Integration crop-livestock system increases the sustainability of soybean cultivation through improved soil health and plant physiology

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate how different cultivation systems in integration crop-livestock regimes affect soybean growth and physiology and understand how integrated systems change soil characteristics and soil CO2 flux. We conducted a comparative analysis of the plant physiology, growth, and soil characteristics of a conventional soybean monoculture (traditional cultivation method without any plant residues on the soil surface from the previous crop) and soybean cultivated in soil containing maize residues. Moreover, we conducted experiments to assess the effect of plant residues derived from maize intercropped within or between forage grasses on the effectiveness of integrating crop-livestock systems. Our main results indicated that when soybean was cultivated in all integration crop-livestock systems tested, soybean net photosynthesis rate and leaf chlorophyll content greatly increased, resulting in increased aboveground biomass production. Moreover, the integrated system decreased soil temperature and increased soil organic carbon content, total organic carbon content, and enzymatic activity, with no concomitant increase in soil respiration. However, fewer differences were observed between the sowing methods (maize in consortium with forages within and between rows). We conclude that all tested integrated crop-livestock systems greatly improved soybean physiology by increasing the amount of carbon assimilated into the ecosystem through photosynthesis, improving carbon sink potential, soil health, and maintaining a sustainable production system.