Abstract
Intercropping, which grows at least two crop species on the same pieces of land at the same time, can increase grain yields greatly. Legume-grass intercrops are known to overyield because of legume nitrogen fixation. However, many agricultural soils are deficient in phosphorus. Here we show that a new mechanism of overyielding, in which phosphorus mobilized by one crop species increases the growth of a second crop species grown in alternate rows, led to large yield increases on phosphorus-deficient soils. In 4 years of field experiments, maize (Zea mays L.) overyielded by 43% and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) overyielded by 26% when intercropped on a low-phosphorus but high-nitrogen soil. We found that overyielding of maize was attributable to below-ground interactions between faba bean and maize in another field experiment. Intercropping with faba bean improved maize grain yield significantly and above-ground biomass marginally significantly, compared with maize grown with wheat, at lower rates of P fertilizer application (<75 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare), and not significantly at high rate of P application (>112.5 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare). By using permeable and impermeable root barriers, we found that maize overyielding resulted from its uptake of phosphorus mobilized by the acidification of the rhizosphere via faba bean root release of organic acids and protons. Faba bean overyielded because its growth season and rooting depth differed from maize. The large increase in yields from intercropping on low-phosphorus soils is likely to be especially important on heavily weathered soils.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Maize overyielded by 43% when intercropped with faba bean on a low-phosphorus, high-nitrogen soil in field experiments.
- Treatment
- intercroppede1
- Interactor
- faba bean
Vicia fabae1other - Outcome
- yielde1
- Direction
- overyieldede1
- Value
- 43%e1
- Setting
- field experimentse1
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“In 4 years of field experiments, maize (Zea mays L.) overyielded by 43% and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) overyielded by 26% when intercropped on a low-phosphorus but high-nitrogen soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Faba bean overyielded by 26% when intercropped with maize on a low-phosphorus, high-nitrogen soil in field experiments.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabae1
- Treatment
- intercroppede1
- Outcome
- yielde1
- Direction
- overyieldede1
- Value
- 26%e1
- Setting
- field experimentse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“In 4 years of field experiments, maize (Zea mays L.) overyielded by 43% and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) overyielded by 26% when intercropped on a low-phosphorus but high-nitrogen soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize overyielding was attributable to below-ground interactions between faba bean and maize.
- Treatment
- below-ground interactions between faba bean and maizee2
- Interactor
- faba beanVicia fabae2other
- Outcome
- overyieldinge2
- Setting
- another field experimente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“We found that overyielding of maize was attributable to below-ground interactions between faba bean and maize in another field experiment”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping with faba bean significantly improved maize grain yield at lower P fertilizer rates compared with maize grown with wheat.
- Treatment
- Intercropping with faba beane3
- Interactor
- faba beanVicia fabae3other
- Outcome
- grain yielde3
- Direction
- improvede3
- Qualifier
- at lower rates of P fertilizer application (<75 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare)e3
- Comparator
- maize grown with wheate3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Intercropping with faba bean improved maize grain yield significantly and above-ground biomass marginally significantly, compared with maize grown with wheat, at lower rates of P fertilizer application (<75 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare), and not significantly at high rate of P application (>112.5 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare)”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping with faba bean marginally significantly improved maize above-ground biomass at lower P fertilizer rates compared with maize grown with wheat.
- Treatment
- Intercropping with faba beane3
- Interactor
- faba beanVicia fabae3other
- Outcome
- above-ground biomasse3
- Direction
- improvede3
- Qualifier
- marginally significantlye3
- Comparator
- maize grown with wheate3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Intercropping with faba bean improved maize grain yield significantly and above-ground biomass marginally significantly, compared with maize grown with wheat, at lower rates of P fertilizer application (<75 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare), and not significantly at high rate of P application (>112.5 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare)”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping with faba bean did not significantly change maize grain yield at high P application rates.
- Treatment
- Intercropping with faba beane3
- Interactor
- faba beanVicia fabae3other
- Outcome
- grain yielde3
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede3
- Qualifier
- at high rate of P application (>112.5 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare)e3
- Comparator
- maize grown with wheate3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Intercropping with faba bean improved maize grain yield significantly and above-ground biomass marginally significantly, compared with maize grown with wheat, at lower rates of P fertilizer application (<75 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare), and not significantly at high rate of P application (>112.5 kg of P(2)O(5) per hectare)”
Claim · model-written summary
Faba bean overyielded because its growth season and rooting depth differed from maize.
- Taxon
- Faba beanVicia fabae4
- Outcome
- overyieldede4
- Qualifier
- growth season and rooting depth differed from maizee4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Faba bean overyielded because its growth season and rooting depth differed from maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize overyielding resulted from its uptake of phosphorus mobilized by rhizosphere acidification via faba bean root release of organic acids and protons.
- Treatment
- permeable and impermeable root barrierse5
- Interactor
- faba beanVicia fabae5other
- Compound
- phosphoruse5
- Outcome
- overyieldinge5
- Qualifier
- acidification of the rhizosphere via faba bean root release of organic acids and protonse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“By using permeable and impermeable root barriers, we found that maize overyielding resulted from its uptake of phosphorus mobilized by the acidification of the rhizosphere via faba bean root release of organic acids and protons”
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