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<p>Background: Agricultural sustainability is increasingly challenged by excessive nitrogen (N) inputs, while global fertilizer consumption exceeds 110 Tg N yr⁻¹ and utilization efficiency often remains below 50%. Maize–soybean intercropping offers a sustainable alternative to enhance rhizosphere N cycling and crop growth under reduced N regimes. Objective: This study investigated the effects of reduced N application and cropping patterns on soil N transformation, root plasticity, and rhizosphere biochemical responses in intercropping. Methods: A pot experiment employing a two-factorial design (four N rates : no N, NN; conventional practice, CN; 23% reduction, RN1; 46% reduction, RN2; and three cropping patterns: maize–soybean intercropping, IMS; maize monoculture, MM; soybean monoculture, SS) was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and conducted during the 2022 growing season. Key measurements included rhizosphere soil enzyme activities, root morphological parameters, and plant biomass. Results: Intercropping combined with optimized N reduction (RN2) significantly enhanced rhizosphere soil enzyme activities and stimulated extensive root proliferation in both crops. This morphological optimization translated into maximal biomass accumulation. A parallel improvement was observed in N uptake, which rose by 52.4% in maize and 23.3% in soybean under RN2 relative to CN. Significant positive correlations between N uptake and root morphological traits indicate that enhanced root plasticity is closely associated with increased N foraging efficiency. Conclusion: Combining maize-soybean intercropping with an appropriate reduction in N application optimally enhanced N-cycling enzyme activities, fostered beneficial root morphological plasticity, and maintained N uptake efficiency, offering a promising approach for optimizing N management in legume-cereal intercropping.</p>

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Optimized Nitrogen Reduction Enhances Biomass Accumulation and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize–Soybean Intercropping Systems by Modulating Root Morphological Plasticity and Rhizosphere Enzymatic Activities

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月22日

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  • Ting Li,
  • Jiao Wu,
  • Liang He,
  • Le Kang,
  • Rina Wu,
  • Yun Xiang,
  • Jianmin Li

摘要

Background: Agricultural sustainability is increasingly challenged by excessive nitrogen (N) inputs, while global fertilizer consumption exceeds 110 Tg N yr⁻¹ and utilization efficiency often remains below 50%. Maize–soybean intercropping offers a sustainable alternative to enhance rhizosphere N cycling and crop growth under reduced N regimes. Objective: This study investigated the effects of reduced N application and cropping patterns on soil N transformation, root plasticity, and rhizosphere biochemical responses in intercropping. Methods: A pot experiment employing a two-factorial design (four N rates : no N, NN; conventional practice, CN; 23% reduction, RN1; 46% reduction, RN2; and three cropping patterns: maize–soybean intercropping, IMS; maize monoculture, MM; soybean monoculture, SS) was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and conducted during the 2022 growing season. Key measurements included rhizosphere soil enzyme activities, root morphological parameters, and plant biomass. Results: Intercropping combined with optimized N reduction (RN2) significantly enhanced rhizosphere soil enzyme activities and stimulated extensive root proliferation in both crops. This morphological optimization translated into maximal biomass accumulation. A parallel improvement was observed in N uptake, which rose by 52.4% in maize and 23.3% in soybean under RN2 relative to CN. Significant positive correlations between N uptake and root morphological traits indicate that enhanced root plasticity is closely associated with increased N foraging efficiency. Conclusion: Combining maize-soybean intercropping with an appropriate reduction in N application optimally enhanced N-cycling enzyme activities, fostered beneficial root morphological plasticity, and maintained N uptake efficiency, offering a promising approach for optimizing N management in legume-cereal intercropping.