Intercropping maintains soil fertility in terms of chemical properties and enzyme activities on a timescale of one decade

摘要: Overyielding (i.e., mixtures of crops yielding higher than expected when compared with monocultures) and increased nutrient acquisition have been found in many intercropping systems. However, there are very few published studies on long-term changes soil chemical biological properties systems to sole cropping. A field experiment was established 2003 Gansu province, northwest China. The treatments comprised three (either continuous or rotational wheat/maize, wheat/faba bean, maize/faba bean intercropping), cropping (wheat-maize, wheat-faba faba bean-maize, wheat-maize-faba rotations), monocropping (sole wheat, maize) In 2011 (ninth year the experiment) 2012 (tenth year) yields some were examined after all crop species harvested. There overyielding by 6.6 % 32.4 % wheat/maize 2012, respectively. Faba bean/maize enhanced 34.7 % 28.6 %, respectively but not intercropping. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, Olsen P, exchangeable K cation exchange capacity did differ from monocultures except for pH (CEC) 2012. significantly reduced 3.2 % 1.9 %, declined markedly 15 %, 21.7 % 12.1 %, notably lower corresponding 17.5 %, 23.3 % 18.3 %, enzyme activities 9 10 years differed little from rotations. results indicate that overyielded also maintained stability most relative rotations relatively fertile studied.