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Background and Aims: Selection effect (SE) and complementarity effect (CE) are often considered as two key indicators to mediate the positive diversity-productivity relationship in the maize-legume intercropping system, as intercropping generally enables crops to use the available resources more efficiently than monoculture. Yet, it is unclear whether soil moisture drives the SE and CE transformation, plant-plant interaction, and accordingly affect the productivity. Methods: A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the impacts of soil water status (with and without plastic mulching) on interspecific interaction and productivity and its key mechanism in the maize-faba bean intercropping system. Results: Low soil moisture reduced the net effect (NE) and land equivalent ratio (LER) with evident yield loss (NE < 0 and LER = 1.05), whereas the improved soil moisture reversed this trend and resulted in overyielding (NE > 0 and LER = 1.13). Regardless of soil moisture, faba bean was the dominant species and maize was the inferior one. Low soil moisture promoted the contribution of SE to productivity (P < 0.05). In contrast, high moisture turned to lower the competition intensity of faba bean against maize and accordingly promote the transformation of biodiversity effect from SE to CE. The main mechanism was that the water competition imposed by faba bean strips on maize ones decreased the NE through reducing photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency of maize. Conclusion: The adaptive transitions of interspecific relationship and the biodiversity effect were driven by soil water availability. This novel phenomenon should be emphasized in the crop diversity management of intercropping system in the rainfed region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Plant-plant interactions are determined by resource availability. However, its responses to differences in soil phosphorus (P) and water and the rhizospheric driving mechanism have not been systematically revealed. Methods: A pot-culture experiment was conducted in monoculture and in mixture with maize and grass pea. Resource stress treatments were created by organic and inorganic P applications (phytate and KH2PO4) as well as drought and well-watered treatments to address the above issue. Results: Intercropping increased system yield and biomass by 3.5% and 4.5% on average in soils with sufficient P and water, and by 12.0% and 11.7% under stressful conditions respectively. With increasing water and P availability, the yield-based interaction types transited from mutually facilitated to maize facilitated with grass pea as facilitator. Comparatively, the biomass-based facilitation shifting from maize facilitated and grass pea neutral to both being facilitated with increasing stress. This shift was probably mediated by complementary use of soil water in the two species, and rhizospheric acidification in grass pea. Also, rhizospheric interactions promoted phosphatase secretion by 5.3–22.2%, and mobilized organic P to buffer P limitation under P-deficient soils. Regardless of crop species, reproductive and vegetative biomass fell into a typical allometric pattern (α > 1). The rhizospheric interactions drove the differentiated biomass allocation patterns and the species-specific interaction transition. Conclusion: High P and water environments intensified the asymmetric interspecific competition. The trait-dependent facilitation shift was mechanically driven by rhizospheric interaction in intercropping systems. The findings update the understanding on stress gradient hypothesis in a modified model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative intensity of facilitative effect among coexisting plant species is frequently affected by soil water and nutrient availability, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and organic fertilizer. However, to date, the general pattern of nutrient gradient effects on plant–plant interactions remains inconsistent or even opposite in the intercropping systems. To address this issue, we performed a global meta-analysis and three experiments to investigate the production efficiency of intercropping along fertilizer input gradient (low vs. high) by assessing the land equivalent ratio (LER). Trial 1 included five P gradient in the maize–grass pea intercropping system. Trial 2 consisted of two N gradient in the maize–wheat, maize–soybean and wheat–soybean intercropping systems. Trial 3 contained two water and three P gradients in the same intercropping systems as Trial 1. The meta-analysis result indicated that the average LER for yield (LER Y), biomass (LER B), N uptake (LER N), and P uptake (LER P) were 1.49, 1.25, 1.35, and 1.66, respectively. It implied that intercropping would save 49 %, 25 %, 35 % and 66 % lands to achieve the same yield, biomass, N and P uptake amount as monoculture, respectively. Also, high fertilizer inputs significantly decreased the relative productivity and nutrient uptake. Average effect sizes of high inputs on LER Y , LER B , LER N , and LER P were up to − 0.0505 (−0.0550 to −0.0461), − 0.0267 (−0.0303 to −0.0230), − 0.0321 (−0.0395 to −0.0247) and − 0.0237 (−0.0370 to −0.0103), respectively. These negative values demonstrated that the LER markedly declined under the high-nutrient conditions. On the other hand, the results of Trial 1 confirmed that the LER Y , LER B , LER N , and LER P tended to decrease significantly with increasing P addition. In Trial 2 , the LER Y of intercropping systems tended to significantly decrease with increasing N application. In Trial 3 , the LER Y , LER B , LER N , and LER P also displayed a descending trend with increasing P addition and soil water availability. Collectively, the three trials confirmed the reliability and universality of the meta-analysis conclusions. This study provided a broad support for the hypothesis of the nutrient-dependent relative benefits in intercropping systems. [Display omitted] • Average land equivalent ratio was greater than 1 in meta-analysis database. • High nutrient input decreased the land equivalent ratio relative to low input. • Field and pot-culture trials confirmed the reliability of meta-analysis results. • Relative productivity benefits were species specific and context dependent. • Results confirmed the universality of stress gradient hypothesis in intercropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Note: P (phosphorus), W (water), + (positive or increase), – (negative or decrease). [Display omitted] • Plant facilitation was found in the intercropping system of maize and grass pea. • Facilitation shifted from +/+, +/0 to +/- from low to high water and P gradients. • In low P, rhizosphere soil acidification of grass pea fostered P mineralization. • Soil microbial biomass P was improved for higher productivity in +/+ facilitation. • Soil water and phosphorus availability altered interspecific facilitation model. Plant-plant facilitation is widely studied to increase productivity and resource utilization in cereal-legume intercropping system. However, physiological and ecological mechanisms driving interspecific interaction shift along the environmental gradients is largely unknown. To clarify this issue, we first tested plant-plant facilitation along with four phosphorus (P) gradients in maize-grass pea intercropping system. Results illustrated a progressive transition of seed yield-based facilitation from mutually facilitated (+/+) to maize facilitated but grass pea as facilitator (+/-) along with low to high P gradients. Secondly, above trend was evidently enhanced when combining with drought stress gradients, in which severe drought amplified facilitative effects, whereas the magnitude of facilitation was relatively weak under well-watered condition. Interestingly, biomass-based facilitation transition did not synchronize with seed-based one, in which occurred in a broader threshold range of water and P gradients. Specifically, total yield, biomass, N and P uptake increased by 0.5%, 4.1%, 1.8% and 2.9% under the sufficient P and water availability, whereas these indicators increased by 25.3%, 18.5%, 20.5% and 21.4% in P and water deficient soils. And the total net effect was positive under all the environmental conditions. Rhizosphere interaction plays a crucial role in facilitation judgment, and the driving mechanism was associated with soil acidification and microbial community promotion under P-deficient condition. Under low soil moisture and available P, soil acidification and lower rhizosphere soil pH of intercropped maize were observed. Rhizosphere phosphatase secretion were significantly activated in P-deficient soils and accelerated the mineralization of soil organophosphorus, and the microbial biomass P was improved for stronger facilitation. Taken together, our findings confirmed the P and water driven facilitation shift along with stress gradients and highlighted the roles of rhizosphere interaction in affecting species diversity advantage. In conclusion, our work provided a relatively full picture for plant facilitation evaluation and more accurate management regarding intercropping productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]