Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of white clover living mulch on the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus colonization of corn roots and the yield of silage corn. The following seven treatments were setup in a field that had been kept bare by rotary tillage from August 2003 to July 2004: two white clover living mulch treatments without phosphorus (P) application, with the white clover shoots clipped and removed or allowed to lie in place before sowing corn; one no-tillage treatment without P application; and four rotary tillage treatments with different P application rates. White clover was broadcasted in the living mulch treatments in August 2004. In June 2005, the white clover shoots in the living mulch treatments were clipped. After tilling the four rotary tillage treatments, corn was sown in all the treatments. The fallow period before sowing corn was 0 month (living mulch treatments) and 22 months (no-tillage and rotary tillage treatments). At knee high stage, the AM fungus colonization of the corn roots and the P concentrations of the corn shoots in both the living mulch treatments were increased relative to those in the other treatments. The yield of corn tended to increase in the no-tillage and rotary tillage treatments with an increase in the P application rate. On the other hand, the yields of corn in the living mulch treatments without the P application were not significantly different from the maximum yield among the no-tillage and rotary tillage treatments. These results suggested that the white clover living mulch increased the yield of corn by facilitating the AM fungus colonization and improving the P nutrition of corn.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barry DAJ, Miller MH (1989) Phosphorus nutritional requirement of maize seedling for maximum yield. Agron J 81:95–99
Bevege DI, Bowen GD (1975) Endogone strain and host plant differences in development of versicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas. In: Sander FE, Mosse B, Tinker PB (eds) Endomycorrhizas. Academic Press, London, UK, pp 77–86
Black R, Tinker PB (1979) The development of endomycorrhizal root systems. II. Effect of agronomic factors and soil conditions on the development of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal infection in barely and on the endophyte spore density. New Phytol 83:401–413
Blevins RL, Herbek J, Hand Frye WW (1990) Legume cover crops as a nitrogen source for no-till corn and grain sorghum. Agron J 82:769–772
Boswell EP, Koide RT, Shumway DL, Addy HD (1998) Winter wheat cover cropping, VA mycorrhizal fungi and maize growth and yield. Agr Ecosyst Environ 67:55–65
Brundrett M, Piche Y, Peterson RL (1985) A developmental study of the early stages in vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza formation. Can J Bot 63:184–194
Committee of Soil Environment Analysis (1997) Methods for soil environment analysis. Hakuyuu-sha, Tokyo, Japan, 472 pp (in Japanese)
Deguchi S, Uozumi S, Tawaraya K, Kawamoto H, Tanaka O (2005) The white clover living mulch improves phosphorus nutrition of maize of early stage. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 51:573–576
Dodd JC, Jeffries P (1986) Early maturity of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas in autumn-sown cereals. Soil Biol Biochem 18:149–154
Ebelhar SA, Frye WW, Blevins RL (1984) Nitrogen from legume cover crops for no tillage corn. Agron J 76:51–55
Evans DG, Miller MH (1988) Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas and the soil-disturbance-induced reduction of nutrient absorption in maize. I. Casual relations. New Phytol 110:67–74
Ewing RP, Wagger MG, Denton HP (1991) Tillage and cover crop management effects on soil water and corn yield. Soil Sci Soc Am J 55:1081–1085
Galvez L, Douds DD, Wagoner P, Longnecker LR, Drinkwater LE, Janke RR (1995) An overwintering cover crop increases inoculum of VAM fungi in agricultural soil. Am J Alternative Agr 10:152–156
Harinikumar KM, Bagyaraj DJ (1988) Effect of crop rotation on native vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal propagules in soil. Plant Soil 110:77–80
Hartwig NL, Ammon HU (2002) Cover crops and living mulches. Weed Sci 50:688–699
Jones JB Jr, Eck HV, Voss R (1990) Plant analysis as an aid in fertilizing corn and grain sorghum. In: Westerman RL (ed) Soil testing and plant analysis 3rd edn. Soil Science Society of America, Wisconsin, USA, pp 521–548
Kabir Z, Koide RT (2000) The effect of dandelion or a cover crop on mycorrhizal inoculum potential, soil aggregation and yield of maize. Agr Ecosyst Environ 78:167–174
Kabir Z, Koide RT (2002) Effect of autumn and winter mycorrhizal cover crops on soil properties, nutrient uptake and yield of sweet corn in Pennsylvania, USA. Plant Soil 238:205–215
Kabir Z, O’Halloran IP, Hamel C (1999) Combined effects of soil disturbance and fallowing on plant and fungal components of mycorrhizal corn (Zea mays L.). Soil Biol Biochem 31:307–314
Karasawa T, Kasahara K, Tatebe M (2001) Effects of green manure using arbuscular mycorrhizal host crops on maize production in terms of mycorrhizal symbiosis. Jpn J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 72:357–364 (in Japanese with English summary)
Kobayashi N (1988) Factors affecting the germination of spores of Gigaspora margarita. Soil Microorg 31:13–28 (in Japanese with English summary)
McGonigle TP, Miller MH, Evans DG, Fairchild GL, Swan JA (1990) A new method which gives an objective measure of colonization of roots by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. New Phytol 115:495–501
McGonigle TP, Miller MH (1993) Mycorrhizal development and phosphorus absorption in maize under conventional and reduced tillage. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57:1002–1006
Mitchell WH, Teel MR (1977) Winter-annual cover crops for no tillage corn production. Agron J 69:569–573
Miura S, Watanabe Y (2002) Growth and yield of sweet corn with legume living mulches. Jpn J Crop Sci 71:43–49 (in Japanese with English summary)
Murphy J, Riley JP (1962) A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal Chim Acta 27:31–36
Ogata A, Fujita K, Matsumoto K, Saneoka H (1986) Studies on mix-cropping of grasses and legumes 1. Dry matter production and behavior of fixed-N in the system of mix-cropping of Sorghum, Soybean and Siratro. Jpn J Grassland Sci 32:36–43 (in Japanese with English summary)
O’Halloran IP, Miller MH, Arnold G (1986) Absorption of P by corn (Zea mays L.) as influenced by soil disturbance. Can J Soil Sci 66:287–302
Seatz LF, Sterges AJ (1963) Corn response to time and rate of phosphorus applications. Soil Sci Soc Am Pro 27:669–670
Thompson JP (1987) Decline of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrizae in long fallow disorder of field crops and its expression in phosphorus deficiency of sunflower. Aust J Agr Res 38:847–867
Thompson JP (1994) Inoculation with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from cropped soil overcomes long-fallow disorder of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) by improving P and Zn uptake. Soil Biol Biochem 26:1133–1143
Uozumi S, Deguchi S, Fushimi A (2004) Optimal planting time of silage corn for the white clover living mulch system. Bull Natl Agric Res, Center for Tohoku Region 102:93–100 (in Japanese with English summary)
Zhu JC, Gantzer CJ, Anderson SH, Beuselinck PR, Alberts EE (1991) Water use evaluation of winter cover crops for no-till soybeans. J Soil Water Conserv 46:446–449
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Masanori Saito for his helpful suggestions and Mr. Toshiyuki Sato and Ms. Kazuko Nagaushi for their technical assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Deguchi, S., Shimazaki, Y., Uozumi, S. et al. White clover living mulch increases the yield of silage corn via arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus colonization. Plant Soil 291, 291–299 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9194-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9194-8