The effects of monoculture and intercropping on photosynthesis performance correlated with growth of garlic and perennial ryegrass response to different heavy metals.

BACKGROUND: The potential of phytoremediation using garlic monoculture (MC) and intercropping (IC) system with perennial ryegrass to enhance the uptake of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) were investigated. RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between MC and IC systems, with varying biomass. Production of perennial ryegrass was affected differently depending on the type of toxic metal present in the soil. Root growth inhibition was more affected than shoot growth inhibition. The total biomass of shoot and root in IC was higher than MC, increasing approximately 3.7 and 2.9 fold compared to MC, attributed to advantages in root IC crop systems. Photosystem II efficiency showed less sensitivity to metal toxicity compared to the control, with a decrease between 10.07-12.03%. Among gas exchange parameters, only Cr significantly affected physiological responses by reducing transpiration by 69.24%, likely due to leaf chlorosis and necrosis. CONCLUSION: This study exhibited the potential of garlic MC and IC with perennial ryegrass in phytoremediation. Although the different metals affect plant growth differently, IC showed advantages over MC in term biomass production.

Bt corn and cotton planting may benefit peanut growers by reducing aflatoxin risk.

Decades of studies have shown that Bt corn, by reducing insect damage, has lower levels of mycotoxins (fungal toxins), such as aflatoxin and fumonisin, than conventional corn. We used crop insurance data to infer that this benefit from Bt crops extends to reducing aflatoxin risk in peanuts: a non-Bt crop. In consequence, we suggest that any benefit-cost assessment of how transgenic Bt crops affect food safety should not be limited to assessing those crops alone; because the insect pest control offered by Bt crops affects the food safety profile of other crops grown nearby. Specifically, we found that higher Bt corn and Bt cotton planting rates in peanut-growing areas of the United States were associated with lower aflatoxin risk in peanuts as measured by aflatoxin-related insurance claims filed by peanut growers. Drought-related insurance claims were also lower: possibly due to Bt crops' suppression of insects that would otherwise feed on roots, rendering peanut plants more vulnerable to drought. These findings have implications for countries worldwide where policies allow Bt cotton but not Bt food crops to be grown: simply planting a Bt crop may reduce aflatoxin and drought stress in nearby food crops, resulting in a safer food supply through an inter-crop "halo effect."

Harnessing monocrop breeding strategies for intercrops.

Intercropping is considered advantageous for many reasons, including increased yield stability, nutritional value and the provision of various regulating ecosystem services. However, intercropping also introduces diverse competition effects between the mixing partners, which can negatively impact their agronomic performance. Therefore, selecting complementary intercropping partners is the key to realizing a well-mixed crop production. Several specialized intercrop breeding concepts have been proposed to support the development of complementary varieties, but their practical implementation still needs to be improved. To lower this adoption threshold, we explore the potential of introducing minor adaptations to commonly used monocrop breeding strategies as an initial stepping stone towards implementing dedicated intercrop breeding schemes. While we acknowledge that recurrent selection for reciprocal mixing abilities is likely a more effective breeding paradigm to obtain genetic progress for intercrops, a well-considered adaptation of monoculture breeding strategies is far less intrusive concerning the design of the breeding programme and allows for balancing genetic gain for both monocrop and intercrop performance. The main idea is to develop compatible variety combinations by improving the monocrop performance in the two breeding pools in parallel and testing for intercrop performance in the later stages of selection. We show that the optimal stage for switching from monocrop to intercrop testing should be adapted to the specificity of the crop and the heritability of the traits involved. However, the genetic correlation between the monocrop and intercrop trait performance is the primary driver of the intercrop breeding scheme optimization process.

Belowground cascading biotic interactions trigger crop diversity benefits.

Crop diversification practices offer numerous synergistic benefits. So far, research has traditionally been confined to exploring isolated, unidirectional single-process interactions among plants, soil, and microorganisms. Here, we present a novel and systematic perspective, unveiling the intricate web of plant-soil-microbiome interactions that trigger cascading effects. Applying the principles of cascading interactions can be an alternative way to overcome soil obstacles such as soil compaction and soil pathogen pressure. Finally, we introduce a research framework comprising the design of diversified cropping systems by including commercial varieties and crops with resource-efficient traits, the exploration of cascading effects, and the innovation of field management. We propose that this provides theoretical and methodological insights that can reveal new mechanisms by which crop diversity increases productivity.

