IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v14y2024i8p1249-d1445022.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing Seeding Ratio for Legume Forage to Maximize System Productivity and Resource Use Efficiency in Mixed Cropping Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Tengfei Wang

    (College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Ningxia Grass and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Yinchuan 750021, China)

  • Bin Wang

    (College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Ningxia Grass and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Yinchuan 750021, China)

  • Aiping Xiao

    (Animal Husbandry Workstation of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan 750021, China)

  • Jian Lan

    (College of Forestry and Prataculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Ningxia Grass and Animal Husbandry Engineering Technology Research Center, Yinchuan 750021, China
    Key Laboratory for Model Innovation in Forage Production Efficiency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Yinchuan 750021, China)

Abstract

Cereal and legume mixed cropping has been widely adopted to increase forage production in the sustainable development of agriculture and livestock. Among the different mixed cropping combinations, forage sorghum and lablab bean mixed cropping can be adapted globally. However, knowledge regarding the relation between forage production, interspecific competition, and resource utilization efficiency in the forage sorghum and lablab bean mixed cropping system remains unclear. A 3-year field experiment was conducted in 2020, 2021, and 2022 to investigate the effects of different cropping systems (16.5 kg·ha −1 lablab bean mixed cropping with forage sorghum [SD1], 33.0 kg·ha −1 lablab bean mixed cropping with forage sorghum [SD2], 49.5 kg·ha −1 lablab bean mixed cropping with forage sorghum [SD3], 66.0 kg·ha −1 lablab bean mixed cropping with forage sorghum [SD4], sole forage sorghum [SS], and sole lablab bean [DD]) on forage production, forage quality, competition parameters, water use efficiency (WUE), and radiation use efficiency (RUE). The results obtained revealed that mixed cropping practices enhanced forage yield by mitigating soil water depletion and optimizing canopy structures. Specifically, SD3 treatment was an efficient farming practice that increased system dry matter yield by 32.6–67.5%, crude protein yield by 12.5–15.1%, WUE by 9.2–67.4%, and RUE by 39.6–38.2% compared with other treatments. In addition, SD4 treatment increased crude protein content by 11.1% compared with forage sorghum monocropping; however, there were no significant differences in crude protein between SD3 and SD4 mixed cropping systems. The land equivalent ratio values were greater than one when forage sorghum was mixed with lablab bean, especially for the SD3 system (averaged 1.43). In addition, forage sorghum was more dominant and had higher aggressiveness (0.65) and competitive ratios (3.44) than lablab bean. This indicates that mixing cereals with legumes enhances RUE by interspecific competition. Consequently, the SD3-mixed cropping system is recommended for supporting the sustainable development of agriculture and livestock production in the arid region of China when considering forage production and nutritional quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Tengfei Wang & Bin Wang & Aiping Xiao & Jian Lan, 2024. "Optimizing Seeding Ratio for Legume Forage to Maximize System Productivity and Resource Use Efficiency in Mixed Cropping Systems," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:8:p:1249-:d:1445022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/8/1249/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/8/1249/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gong, Xiangwei & Dang, Ke & Liu, Long & Zhao, Guan & Lv, Siming & Tian, Lixin & Jin, Fei & Feng, Yu & Zhao, Yingnan & Feng, Baili, 2021. "Intercropping combined with nitrogen input promotes proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) growth and resource use efficiency to increase grain yield on the Loess plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    2. Dou, Xiaoyu & Wang, Ruoshui & Li, Chaonan & Zheng, Chenghao & Zhou, Xuan, 2022. "Spatial distribution of soil water, plant roots, and water use pattern under different drip fertigation regimes in an apple-soybean intercropping system on the Loess Plateau, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luo, Chengwei & Wang, Ruoshui & Li, Chaonan & Zheng, Chenghao & Dou, Xiaoyu, 2023. "Photosynthetic characteristics, soil nutrients, and their interspecific competitions in an apple–soybean alley cropping system subjected to different drip fertilizer regimes on the Loess Plateau, Chin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    2. Yan Xiao & Dongchen Li & Can Huang & Bosong Ding & You Wang, 2023. "Improved Fracture Surface Analysis of Anticline Rocky Slopes Using a Modified AGA Approach: Feasibility and Effectiveness Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Sun, Guangzhao & Chen, Shuaihong & Zhang, Shaowu & Chen, Shaomin & Liu, Jie & He, Qiong & Hu, Tiantian & Zhang, Fucang, 2024. "Responses of leaf nitrogen status and leaf area index to water and nitrogen application and their relationship with apple orchard productivity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    4. Ruifeng Sun & Juanjuan Ma & Xihuan Sun & Lijian Zheng & Jiachang Guo, 2023. "Responses of the Leaf Water Physiology and Yield of Grapevine via Different Irrigation Strategies in Extremely Arid Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-15, February.
    5. Zhang, Xuemei & Wang, Rui & Liu, Bo & Wang, Youcai & Yang, Linchuan & Zhao, Ji & Xu, Jing & Li, Zhimin & Zhang, Xudong & Han, Qingfang, 2023. "Optimization of ridge–furrow mulching ratio enhances precipitation collection before silking to improve maize yield in a semi–arid region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    6. Wang, Qunyan & Jia, Yifan & Pang, Zhongjun & Zhou, Jianbin & Scriber, Kevin Emmanuel & Liang, Bin & Chen, Zhujun, 2024. "Intelligent fertigation improves tomato yield and quality and water and nutrient use efficiency in solar greenhouse production," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    7. Wan, Chenxi & Gao, Sen & Wang, Jiale & Lei, Xinhui & Ge, Jiahao & Tao, Jincai & Wang, Qi & Dang, Pengfei & Wang, Meng & Yang, Pu & Gao, Jinfeng, 2023. "Optimal planting density combined with phosphorus input promotes common buckwheat resource use efficiency and productivity to increase grain yield," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    8. Li Li & Rundong Feng & Jianchao Xi, 2021. "Ecological Risk Assessment and Protection Zone Identification for Linear Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of the Ming Great Wall," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-18, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:8:p:1249-:d:1445022. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.