Intercropping the Sharp-Leaf Galangal with the Rubber Tree Exhibits Weak Belowground Competition

Abstract

Intercropping the sharp-leaf galangal with the rubber tree could help to improve the sustainability of the rubber tree planting industry. However, our understanding of belowground competition in such agroforestry systems is still limited. Therefore, we used stable isotope methods (i.e., water δ2H and δ18O and leaf δ13C) to investigate plant water-absorbing patterns and water use efficiency (WUE) in a monocultural rubber plantation and in an agroforestry system of rubber trees and sharp-leaf galangal. We also measured leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) to evaluate the belowground competition effects on plant nutrient absorption status. Through a Bayesian mixing model, we found that the monocultural rubber trees and the intercropped sharp-leaf galangal absorbed much more surface soil water at a depth of 0–5 cm, while the rubber trees in the agroforestry system absorbed more water from the shallow and middle soil layers at a depth of 5–30 cm. This phenomenon verified the occurrence of plant hydrologic niche segregation, whereas the WUE of rubber trees in this agroforestry system suggested that the competition for water was weak. In addition, the negative correlation between the leaf P concentration of the rubber trees and that of the sharp-leaf galangal demonstrated their competition for soil P resources, but this competition had no obvious effects on the leaf nutrient status of the rubber trees. Therefore, this study verified that the belowground competition between rubber trees and sharp-leaf galangal is weak, and this weak competition may benefit their long-term intercropping.