Variation in Pathogenicity and Subsequent Production of Sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Isolates in Different Cover Crops, Flower Strips, and Weeds.

Cover crops and flower strips are used in agricultural fields as part of integrated pest management strategies. However, their potential as secondary hosts of soilborne pathogens such as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in oilseed rape cultivation is not fully comprehended. In the current study, we evaluated the effect of pathogen virulence on the development of Sclerotinia stem/leaf rot and sclerotia production in 33 plant species from 11 botanical families using two S. sclerotiorum isolates. Furthermore, the effect of sclerotial size on carpogenic germination was studied. Results showed that the pathogen's virulence significantly affected the occurrence and development of Sclerotinia stem/leaf rot and the subsequent production of sclerotia. Among all plant species tested, 26 were more susceptible to the highly aggressive S. sclerotiorum isolate, which produced more and bigger sclerotia in 17 species than the less aggressive isolate. Moreover, a stronger positive correlation was found between the relative lesion length of plants inoculated with the highly aggressive isolate and the number of sclerotia produced by this isolate (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [rs] = 0.572; P = 0.004). Additionally, we found that larger and heavier sclerotia produced stipes and apothecia earlier and at a greater rate than smaller ones. The heavyweight class had the highest carpogenic germination rate (82.4%), followed by the average (67.2%) and lightweight classes (59.5%). Our findings highlight the need for further investigation into the potential risks associated with cover crops, weeds, and flower strips as secondary hosts of soilborne pathogens in agricultural fields.

Intercropping of Pinellia ternata (herbal plant) with Sedum alfredii (Cd-hyperaccumulator) to reduce soil cadmium (Cd) absorption and improve yield.

Soil contamination by cadmium (Cd) is of global concern, threatening not only crop production, but also supply of herbal medicine. Research studies usually grow crops with Sedum alfredii (a Cd-hyperaccumulator). However, intercropping herbal plants with S. alfredii and their interactions with hydro-chemical properties of soil are rarely considered. This study examines the growth of a herbal plant, Pinellia ternata, intercropped with S. alfredii in Cd-contaminated soil. Plant characteristics were assessed, especially biomass and Cd content of bulbil (yield and quality of P. ternata). Soil hydro-chemical properties including water retention, Cd content and organic matter were determined with statistical analyses. At low soil-Cd contamination (0.6 µg/g), bulbil biomass of intercropped P. ternata (PSL) was almost double compared with monoculture of P. ternata (PL), which is barely significant (p ≈ 0.05). The corm biomass of PSL was also significantly greater than that of PL (p < 0.05). Although soil-Cd contamination became more severe by increasing to 3 µg/g, the bulbil biomass in the intercrop was not significantly different from PL (p > 0.05). That said, it is evidenced that the yield of intercropped P. ternata was improved in Cd-contaminated soil. Such improvement was mainly attributed to reduced soil-Cd content and enhanced soil-water retention which was governed by plant roots and soil organic matters. The soil-water retention was first identified as a critical parameter in promoting plant growth under intercropping. More importantly, the bulbil-Cd content of P. ternata in PSL was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates that the newly proposed intercrop is feasible to improve yield of herbal plants, and at the same time reduce heavy metal absorption and accumulation in medicinal organs, especially for P. ternata. This is anticipated to reduce the human health risk imposed by ingestion of Chinese herbal plants.

Cereal-legume intercropping: a smart review using topic modelling.

