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How biofertilizers and intercropping pattern affect yield and nitrogen efficiency indices of maize?

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Abstract

A two-consecutive year study is aimed at investigating the effect of organic or biofertilizer and intercropping pattern on quantitative or qualitative yield and agronomic efficiency indices of maize. The main plots consisted of four fertilizer systems: control (urea, 30 kg ha−1), biofertilizer (Azotobacter chroococcum), organic fertilizer (vermicompost), and integrated fertilizer (Azotobacter + vermicompost), and subplots comprised five cropping patterns: monocropping of maize, intercropping of 50% mazie-50% pinto bean, 60% maize-60% pinto beans, and 80% maize-80% pinto beans. The studied parameters consisted of grain yield, biomass, agronomic efficiency (AE), apparent recovery efficiency (ARE), physiological efficiency (PE), agro-physiological efficiency (APE), and nitrogen (N) utilization efficiency (NUE). For both the first and second years, the results indicated that fertilizer type and cropping pattern significantly affected AE, ARE, PE, APE, and NUE (P ≤ 0.01). Based on the results of the first year, the highest grain yield (15.4 t ha−1), biomass (31.6 t ha−1), and NUE (2.6 kg kg−1) belonged to the monocropping of maize under integrated fertilizer treatment of Azotobacter + vermicompost. In the case of the second year, in accordance with the obtained results, the highest grain yield (15.2 t ha−1) and biomass (32.2 t ha−1) were observed in monocropping of maize under integrated fertilizer treatment of Azotobacter + vermicompost. According to the results mentioned above, intercropping patterns, integrated plant nutrition with bio/organic fertilizer and also nitrogen fixation potential, can be considered the effective factors reducing the application of chemical fertilizers and achieving sustainable agriculture.

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Funding

The authors are thankful to the University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran for providing financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Raze Fatemi, Seyed Mohamad Bagher Hoseini & Hosain Moghadam

  2. Department of Soil Science University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Babak Motesharezadeh

  3. Agriculture College of Shiraz University, Fars Province, Shiraz, Iran

    Zahra Ahmadabadi

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  1. Raze Fatemi
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  2. Seyed Mohamad Bagher Hoseini
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  3. Hosain Moghadam
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  5. Zahra Ahmadabadi
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Contributions

Reza Fatemi: investigation. Dr. Seyed Mohammad Bagher Hosseini: conceptualization, methodology, and supervision. Dr. Hosain Moghadam: co-supervisor and formal analysis. Prof. Babak Motesharezadeh: advisor and writing—review. Dr. Zahra Ahmadabadi: writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Babak Motesharezadeh.

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Fatemi, R., Hoseini, S.M.B., Moghadam, H. et al. How biofertilizers and intercropping pattern affect yield and nitrogen efficiency indices of maize?. Arab J Geosci 16, 378 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11450-w

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