Abstract
SUMMARY Understanding crop water use in mixed crops over sole cropping is vital for developing optimum water management systems for crop production. In this study, a two-year field experiment with typical maize ( Zea mays L.) and soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] relay strip intercropping (2:2 maize-to-soybean rows; 200 cm bandwidth) was carried out in the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. The quantitative effects of various planting patterns on the water-use efficiency (WUE) and water distribution were investigated. Our results indicated that soil volumetric water content and soil evaporation in the intercropping systems showed decreasing trends in the order: maize row (MM) < maize-to-soybean row (MS) < soybean row (SS). The highest leaf transpiration (1.91 and 2.07 mmol m −2 s −1 ) for the intercropped maize was measured in each of the two years in the 20 cm maize narrow-row planting pattern and decreased thereafter. Opposite trend was observed for the intercropped soybean; the highest soybean leaf transpiration (7.01 and 6.80 mmol m −2 s −1 for 2013 and 2014, respectively) was recorded in the 70 cm. The WUE of maize and soybean intercrops was lower than that of sole crop counterparts. However, the maximum group water use efficiency (GWUE) of 26.08 and 26.20 kg ha −1 mm −1 in the 40–50 cm maize narrow-row planting pattern was, respectively, 39.6% and 23% higher compared with that of sole crops. The water equivalent ratio (WER) values ranged from 1.60–1.79, suggesting better crop water use in the intercrops over sole cropping. Planting patterns provided by 40–50 cm maize narrow-row spacing were considered the most efficient in terms of maximum total yields, GWUE and WER. These results suggest that an appropriate reduction in the spacing of narrow maize row with wide soybean row could be an efficient crop management method to achieve optimal WUE and homogeneous water distribution in maize–soybean intercropping systems.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Soil volumetric water content and soil evaporation decreased in the order maize row, maize-to-soybean row, soybean row
- Treatment
- intercropping systemse1
- Outcome
- soil volumetric water content and soil evaporatione1
- Direction
- decreasinge1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“soil volumetric water content and soil evaporation in the intercropping systems showed decreasing trends in the order: maize row (MM) < maize-to-soybean row (MS) < soybean row (SS)”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf transpiration of intercropped maize was highest in the 20 cm narrow-row planting pattern
- Treatment
- 20 cm maize narrow‐row planting patterne2
- Outcome
- leaf transpiratione2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Value
- 1.91 and 2.07 mmol m −2 s −1e2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“The highest leaf transpiration (1.91 and 2.07 mmol m −2 s −1 ) for the intercropped maize was measured in each of the two years in the 20 cm maize narrow-row planting pattern and decreased thereafter”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf transpiration of intercropped soybean was highest in the 70 cm row spacing
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe3 - Treatment
- 70 cme3
- Outcome
- leaf transpiratione3
- Direction
- higheste3
- Value
- 7.01 and 6.80 mmol m −2 s −1e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“the highest soybean leaf transpiration (7.01 and 6.80 mmol m −2 s −1 for 2013 and 2014, respectively) was recorded in the 70 cm”
Claim · model-written summary
WUE of maize and soybean intercrops was lower than that of sole crops
- Taxon
- maize and soybeanGlycine max
Zea mayse4 - Treatment
- intercropse4
- Outcome
- WUEe4
- Direction
- lowere4
- Comparator
- sole crop counterpartse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“The WUE of maize and soybean intercrops was lower than that of sole crop counterparts”
Claim · model-written summary
Group water use efficiency in the 40–50 cm maize narrow-row pattern was 39.6% and 23% higher than in sole crops
- Treatment
- 40–50 cm maize narrow-row planting patterne5
- Outcome
- group water use efficiency (GWUE)e5
- Direction
- highere5
- Value
- 39.6% and 23%e5
- Qualifier
- 26.08 and 26.20 kg ha −1 mm −1e5
- Comparator
- sole cropse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“the maximum group water use efficiency (GWUE) of 26.08 and 26.20 kg ha −1 mm −1 in the 40–50 cm maize narrow-row planting pattern was, respectively, 39.6% and 23% higher compared with that of sole crops”
Claim · model-written summary
Water equivalent ratio of maize and soybean intercrops indicated better crop water use than sole cropping
- Taxon
- maize and soybeanGlycine maxZea mayse4
- Treatment
- intercropse6
- Outcome
- water equivalent ratio (WER)e6
- Direction
- bettere6
- Value
- 1.60–1.79e6
- Comparator
- sole croppinge6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“The WUE of maize and soybean intercrops was lower than that of sole crop counterparts”
e6“The water equivalent ratio (WER) values ranged from 1.60–1.79, suggesting better crop water use in the intercrops over sole cropping”
Claim · model-written summary
The 40–50 cm maize narrow-row spacing was the most efficient for total yields, GWUE and WER
- Treatment
- 40–50 cm maize narrow-row spacinge7
- Outcome
- total yields, GWUE and WERe7
- Direction
- most efficiente7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“Planting patterns provided by 40–50 cm maize narrow-row spacing were considered the most efficient in terms of maximum total yields, GWUE and WER”
Claim · model-written summary
An appropriate reduction in narrow maize row spacing with wide soybean row could be an efficient crop management method for optimal WUE
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“These results suggest that an appropriate reduction in the spacing of narrow maize row with wide soybean row could be an efficient crop management method to achieve optimal WUE and homogeneous water distribution in maize–soybean intercropping systems”
The same questions in other papers
intercropping · physiology: water · Glycine max (soybean)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →density · physiology: water · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
23 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- negative
- no effect
24 papers more in this group
See all 28 papers →intercropping · physiology: water · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 30 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
29 papers more in this group
See all 33 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.