Introduction: Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in cereal-legume intercropping for sustainable agriculture. As a result numerous papers, including reviews, focus on this topic. Screening this large amount of papers, to identify knowledge gaps and future research opportunities, manually, would be a complex and time consuming task. Materials and methods: Bibliometric analysis combined with text mining and topic modelling, to automatically find topics and to derive a representation of intercropping papers as a potential solution to reduce the workload was tested. Both common (e.g. wheat and soybean) as well as underutilized crops (e.g. buckwheat, lupin, triticale) were the focus of this study. The corpus used for the analysis was retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus on 5th September 2022 and consisted of 4,732 papers. Results: The number of papers on cereal-legume intercropping increased in recent years, with most studies being located in China. Literature mainly dealt with the cereals maize and wheat and the legume soybean whereas buckwheat and lupin received little attention from academic researchers. These underutilized crops are certainly interesting to be used as intercropping partners, however, additional research on optimization of management and cultivar's choice is important. Yield and nitrogen fixation are the most commonly studied traits in cereal-legume intercropping. Last decade, there is an increasing interest in climate resilience, sustainability and biodiversity. Also the term "ecosystem services" came into play, but still with a low frequency. The regulating services and provisioning services seem to be the most studied, in contrast terms related to potential cultural services were not encountered. Discussion: In conclusion, based on this review several research opportunities were identified. Minor crops like lupin and buckwheat need to be evaluated for their role as intercropping partners. The interaction between species based on e.g. root exudates needs to be further unraveled. Also diseases, pests and weeds in relation to intercropping deserve more attention and finally more in-depth research on the additional benefits/ecosystem services associated with intercropping systems is necessary.

Plant and Soil Core Mycobiomes in a Two-Year Sorghum-Legume Intercropping System of Underutilized Crops in South Africa.

Fungal communities form close beneficial (mutualists) or detrimental (pathogens) associations with their plant hosts. Their diversity and abundance can be affected by agricultural practices which include cropping systems such as rotations and intercropping. Despite the importance of cropping systems in increasing productivity, knowledge of the fungal mycobiome and the core inhabitants for under-utilised cereal and legume crops, particularly over a period, is still limited. The core mycobiomes in plant tissues and bulk soils of a cereal-legume intercrop were characterized over two years using high-throughput sequencing. The intercropping trial consisted of sorghum, Bambara groundnut, cowpea, dry bean, and soybean. A greater number of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were found in plant tissues compared to those from the soils and between year one and year two. Principal coordinate analyses revealed that fungal communities for each year were relatively distinct, particularly for the soils. The core mycobiome was dominated by a Davidiellaceae sp. (Cladosporium), Didymellaceae sp. 1 (Phoma), Didymellaceae sp. 2 (Epicoccum), Fusarium sp. 2, Unidentified (Ascomycota), and Cryptococcus MOTUs that were present in all plant tissues and soils of year one and two. Other key MOTUs were only specific to a year, substrate, or crop. Although the mycobiome of sorghum were more distinct than the cores of the legumes, there were still MOTUs dominant across all of the crops. Characterization of this baseline core across two years provides insight into those fungi that are always present in these crops, and that could be utilized in improving crop performance and productivity.

Supply Chain Perspectives on Breeding for Legume-Cereal Intercrops.

Compared to sole crops, intercropping-especially of legumes and cereals-has great potential to improve crop yield and resource use efficiency, and can provide many other ecosystem services. However, the beneficial effects of intercrops are often greatly dependent on the end use as well as the specific species and genotypes being co-cultivated. In addition, intercropping imposes added complexity at different levels of the supply chain. While the need for developing crop genotypes for intercropping has long been recognized, most cultivars on the market are optimized for sole cropping and may not necessarily perform well in intercrops. This paper aims to place breeding targets for intercrop-adapted genotypes in a supply chain perspective. Three case studies of legumes and cereals intercropped for human consumption are used to identify desirable intercrop traits for actors across the supply chains, many of which are not targeted by traditional breeding for sole crops, including certain seed attributes, and some of which do not fit traditional breeding schemes, such as breeding for synchronized maturity and species synergies. Incorporating these traits into intercrop breeding could significantly reduce complexity along the supply chain. It is concluded that the widespread adoption and integration of intercrops will only be successful through the inclusion and collaboration of all supply chain actors, the application of breeding approaches that take into account the complexity of intercrop supply chains, and the implementation of diversification strategies in every process from field to fork.

Estimating the contribution of plant traits to light partitioning in simultaneous maize/soybean intercropping.

