Abstract
Intercropping increases aboveground and belowground crop productivity, suggesting potential for carbon sequestration. Here we determined whether intercropping affects decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) and root litter. We measured in the laboratory and the field the breakdown of SOM, root litter of maize, wheat, or faba bean, litter mixtures, and a standard substrate (compost) in soils from a long term intercropping experiment. Soil organic matter from intercrop plots decomposed faster than SOM from monocrop plots, but compost decomposed at similar rates in different soils. Faster SOM decomposition was associated with lower soil C:N ratio. Root litter mixtures of maize and wheat decomposed as expected from single litters, but litter mixture of maize and faba bean decomposed faster than expected, both in the laboratory and in the field. Root litter decomposed slowly in maize/wheat intercrop soil compared to the two monocropped soils in the laboratory, but the effect was absent in the field. Intercropping increases SOM decomposition, presumably through reduced SOM recalcitrance resulting from lower C:N ratio, higher litter input and better N retention. Depending on the crop combination, also non-additive effects of root litter mixing can enhance organic matter decomposition in intercropping soils.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Intercrop soil organic matter decomposed faster than monocrop soil organic matter.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Soil organic matter from intercrop plots decomposed faster than SOM from monocrop plots”
t0“root litter”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost decomposed at similar rates in different soils.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“compost decomposed at similar rates in different soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Faster soil organic matter decomposition was associated with lower soil C:N ratio.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Faster SOM decomposition was associated with lower soil C:N ratio”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize and wheat root litter mixtures decomposed as expected from individual litters.
- Taxon
- maize and wheat
Triticum aestivum
Zea mayse0 - Outcome
- Root litter mixtures of maize and wheat decomposed as expectede0
- Comparator
- single litterse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root litter mixtures of maize and wheat decomposed as expected from single litters”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize and faba bean litter mixture decomposed faster than expected in laboratory and field.
- Taxon
- maize and faba bean
Vicia fabaZea mayse0 - Outcome
- litter mixture of maize and faba bean decomposede0
- Direction
- fastere0
- Comparator
- expectede0
- Setting
- laboratory and in the fielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“litter mixture of maize and faba bean decomposed faster than expected, both in the laboratory and in the field”
Claim · model-written summary
Root litter decomposed slowly in maize/wheat intercrop soil in the laboratory.
- Taxon
- maize/wheatTriticum aestivumZea mayse0
- Treatment
- intercrop soile0
- Outcome
- Root litter decomposede0
- Direction
- slowlye0
- Comparator
- two monocropped soilse0
- Setting
- laboratorye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Root litter decomposed slowly in maize/wheat intercrop soil compared to the two monocropped soils in the laboratory”
Claim · model-written summary
The root litter decomposition difference was absent in the field.
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“the effect was absent in the field”
t0“root litter”