Yin Wen, Guo Yao, Hu Falong, Fan Zhilong, Feng Fuxue, Zhao Cai, Yu Aizhong, Chai Qiang
Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Lanzhou, China.
College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2018 Oct 12;9:1328. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01328. eCollection 2018.
Intercropping is considered a promising system for boosting crop productivity. However, intercropping usually requires higher inputs of resources that emit more CO. It is unclear whether an improved agricultural pattern could relieve this issue and enhance agricultural sustainability in an arid irrigation area. A field experiment using a well-designed agricultural practice was carried out in northwest China; reduced tillage, coupled with wheat straw residue retention measures, was integrated with a strip intercropping pattern. We determined the crop productivity, water use, economic benefits, and carbon emissions (CEs). The wheat-maize intercropping coupled with straw covering (i.e., NTSI treatment), boosted grain yield by 27-38% and 153-160% more than the conventional monoculture of maize and wheat, respectively, and it also increased by 9.9-11.9% over the conventional intercropping treatment. Similarly, this pattern also improved the water use efficiency by 15.4-22.4% in comparison with the conventional monoculture of maize by 45.7-48.3% in comparison with the conventional monoculture of wheat and by 14.7-15.9% in comparison with the conventional intercropping treatment. Meanwhile, NTSI treatment caused 7.4-13.7% and 37.0-47.7% greater solar energy use efficiency than the conventional monoculture of maize and wheat, respectively. Furthermore, the NTSI treatment had a higher net return (NR) by 54-71% and 281-338% and a higher benefit per cubic meter of water (BPW) by 35-51% and 119-147% more than the conventional monoculture of maize and wheat, respectively. Similarly, it increased the NR and BPW by 8-14% and 14-16% in comparison with the conventional intercropping treatment, respectively. An additional feature of the NTSI treatment is that it reduced CEs by 13.4-23.8% and 7.3-17.5% while improving CE efficiency by 62.6-66.9% and 23.2-33.2% more than the conventional monoculture maize and intercropping treatments, respectively. We can draw a conclusion that intercropping maize and wheat, with a straw covering soil surface, can be used to enhance crop production and NRs while effectively lowering CO emissions in arid oasis irrigation region.
间作被认为是提高作物产量的一种有前景的种植系统。然而，间作通常需要投入更多资源，从而排放更多的二氧化碳。目前尚不清楚一种改良的农业模式能否缓解这一问题并提高干旱灌溉区的农业可持续性。在中国西北部开展了一项田间试验，采用精心设计的农业实践；将少耕与小麦秸秆还田措施相结合，并采用条带间作模式。我们测定了作物产量、水分利用、经济效益和碳排放。小麦 - 玉米间作并覆盖秸秆（即NTSI处理），与传统的玉米和小麦单作相比，谷物产量分别提高了27 - 38%和153 - 160%，与传统间作处理相比也提高了9.9 - 11.9%。同样，与传统玉米单作相比，这种模式的水分利用效率提高了15.4 - 22.4%；与传统小麦单作相比提高了45.7 - 48.3%；与传统间作处理相比提高了14.7 - 15.9%。同时，NTSI处理的太阳能利用效率分别比传统玉米和小麦单作高7.4 - 13.7%和37.0 - 47.7%。此外，与传统玉米和小麦单作相比，NTSI处理的净收益分别高出54 - 71%和281 - 338%，每立方米水的效益分别高出35 - 51%和119 - 147%。同样，与传统间作处理相比，其净收益和每立方米水的效益分别提高了8 - 14%和14 - 16%。NTSI处理的另一个特点是，与传统玉米单作和间作处理相比，它分别减少了13.4 - 23.8%和7.3 - 17.5%的碳排放，同时提高了62.6 - 66.9%和23.2 - 33.2%的碳排放效率。我们可以得出结论，在干旱绿洲灌溉区，玉米和小麦间作并覆盖土壤表面可用于提高作物产量和净收益，同时有效降低二氧化碳排放。