Spatial configuration and plant phenotypic plasticity contribute to increased light capture in relay intercropping, but there is little information on whether these factors also increase light capture in simultaneous intercropping. We developed and validated a three-dimensional functional-structural plant model to simulate light capture in maize and soybean sole crops and intercrop scenarios, using species traits observed in sole crops and intercrops. The intercrop maize phenotype had 2% greater light capture than the sole crop phenotype in a pure stand. The soybean intercrop phenotype had 5-10% lower light capture than the sole crop phenotype in a pure stand. The intercrop configuration increased the light capture of maize by 29% and reduced the light capture of soybean by 42%, compared with the light capture expected from sole crops. However, intercrop configuration only marginally affected total light capture by the intercrop system (+1%). Testing of individual soybean plant traits revealed that plasticity in leaf dimensions was the main reason for differences in light capture by soybean in simulated sole crops and intercrops. The results of this study illustrate a major shift of light capture from shorter species (soybean) to the taller component (maize) in a simultaneous strip intercrop. Plastic plant traits modulate this overall effect, but only marginally.

Modeling Illustrates That Genomic Selection Provides New Opportunities for Intercrop Breeding.

Intercrop breeding programs using genomic selection can produce faster genetic gain than intercrop breeding programs using phenotypic selection. Intercropping is an agricultural practice in which two or more component crops are grown together. It can lead to enhanced soil structure and fertility, improved weed suppression, and better control of pests and diseases. Especially in subsistence agriculture, intercropping has great potential to optimize farming and increase profitability. However, breeding for intercrop varieties is complex as it requires simultaneous improvement of two or more component crops that combine well in the field. We hypothesize that genomic selection can significantly simplify and accelerate the process of breeding crops for intercropping. Therefore, we used stochastic simulation to compare four different intercrop breeding programs implementing genomic selection and an intercrop breeding program entirely based on phenotypic selection. We assumed three different levels of genetic correlation between monocrop grain yield and intercrop grain yield to investigate how the different breeding strategies are impacted by this factor. We found that all four simulated breeding programs using genomic selection produced significantly more intercrop genetic gain than the phenotypic selection program regardless of the genetic correlation with monocrop yield. We suggest a genomic selection strategy which combines monocrop and intercrop trait information to predict general intercropping ability to increase selection accuracy in the early stages of a breeding program and to minimize the generation interval.

Intercropping With Turmeric or Ginger Reduce the Continuous Cropping Obstacles That Affect Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli).

Continuous cropping (CC) restricts the development of the medicinal plant cultivation industry because it alters soil properties and the soil microbial micro-ecological environment. It can also lead to reductions in the chemical contents of medicinal plants. In this study, we intercropped continuously cropped Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) with turmeric or ginger. High-throughput sequencing was used to study the soil bacteria and fungi. Community composition, diversity, colony structure, and colony differences were also analyzed. A redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to study the interactions between soil physical and chemical factors, and the bacteria and fungi. The correlations between the soil community and the soil physical and chemical properties were also investigated. The results showed that intercropping turmeric and ginger with patchouli can improve soil microbial abundance, diversity, and community structure by boosting the number of dominant bacteria, and by improving soil bacterial metabolism and the activities of soil enzymes. They also modify the soil physical and chemical properties through changes in enzyme activity, soil pH, and soil exchangeable Ca (Ca). In summary, turmeric and ginger affect the distribution of dominant bacteria, and increase the contents of the active ingredient in patchouli. The results from this study suggested that the problems associated with continuously cropping patchouli can be ameliorated by intercropping it with turmeric and ginger.

Effects of lily/maize intercropping on rhizosphere microbial community and yield of Lilium davidii var. unicolor.

