping, the simultaneous cultivation of multiple crop species in a single field, increases aboveground productivity due to species complementarity. We hypothesized that intercrops may have greater belowground productivity than sole crops, and sequester more soil carbon over time due to greater input of root litter. Here, we demonstrate a divergence in soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content over 7 years in a field experiment that compared rotational strip intercrop systems and ordinary crop rotations. Soil organic C content in the top 20 cm was 4% ± 1% greater in intercrops than in sole crops, indicating a difference in C sequestration rate between intercrop and sole crop systems of 184 ± 86 kg C ha^?1 yr^?1. Soil organic N content in the top 20 cm was 11% ± 1% greater in intercrops than in sole crops, indicating a difference in N sequestration rate between intercrop and sole crop systems of 45 ± 10 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1. Total root biomass in intercrops was on average 23% greater than the average root biomass in sole crops, providing a possible mechanism for the observed divergence in soil C sequestration between sole crop and intercrop systems. A lowering of the soil δ¹⁵N signature suggested that increased biological N fixation and/or reduced gaseous N losses contributed to the increases in soil N in intercrop rotations with faba bean. Increases in soil N in wheat/maize intercrop pointed to contributions from a broader suite of mechanisms for N retention, e.g., complementary N uptake strategies of the intercropped plant species. Our results indicate that soil C sequestration potential of strip intercropping is similar in magnitude to that of currently recommended management practises to conserve organic matter in soil. Intercropping can contribute to multiple agroecosystem services by increased yield, better soil quality and soil C sequestration.     

Overexpression of the maize Teosinte Branched1 gene in wheat suppresses tiller development

The number of viable shoots influences the overall architecture and productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The development of lateral branches, or tillers, largely determines the resultant canopy. Tillers develop from the outgrowth of axillary buds, which form in leaf axils at the crown of the plant. Tiller number can be reduced if axillary buds are not formed or if the outgrowth of these buds is restricted. The teosinte branched1 (tb1) gene in maize, and homologs in rice and Arabidopsis, genetically regulate vegetative branching. In maize, increased expression of the tb1 gene restricts the outgrowth of axillary buds into lateral branches. In this study, the maize tb1 gene was introduced through transformation into the wheat cultivar "Bobwhite" to determine the effect of tb1 overexpression on wheat shoot architecture. Examination of multiple generations of plants reveals that tb1 overexpression in wheat results in reduced tiller and spike number. In addition, the number of spikelets on the spike and leaf number were significantly greater in tb1-expressing plants, and the height of these plants was also reduced. These data reveal that the function of the tb1 gene and genetic regulation of lateral branching via the tb1 mode of action is conserved between wheat, rice, maize and Arabidopsis. Thus, the tb1 gene can be used to alter plant architecture in agriculturally important crops like wheat.     

Tillering in grain sorghum over a wiide range of population densities: modelling dynamics of tiller fertility

The prediction of tillering is poor or absent in existing sorghum crop models even though fertile tillers contribute significantly to grain yield. The objective of this study was to identify general quantitative relationships underpinning tiller dynamics of sorghum for a broad range of assimilate availabilities. Emergence, phenology, leaf area development and fertility of individual main culms and tillers were quantified weekly in plants grown at one of four plant densities ranging from two to 16 plants m(-2). On any given day, a tiller was considered potentially fertile (a posteriori) if its number of leaves continued to increase thereafter. The dynamics of potentially fertile tiller number per plant varied greatly with plant density, but could generally be described by three determinants, stable across plant densities: tiller emergence rate aligned with leaf ligule appearance rate; cessation of tiller emergence occurred at a stable leaf area index; and rate of decrease in potentially fertile tillers was linearly related to the ratio of realized to potential leaf area growth. Realized leaf area growth is the measured increase in leaf area, whereas potential leaf area growth is the estimated increase in leaf area if all potentially fertile tillers were to continue to develop. Procedures to predict this ratio, by estimating realized leaf area per plant from intercepted radiation and potential leaf area per plant from the number and type of developing axes, are presented. While it is suitable for modelling tiller dynamics in grain sorghum, this general framework needs to be validated by testing it in different environments and for other cultivars.     

Relationships of intercropped maize, stem borer damage to maize yield and land-use efficiency in the humid forest of Cameroon

Stem borers are the most important maize pests in the humid forest zone of Cameroon. Field trials were conducted in the long and short rainy seasons of 2002 and 2003 to assess the level of damage and yield reductions caused by stem borers in monocropped maize and in maize intercropped with non-host plants such as cassava, cowpea and soybean. The intercrops were planted in two spatial arrangements, i.e. alternating hills or alternating rows. All intercrops and the maize monocrop were grown with and without insecticide treatment for assessment of maize yield loss due to borer attacks. The land-use efficiency of each mixed cropping system was evaluated by comparing it with the monocrop. The temporal fluctuation of larval infestations followed the same pattern in all cropping systems, but at the early stage of plant growth, larval densities were 21.3-48.1% higher in the monocrops than in intercrops, and they tended to be higher in alternating rows than alternating hills arrangements. At harvest, however, pest densities did not significantly vary between treatments. Maize monocrops had 3.0-8.8 times more stems tunnelled and 1.3-3.1 times more cob damage than intercrops. Each percentage increase in stem tunnelling lowered maize grain yield by 1.10 and 1.84 g per plant, respectively, during the long and short rainy season in 2002, and by 5.39 and 1.41 g per plant, respectively, in 2003. Maize yield losses due to stem borer were 1.8-3.0 times higher in monocrops than in intercrops. Intercrops had generally a higher land-use efficiency than monocrops, as indicated by land-equivalent-ratios and area-time-equivalent-ratios of >1.0. Land-use efficiency was similar in both spatial arrangements. At current price levels, the net production of mixed cropping systems was economically superior to controlling stem borers with insecticide in monocropped maize. The maize-cassava intercrop yielded the highest land equivalent ratios and the highest replacement value of the intercrop. At medium intensity cropping this system is thus recommended for land-constrained poor farmers who do not use external inputs such as fertilizer and insecticides.     

