AUTHOR=Meng Lingbo , Zhang Aiyuan , Wang Fei , Han Xiaoguang , Wang Dejiang , Li Shumin 

TITLE=Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobium facilitate nitrogen uptake and transfer in soybean/maize intercropping system

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2015.00339

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2015.00339

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The tripartite symbiosis between legumes, rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi are generally considered to be beneficial for the nitrogen (N) uptake of legumes, but the facilitation of symbiosis in legume/non-legume intercropping systems is not clear. Therefore, the aims of the research are as follows: (1) to verify if the dual inoculation can facilitate the N uptake and N transfer in maize/soybean intercropping systems and (2) to calculate how much N will be transferred from soybean to maize. A pot experiment with different root separations [solid barrier, mesh (30 μm) barrier and no barrier] was conducted, and the <sup>15</sup>N isotopic tracing method was used to calculate how much N transferred from soybean to maize inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobium in a soybean (<italic>Glycine max</italic> L.cv. Dongnong No. 42)/maize (<italic>Zea mays</italic> L.cv. Dongnong No. 48) intercropping system. Compared with the <italic>Glomus mosseae</italic> inoculation (<italic>G.m.</italic>), <italic>Rhizobium</italic> SH212 inoculation (SH212), no inoculation (NI), the dual inoculation (SH212+<italic>G.m.</italic>) increased the N uptake of soybean by 28.69, 39.58, and 93.07% in a solid barrier system. N uptake of maize inoculated with both <italic>G. mosseae</italic> and rhizobium was 1.20, 1.28, and 1.68 times more than that of <italic>G.m.</italic>, SH212 and NI, respectively, in solid barrier treatments. In addition, the amount of N transferred from soybean to maize in a dual inoculation system with a mesh barrier was 7.25, 7.01, and 11.45 mg more than that of <italic>G.m.</italic>, SH212 and NI and similarly, 6.40, 7.58, and 12.46 mg increased in no barrier treatments. Inoculating with both AMF and rhizobium in the soybean/maize intercropping system improved the N fixation efficiency of soybean and promoted N transfer from soybean to maize, resulting in the improvement of yield advantages of legume/non-legume intercropping.</p>