Continuous cropping of lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) or any other crop seriously affects yield and quality. In this study, we compared continuous cropping with lily/maize intercropping. We also examined the lily rhizosphere microbes community in both sole lily cropping and lily/maize intercropping systems, by the llumina Miseq platform. Here we refer to data of recent years field experimentation of a lily/maize intercrop system in different planting configurations in the Gaolan Ecological and Agricultural Research Station. Treatments included sole crops of lily and maize, an intercrop consisting of strips of four lily rows alternating with one maize rows. The land equivalent ratio (LER) of intercrops was 1.294. The results showed that compared to sole cropping, the yield of lily in the first year of planting increased when lily was intercropped with maize. The species annotation of the high-throughput sequencing experiment showed that there was no difference in the diversity of the lily rhizosphere soil microbes on phylum taxonomic level, but the relative abundance of some genus changed obviously. The relative abundance of harmful fungus Fusarium spp. and, Funneliformis spp., decreased, and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria Sphingomonas spp. and, Nitrospira spp., increased. In addition, we found that Lecanicillium spp., appeared only in the intercropping lily rhizosphere soil and sole cropping maize rhizosphere soil. In conclusion, the findings indicated that lily/maize intercropping could change soil microenvironment, and affect the diversity and structure of microorganism community in lily rhizosphere, with further beneficial effect on the yield of lily.

Breeding pigeonpea cultivars for intercropping: synthesis and strategies.

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an ideal pulse crop of rainfed tropics and sub-tropics due to its high nutritive value and ability to survive various biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus it has continued to be cultivated on marginal land mostly under rainfed situation where the risk of crop failure is very high. To have insurance against crop failures and harvest more food in time and space, most farmers grow pigeonpea as an intercrop with short-aged cereals and other crops. Presently, intercropping system accounts for over 70% of the pigeonpea area. However, yield of pigeonpea in this system is very low (400-500 kg/ha). The non-availability of improved cultivars adapted specifically to the intercropping environments is perhaps the major constraint that accounts for low yield. Considering the food and nutritional needs of the ever increasing population, productivity enhancement of this high-protein pulse is highly indispensable. In this review, the authors critically examine the technical difficulties encountered by breeders in developing high yielding cultivars for intercropping systems and discuss the strategies to overcome these constraints.

Rhizome Fragmentation by Vertical Disks Reduces Elymus repens Growth and Benefits Italian Ryegrass-White Clover Crops.

Tillage controls perennial weeds, such as Elymus repens, partly because it fragments their underground storage organs. However, tillage is difficult to combine with a growing crop, which limits its application. The aim of this study was to evaluate how soil vertical cutting with minimum soil disturbance and mowing affect the growth and competitive ability of E. repens in a grass-clover crop. A tractor-drawn prototype with vertical disks was used to fragment E. repens rhizomes with minimal soil and crop disturbance. In experiments performed in 2014 and 2015 at a field site close to Uppsala, Sweden, the rhizomes were fragmented before crop sowing (ERF), during crop growth (LRF), or both (ERF+LRF). Fragmentation was combined with repeated mowing (yes/no) and four companion crop treatments (none, Italian ryegrass, white clover, and grass/clover mixture). The results showed that in the grass-clover crop, rhizome fragmentation reduced E. repens rhizome biomass production and increased Italian ryegrass shoot biomass. ERF and LRF both reduced E. repens rhizome biomass by about 38% compared with the control, while ERF+LRF reduced it by 63%. Italian ryegrass shoot biomass was increased by 78% by ERF, 170% by LRF and 200% by ERF+LRF. Repeated mowing throughout the experiment reduced E. repens rhizome biomass by about 75%. Combining repeated mowing with rhizome fragmentation did not significantly increase the control effect compared to mowing alone. We concluded that rhizome fragmentation using vertical disks can be used both before sowing and during crop growth to enhance the controlling effect of grass-clover crops on E. repens.

Controle de plantas de soja e supressão do capim em milho consorciado com Brachiaria ruziziensis / Soybean control and grass suppression in maize with Brachiaria ruziziensis intercropped

