Coordinated responses of leaf and nodule traits contribute to the accumulation of N in relay intercropped soybean

Maize(Zea mays L.)-soybean(Glycine max L.Merr.)relay intercropping provides a way to enhance land productivity.However,the late-planted soybean suffers from shading by the maize.After maize harvest,how the recovery growth influences the leaf and nodule traits remains unclear.A three-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of genotypes,i.e.,supernodulating(nts1007),Nandou 12(ND12),and Guixia 3(GX3),and crop configurations,i.e.,the interspecific row spacing of 45(I45),60(I60),75 cm(I75),and sole soybean(SS),on soybean recovery growth and N fixation.The results showed that intercropping reduced the soybean total leaf area(LA)by reducing both the leaf number(LN)and unit leaflet area(LUA),and it reduced the nodule dry weight(NW)by reducing both the nodule number(NN)and nodule diameter(ND)compared with the SS.The correlation and principal component analysis(PCA)indicated a co-variability of the leaf and nodule traits in response to the genotype and crop configuration interactions.During the recovery growth stages,the compensatory growth promoted soybean growth to reduce the gaps of leaf and nodule traits between intercropping and SS.The relative growth rates of ureide(RGR_U)and nitrogen(RGR_N)accumulation were higher in intercropping than in SS.Intercropping achieved more significant sucrose and starch contents compared with SS.ND12 and GX3 showed more robust compensatory growth than nts1007 in intercropping.Although the recovery growth of relay intercropping soybean improved biomass and nitrogen accumulation,ND12 gained a more significant partial land equivalent ratio(pLER)than GX3.The I60 treatment achieved more robust compensation effects on biomass and N accumulation than the other configurations.Meanwhile,I60 showed a higher nodule sucrose content and greater shoot ureide and N accumulation than SS.Finally,intercropping ND12 with maize using an interspecific row spacing of 60 cm was optimal for both yield advantage and N accumulation.

Relay-intercropping soybean with maize maintains soil fertility and increases nitrogen recovery efficiency by reducing nitrogen input

Optimized nitrogen(N)management can increase N-use efficiency in intercropping systems.Legume-nonlegume intercropping systems can reduce N input by exploiting biological N fixation by legumes.Measurement of N utilization can help in dissecting the mechanisms underlying N uptake and utilization in legume-nonlegume intercropping systems.An experiment was performed with three planting patterns:monoculture maize(MM),monoculture soybean(SS),and maize-soybean relay intercropping(IMS),and three N application levels:zero N(NN),reduced N(RN),and conventional N(CN)to investigate crop N uptake and utilization characteristics.N recovery efficiency and 15N recovery rate of crops were higher under RN than under CN,and those under RN were higher under intercropping than under the corresponding monocultures.Compared with MM,IMS showed a lower soil N-dependent rate(SNDR)in 2012.However,the SNDR of MM rapidly declined from 86.8%in 2012 to 49.4%in 2014,whereas that of IMS declined slowly from 75.4%in 2012 to 69.4%in 2014.The interspecific N competition rate(NCRms)was higher under RN than under CN,and increased yearly.Soybean nodule dry weight and nitrogenase activities were respectively 34.2%and 12.5%higher under intercropping than in monoculture at the beginning seed stage.The amount(Ndfa)and ratio(%Ndfa)of soybean N2 fixation were significantly greater under IS than under SS.In conclusion,N fertilizer was more efficiently used under RN than under CN;in particular,the relay intercropping system promoted N fertilizer utilization in comparison with the corresponding monocultures.An intercropping system helps to maintain soil fertility because interspecific N competition promotes biological N fixation by soybean by reducing N input.Thus,a maize-soybean relay intercropping system with reduced N application is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Far-red light: A regulator of plant morphology and photosynthetic capacity

Plant photosynthetic capacity directly determines crop yield. Light quality regulates photosynthetic capacity. This review discusses plant responses to far-red light from the phenotypic to the molecular level, focusing specifically on the improvement of photosynthetic capacity by adjustment of photosynthetic electron transport and the path of light energy. Far-red light can also regulate leaf angle and increase plant height and leaf area, via expression of associated genes, to capture more light energy.Thus, far-red light regulates plant morphology and photosynthetic capacity. Identifying the mechanism of this regulation may lead to increased crop yields.

