Effects of Green Manure Intercropping on Soil Moisture, Nutrients, and Apple Yield in a Weibei Apple Orchard

2025

Shuitu Baochi Xuebao, Vol 39, Iss 2, Pp 250-259 (2025)

［Objective］ We conducted a field experiment to investigate the effects of intercropping green manure crops and their combination with ground fabric mulching on soil moisture, fertility, and apple yield. ［Methods］ The main treatments included intercropping ryegrass (NGR), oilseed rape (NGO), and alfalfa (NGA), the sub-treatments included combining these intercropping modes with mulching ground fabric under apple trees (GR/GO/GA), and the control treatment was traditional clean tillage (CK). Additionally, 15N labeled microplots were set up within the main and control treatments. The responses of soil moisture, nutrients, and fruit yield were explored under the apple-green manure intercropping system. ［Results］ All treatments reduced soil water content (SWC) compared to CK, among which the decreasing range of GR (1.7%) was the smallest. Soil water difference ratio (SWDR) in the main treatments were all negative, among which NGR and NGA had the smallest (0.5%) and largest (4.7%) absolute value, respectively. All treatments increased evapotranspiration (ET) compared to CK, among which the increasing range of GR (0.3%) was the smallest. All treatments reduced soil nitrate-nitrogen (SNN) content, compared to CK. Compared to the sub-treatments, SNN and soil ammonium-nitrogen (SAN) contents in the main treatments increased by 6.8% and 5.4% on average. Intercropping green manure (NGR, NGO, and NGA) reduced 15N loss by an average of 56.4% (p

article

Chinese

Editorial Department of Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2025.

binary mulching, interspecific interaction, 15n isotope tracer, apple orchard, Environmental sciences, GE1-350, Agriculture