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a melhor dose de atrazina no controle de plantas de soja em meio ao milho safrinha consorciado com Brachiaria ruziziensis (B. ruziziensis), bem como sua interação com diferentes doses de nicosulfuron, de forma a não afetar os benefícios do consórcio. Foram realizados dois bioensaios, o primeiro com seis doses de atrazina (0; 0,6; 0,8; 1,0; 1,2; e 1,4 kgi.a. ha-1). As avaliações foram realizadas 15 e 30 dias após a aplicação (DAA), baseadas na porcentagem de controle das plantas de soja, no número de plantas de B. ruziziensis, no rendimento de grãos de milho e na massa seca do capim. O segundo bioensaio foi conduzido em esquema fatorial 3 (doses de nicosulfuron) × 2 (sem e com atrazina), com duas testemunhas adicionais (testemunha capinada e testemunha sem capina). As doses de nicosulfuron utilizadas foram 2,0; 4,0; e 6,0 gi.a. ha-1, e a dose de atrazina foi de 0,8 kgi.a. ha-1. Doses crescentes de atrazina resultaram em melhor controle das plantas de soja e maior rendimento de grãos de milho. Doses superiores a 1,0 kgi.a. ha-1 de atrazina resultaram em redução na massa seca do capim. A adição de 0,8 kgi.a. ha-1 de atrazina com 2,0; 4,0; ou 6,0 gi.a. ha-1 de nicosulfuron aumentou o controle de plantas de soja em comparação com as doses isoladas de nicosulfuron, não influenciou o número de plantas e a massa seca do capim e proporcionou incremento no rendimento de grãos de milho.(AU)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the best dose of atrazine in soybean control in winter maize intercropped with Brachiaria ruziziensis (B. ruziziensis), as well as its interaction with different doses of nicosulfuron, in a way as not to affect the benefits of farming-pasture integration. Two bioassays were made, the first one with six doses of atrazine (0.0, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 kga.i. ha-1). Evaluations were performed 15 and 30 days after application, based on the percentage of soybean plants control, number of plants of B. ruziziensis, maize grain yield and dry mass of the grass. The second bioassay was conducted in split plot 3 (doses of nicosulfuron) × 2 (with and without atrazine), with two additional witnesses (hand weeded and weeded treatment). Nicosulfuron doses used were 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 ga.i. ha-1, and atrazine dose used was 0.8 kga.i. ha-1. Increasing doses of atrazine resulted in better soybean plants control and higher maize grain yield. Doses higher than 1.0 kga.i. ha-1 of atrazine resulted in decreased dry mass of the grass. The addition of 0.8 kga.i. ha-1 of atrazine with 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 ga.i. ha-1 of nicosulfuron increased soybean plants control compared with single doses of nicosulfuron, did not influence the number of plants nor dry mass of the grass and provided increase in maize grain yield.(AU)

Effects of applying molasses, lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro gas production of total mixed ration silage prepared with oat-common vetch intercrop on the Tibetan Plateau.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of molasses, lactic acid bacteria and propionic acid on the fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro gas production of total mixed ration (TMR) silage prepared with oat-common vetch intercrop on the Tibetan plateau. TMR (436 g kg(-1) dry matter (DM)) was ensiled with six experimental treatments: (1) no additives (control); (2) molasses (M); (3) an inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum) (L); (4) propionic acid (P); (5) molasses + propionic acid (MP); (6) inoculant + propionic acid (LP). RESULT: All silages were well preserved with low pH (< 4.19) and NH3-N contents, and high lactic acid contents after ensiling for 45 days. L and PL silages underwent a more efficient fermentation than silages without L. P and MP silages inhibited lactic acid production. Under aerobic conditions, M and L silage reduced aerobic stability for 15 and 74 h, respectively. All silages that had propionic acid in their treatments markedly (P < 0.05) improved the aerobic stability. After 72 h incubation, all additives treatments increased (P < 0.05) the 72 h cumulative gas production and in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) as compared with the control. L treatment decreased (P < 0.05) in vitro neutral detergent fibre degradability. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that TMR prepared with oat-common vetch intercrop can be well preserved. Although propionic acid is compatible with lactic acid bacteria, and when used together, they had minor effects on fermentation, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility of TMR silage prepared with oat-common vetch intercrop.

The contribution of phenotypic plasticity to complementary light capture in plant mixtures.

