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The role of complementarity and selection effects in P acquisition of intercropping systems

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Abstract

Background and aims

Enhanced crop productivity by intercropping is commonly assumed to be driven by resource complementarity. However, relatively few studies have directly measured resource acquisition to assess potential mechanisms underlying enhanced performance of intercropping.

Methods

A long-term field experiment with three P application rates (0, 40, 80 kg P ha−1 yr.−1) and four maize-based intercropping systems was used to assess P acquisition and P fertilizer recovery efficiency (PRE) for three consecutive years. To identify underlying mechanisms, the additive partitioning method was applied to determine complementarity (CE) and selection effects (SE) in P acquisition of intercropping.

Results

Average P acquisition increased by 28.4% and 27.6% compared to their monocultures in faba bean/maize and chickpea/maize intercropping, respectively. However, P acquisition was generally not enhanced and even reduced in the last year in soybean/maize and oilseed rape/maize intercropping. Enhanced P acquisition was due to positive CE in faba bean/maize, and to positive CE and SE in chickpea/maize intercropping.

Conclusions

Increased resource acquisition via CE and/or SE depended on the particular crop combination in intercropping systems. Application of the additive partitioning method to intercropping may help to identify underlying mechanisms of overyielding and carefully select crop combinations to enable more efficient resource use.

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Abbreviations

CE:

Complementarity effect

C/M:

Chickpea/maize system

F/M:

Faba bean/maize system

N:

Nitrogen

OR/M:

Oilseed rape/maize system

P:

Phosphorus

PRE:

Phosphorus fertilizer recovery efficiency

RY:

Relative yield

SE:

Selection effect

S/M:

Soybean/maize system

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by funds from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Project No.: 2016YFD0300202) and the National Science Foundation of China (Project No.: 31430014). We thank all members involved in the maintenance of the long-term field experiment. The authors also thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions and comments to improve an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Xiao-Fei Li, Wei-Ping Zhang, Le-Hua Wang, Xiu-Li Tian & Long Li

  2. Institute of Soils, Fertilizers and Water-saving Agriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Cheng-Bao Wang, Si-Cun Yang & Wan-Li Jiang

  3. Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708, PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Jasper van Ruijven

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  1. Xiao-Fei Li
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Correspondence to Long Li.

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Li, XF., Wang, CB., Zhang, WP. et al. The role of complementarity and selection effects in P acquisition of intercropping systems. Plant Soil 422, 479–493 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3487-3

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