Maize-soybean relay cropping increases soybean yield synergistically by extending the post-anthesis leaf stay-green period and accelerating grain filling

Relay cropping of Poaceae and Fabaceae promotes high yield and land-use efficiency by allowing a double harvest.However,it is difficult to increase yield synergistically because of the reduced photosynthetic abilities of legume leaves under the shade of graminoids.Leaf photosynthetic capacity in relay cropping systems is associated with ecological niche differentiation and photosynthetic compensation after restoration of normal light.We conducted a field experiment in southwest China in 2020–2021 to evaluate the effects of three cropping patterns:maize–soybean relay cropping(IMS),monoculture maize(MM),and monoculture soybean(SS),and N application levels:no N application(NN:0 kg N ha^(−1)),reduced N(RN:180 kg N ha^(−1)),and conventional N(CN:240 kg N ha^(−1)).Compared to monocropping,relay cropping increased the stay-green traits of maize and soybean by 13%and 89%,respectively.Relay cropping prolonged the leaf stay-green duration in the maize and soybean lag phase by almost 4 and 8 days,respectively.Relay cropping maize(IM)increased the leaf area index(LAI)by 79.4%to 88.5%under NN and 55.5%to 148%under RN.Relay cropping soybean(IS)increased the LAI from 115%to 437%at days 40 to 50 after anthesis.IM increased yield by 65.6%.IS increased yield by 9.7%.HI and system yield were at their highest values under RN.In the relay cropping system,reduced N application extended green leaf duration,increased photosynthesis inside the canopy at multiple levels,ultimately increases soybean yield synergistically.

Optimizing trade-offs between light transmittance and intraspecific competition under varying crop layouts in a maize-soybean strip relay cropping system

Light is one of the most important environmental factors for plant growth and development.In relay cropping systems,crop layouts influence light distribution,affecting light use efficiency(LUE).However,the response of light interception,light conversion,and LUE for relay maize and relay soybean to different crop layouts remains unclear.We aimed to quantify the effect of crop layout on intraspecific and interspecific competition,light interception,light conversion,LUE,and land productivity between relay maize and relay soybean.We conducted a field experiment for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2020 in Sichuan province,China,comparing different crop layouts(bandwidth 2.0 m,row ratio 2:2;bandwidth 2.4 m,row ratio 2:3;bandwidth 2.8 m,row ratio 2:4),with sole maize and sole soybean as controls.The results showed that relay maize in the 2.0 m bandwidth layout had the largest leaf area index and plant biomass,the lowest intraspecific competitive intensity and the highest aggressiveness.Compared to a bandwidth of 2.0 m,a bandwidth of 2.8 m significantly decreased relay maize leaf area index by 11%and plant biomass by 24%,while a 2.4 m bandwidth caused roughly half these reductions.The 2.0 m bandwidth layout also significantly improved crop light interception and LUE compared to sole maize.The light interception,light interception rate,light conversion rate and LUE in relay maize all decreased significantly with increasing bandwidth,but they increased in relay soybean.The increased light transmittance to the lower and middle canopy with increasing bandwidth did not compensate for the loss of relay maize yield caused by increased intraspecific competition.However,it enhanced the yield of relay soybeans.Increasing the bandwidth by 80 cm increased the relay maize intraspecific competition by 580%,and reduced maize yield by 33%,light interception by 12%,and LUE by 18%.In contrast,the relay soybean intraspecific competition was reduced by 64%,and the soybean yield was increased by 26%,light interception by 32%and LUE by 46%.Relay cropping systems with a 2.0 m bandwidth optimize the trade-off between light transmittance and intraspecific competition of relay crops.These systems achieve the highest LUE,group yield and economic benefits,making them a recommended crop layout for the southwest regions of China.Our study offers valuable insights for developing strip relay cropping systems that maximize light utilization and contributes to the theoretical understanding of efficient sunlight use in relay cropping practices.