Interspecific differences in functional traits are a key factor for explaining the positive diversity-productivity relationship in plant communities. However, the role of intraspecific variation attributable to phenotypic plasticity in diversity-productivity relationships has largely been overlooked. By taking a wheat (Triticum aestivum)-maize (Zea mays) intercrop as an elementary example of mixed vegetation, we show that plasticity in plant traits is an important factor contributing to complementary light capture in species mixtures. We conceptually separated net biodiversity effect into the effect attributable to interspecific trait differences and species distribution (community structure effect), and the effect attributable to phenotypic plasticity. Using a novel plant architectural modelling approach, whole-vegetation light capture was simulated for scenarios with and without plasticity based on empirical plant trait data. Light capture was 23% higher in the intercrop with plasticity than the expected value from monocultures, of which 36% was attributable to community structure and 64% was attributable to plasticity. For wheat, plasticity in tillering was the main reason for increased light capture, whereas for intercropped maize, plasticity induced a major reduction in light capture. The results illustrate the potential of plasticity for enhancing resource acquisition in mixed stands, and indicate the importance of plasticity in the performance of species-diverse plant communities.

Co-Planting Cd Contaminated Field Using Hyperaccumulator Solanum Nigrum L. Through Interplant with Low Accumulation Welsh Onion.

Monoculture and intercrop of hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. with low accumulation Welsh onion Renbentieganchongwang were conducted. The results showed that the remove ratio of S. nigrum to Cd was about 7% in intercrop plot when top soil (0-20 cm) Cd concentration was 0.45-0.62 mg kg(-1), which did not significantly impact the yield of low accumulation Welsh onion compared to the monoculture. The consistency of remove ratio in practice and theory indicated the remediation of S. nigrum to Cd was significant. The Cd concentration and yield of Welsh onion were not affected by the growth of S. nigrum either in intercrop plot. The Cd concentration in edible parts of Welsh onion was available either. In short, inter-planting hyperaccumulator with low accumulation crop could normally remediate contaminated soil and produce crop (obtain economic benefit), which may be one practical pathway of phytoremediating heavy metal contaminated soil in the future.

Sistemas de consórcio milho feijão para a região do Vale do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais / Intercrop with mayze and bean at Vale do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais

O experimento foi conduzido no campo experimental da Univale de dezembro/98 a maio/99. Foram avaliados três sistemas consorciados de milho e feijão: fileiras duplas de milho espaçadas de 0,5 m, com e 1,5 m entre as duplas, espaço ocupado com três fileiras de feijão (sistema 1); fileiras simples de milho espaçadas de 1,0 m com uma fileira intercalar de feijão (sistema 2) e fileiras simples de milho espaçadas de 1,0 m com duas fileiras intercalares de feijão (sistema 3), além dos plantios solteiros. O milho utilizado foi o híbrido AG1051 e o feijão, a cultivar Carioca CI257. As culturas foram semeadas simultaneamente e todos os sulcos adubados. Foram avaliados no feijão os componentes da produção e a produtividade; no milho, a produção de massa verde para silagem e a produtividade. No sistema consorciado, o número de vagens por planta de feijão sofreu redução significativa em relação ao plantio solteiro, sendo o fator que mais contribuiu para queda da produtividade, enquanto os demais componentes, número de sementes por vagem e peso de 100 sementes, não diferiram do plantio solteiro. No milho, o plantio em fileiras duplas reduziu significativamente a sua produtividade. O sistema 3 apresentou maior índice de equivalência de área quando se considerou a produção de grãos e a produção de milho silagem.

The experiment was accomplished in the experimental field of Univale from december/1998 to may/1999. Three systems comprising mayze intercrop with bean were assessed: Double-spaced rows of mayze 0,5 m and 1,5 m between couples with three bean rows (system 1); simple-spaced rows of mayze 1,0 m with a row of bean in the middle (system 2); simple rows of mayze 1,0 m with two rows of bean in the middle (system 3); as well as single crops. The mayze utilized was the hybrid AG1051 and the bean was Carioca CI257. Both species were sowed simultaneously and fertilized. Bean yield component factors and productivity were assessed. As for production of green mass for silage and productivity were assessed as well. In the intercrop system, the pod number per plant suffered a significant reduction in relation to the single crop. Such factor was the most important to productivity decreased. The components seed per pod number and seed weight showed no difference from single plantation. In mayze, the doubled-row sowing significantly reduced productivity. Intercrop system 3 presented higher index of area equivalency when grain and mayze silage production was concenrned.