Abstract
Neighbouring plants can affect plant growth through altering root morphological and physiological traits, but how exactly root systems respond to neighbouring plants with varied density, determining nutrient uptake and shoot growth is poorly understood. In a pot-based experiment, rapeseed was grown alone (single rapeseed), or mixed with 3, 6, or 15 Chinese milk vetch plants. As controls, monocropped Chinese milk vetch was grown at the same planting density, 3, 6, or 15 plants per pot. Root interaction between rapeseed and Chinese milk vetch facilitated phosphorus (P) uptake in rapeseed grown with 3 plants of Chinese milk vetch. As the planting density of Chinese milk vetch in mixture increased, there was a decrease in citrate concentration and acid phosphatase activity but an increase in the total root length of Chinese milk vetch per pot, resulting in decreases in rapeseed root biomass, total root length and P uptake when rapeseed was grown with 6 or 15 Chinese milk vetch plants relative to rapeseed grown with 3 plants. These results demonstrate that the enhanced nutrient utilization induced by root interaction at low planting densities was eliminated by the increased planting density of the legume species in rapeseed/Chinese milk vetch mixed cropping system, suggesting that root/rhizosphere management through optimizing legume planting density is important for improving crop productivity and nutrient-use efficiency.
Highlights
Root interaction among plants plays an important role in promoting nutrient uptake, enhancing the performance of neighbouring individuals and plant fitness in natural communities and agroecological systems (Hinsinger et al 2011; Duchene et al 2017; Jesch et al 2018)
These results demonstrate that the enhanced nutrient utilization induced by root interaction at low planting densities was eliminated by the increased planting density of the legume species in rapeseed/Chinese milk vetch mixed cropping system, suggesting that root/rhizosphere management through optimizing legume planting density is important for improving crop productivity and nutrient-use efficiency
The shoot biomass of Chinese milk vetch in monocropped samples decreased with the increase in Chinese milk vetch planting density, it remained similar in mixed cropping samples, regardless of the planting density
Summary
Root interaction among plants plays an important role in promoting nutrient uptake, enhancing the performance of neighbouring individuals and plant fitness in natural communities and agroecological systems (Hinsinger et al 2011; Duchene et al 2017; Jesch et al 2018). Received: November 14, 2018; Editorial Decision: June 3, 2019; Accepted: June 19, 2019 Phosphorus-mobilizing (P-mobilizing) crops can improve P availability for themselves and neighbouring non-Pmobilizing species through carboxylates and phosphatases, as in the case of maize intercropped with faba bean (Wang et al 2007; Dissanayaka et al 2015; Li et al 2018). Neighbouring plant identity drives root plasticity and governs nutrient uptake by plants (Cahill et al 2010; Mommer et al 2012; Zhang et al 2016)
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