调亏灌水和分蘖干扰对冬小麦生长的补偿效应

为探索抑制个体功能的生长冗余以实现群体性能优化并挖掘作物高产潜力的途径,通过桶栽试验,选择分蘖能力中等的小偃22号和分蘖能力较强的郑麦7698,对比研究2种灌水模式（全生育期充分灌水和分生育期调亏灌水）和3种分蘖干扰（从拔节期开始去除所有小分蘖,仅保留主茎和1个大分蘖;抽穗期去除所有无效分蘖;以不作任何干扰为对照）,来模拟不同水分供应和不可预测干扰对冬小麦生理生长、产量和水分利用效率的补偿机制.结果表明： 2个冬小麦品种均存在生长冗余.与小偃22号相比,郑麦7698有效分蘖数较高,但穗部性状较差.调亏灌水和抽穗期去除无效分蘖均可减少生长冗余,弱化竞争能力,改变源 库关系,提高资源分配.但冗余消除过度（拔节期干扰）则会破坏植株固有的根冠平衡和功能结构,导致生长的不足补偿.与对照相比,调亏灌水联合抽穗期去除无效分蘖可在时空尺度上充分开发和利用作物自身调控潜力实现补偿生长,在不显著影响籽粒产量的同时可提高水分利用效率20.4%～25.4%,是适宜的减冗增效措施.     

Nitrogen economy in relay intercropping systems of wheat and cotton

Relay intercropping of wheat and cotton is practiced on a large scale in China. Winter wheat is thereby grown as a food crop from November to June and cotton as a cash crop from April to October. The crops overlap in time, growing as an intercrop, from April till June. High levels of nitrogen are applied. In this study, we analyzed the N-economy of the monocultures of cotton and wheat, and of four relay intercropping systems, differing in number of rows per strip of cotton or wheat. Field experiments were carried out from 2001/02 to 2003/04 in the Yellow River region in China. We quantified the nitrogen uptake and nitrogen use efficiency of wheat and cotton in relay intercropping systems to test if intercrops are more resource use efficient in comparison to monocrops. Nitrogen (N) yields of wheat per unit area in the four intercropping systems were lower than in the monocrop, which ranged from 203 to 288 kg ha⁻¹. The total N-uptake per unit biomass was similar between wheat in mono- and intercrops. On average, the N-yield of cotton per unit area was lower in intercrops than in monocrops, which ranged from 110 to 127 kg ha⁻¹, but the total N-uptake per unit biomass was higher in intercropped cotton, as dry matter production was reduced to a greater extent by intercropping than N-uptake. The N-uptake of cotton was diminished during the intercropping phase, but recovered partially during later growth stages. The physiological nitrogen use efficiency (IE) of wheat was not much affected by intercropping, but it was reduced in cotton, due to delayed flowering and less reproductive growth. Total N-efficiency of the system was assessed by comparing the relative nitrogen yield total (RNT), i.e. the sum of the ratio’s of total N-uptake by a component crop in the intercrop relative to the N-uptake in the monocrop, to the relative yield total. RNT ranged from 1.4 to 1.7, while the relative yield total (RYT) ranged from 1.3 to 1.4, indicating that intercrops used more nitrogen per unit production than monocrops. An analysis of the crop nitrogen balance showed that the nitrogen surplus of sole crops amounted to 220 kg ha⁻¹ for wheat and 140 kg ha⁻¹ for cotton, while in the intercropping systems, the annual N surplus exceeded 400 kg ha⁻¹. Conventional N-management in intercrops thus results in high N-surpluses that pose an environmental risk. The N management could be improved by means of a demand-based rate and timing of N applications.     

玉米和大豆条带间作模式下的光环境特性

于2006—2007年对玉米/大豆窄条带间作系统的光环境特性进行观测,研究间作冠层内光合有效辐射（PAR）的空间分布,并分析光环境改变对作物产量的影响.结果表明：在生育早期,大豆条带边行（与玉米相邻行）底部光的透射率高于大豆内行,而玉米条带内行底部光的透射率高于边行;进入生殖生长后,冠层底部光的透射率变化不明显,平均透射率小于7%.在生育早期,内行大豆接收到的日平均光量子通量密度（PPFD）比边行高约10%;1∶3间作模式（I₁处理）下,大豆边行和内行光的透射率均比2∶3间作模式（I₂处理）高15%,表明I₂处理的玉米条带对大豆的遮荫程度大于I₁处理.在大豆开花之后,内行大豆接收到的日平均PPFD与两侧边行有显著差异,但边行之间差异不显著;内行和外行大豆光的透射率分别为38%和27%,但I₁和I₂处理之间差异不显著,表明两种间作模式下玉米条带对大豆的遮荫程度相近.大豆内行的生物量高于边行,而边行之间没有显著差异,表明在充分供水条件下,不同窄条带间作模式对作物生物量的影响主要是由于作物光环境的改变所致.