Abstract
The shading of maize and self-shading are the key factors affecting the stem lignin biosynthesis and lodging resistance of soybean at middle and later growth stages in the strip intercropping system. A study was designed to explore the regulation mechanism of lignin metabolism and different planting densities; PD1, PD2, and PD3 were used having a total number of 17 plants m−2, 20 plants m−2, and 25 plants m−2, respectively, on the lodging resistance of strip intercropped soybean stem. Our results depicted that the lower planting density (PD1) appropriately promoted the leaf photosynthesis activities (Pn), increase the activity of lignin-related enzymes and the accumulation of carbohydrates in stems, and eventually enhanced the lodging resistance of the strip intercropped soybean stem. Correlation analysis also showed that the lodging resistance index of soybean stem was significantly correlated with the available light for soybean canopy and Pn strip intercropped soybean stem characteristics and activities of enzymes related to lignin synthesis among the different planting densities. The findings of our research will be useful in future studies to understand the relationship between different light environment, planting densities, and lodging resistance of intercropped soybean and also guide the optimum planting density in maize–soybean intercropping system.
Highlights
In the case of limited cultivated land resources in China, intercropping systems were important measures to improve land utilization efficiency [1,2,3,4]
In the strip intercropping 91 days after sowing the lodging percentage in PD2 and PD1 planting densities was decreased by 19.3% and 50.3%, respectively, than that of PD3 planting density treatment (Figure 2a)
Our results showed that under multiple planting densities PD1, PD2, and PD3 the lodging resistance index of strip intercropped soybean was decreased by 15.4%, 22.7%, and 7.1%, respectively, as compared to mono-cropped soybean
Summary
In the case of limited cultivated land resources in China, intercropping systems were important measures to improve land utilization efficiency [1,2,3,4]. It is believed that the maize–soybean intercropping system has widely improved crop yield and nitrogen utilization efficiency via an increasing abundance of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) [6]. The maize–soybean intercropping system achieved the purpose of saving fertilizer by promoting N uptake [7]. While these two crops were not sowing and harvesting at the same time, which was not conducive to mechanization.
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