Effects of Intercropping Peanut on Soil Nutrient Status and Microbial Activity within Young Camellia oleifera Plantation

ABSTRACT

A two-year field trial was conducted to compare the effects of intercropping with peanut and Camellia oleifera monoculture on soil characteristics, nutrients status as well as soil microbial activity in a young C. oleifera plantation on latosolic red soil. Compared with C. oleifera monoculture, the soil porosity in intercropping C. oleifera with peanut was increased by 11.45 and 8.41%, the electrical conductivity by 14.74 and 16.90%, the rhizosphere fungi populations by 21.46 and 15.38%, the rhizosphere bacterial populations by 52.19 and 43.87%, soil organic matter (SOM) by 4.72 and 5.69%, the available nitrogen (N) by 10.71 and 14.51%, available calcium (Ca) by 10.53 and 17.39% and available magnesium (Mg) by 18.18 and 20.00% in 2012 and 2013, respectively. However, intercropping significantly reduced soil bulk density, soil total and exchangeable phosphorus (P), soil total and exchangeable potassium (K) and exchangeable aluminum (Al) in both years. Therefore, the beneficial effect may be attributed to the improvement of bulk density, soil nutrient element and the reduction in pH, as well as the rhizosphere microbial populations in intercropping systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Camellia oleifera
• Peanut
• Intercropping
• Soil nutrient status
• microbial activity

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31601651], the Pearl River S&T Nova Program of Guangzhou [201710010102] .