Seasonal Variations of Fine Root Dynamics in Rubber-<i>Flemingia macrophylla</i> Intercropping System in Southwestern China
Farkhanda Bibi,
Durairaj Balasubramanian,
Muhammad Ilyas,
Jan Sher,
Hamz Ali Samoon,
Muhammad Hayder Bin Khalid,
Hesham F. Alharby,
Ali Majrashi,
Sameera A. Alghamdi,
Khalid Rehman Hakeem,
Muddaser Shah,
Shabir A. Rather
Affiliations
Farkhanda Bibi
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
Durairaj Balasubramanian
Department of Botany, Arunachal University of Studies, NH-52, Namsai 792103, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Muhammad Ilyas
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
Jan Sher
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
Hamz Ali Samoon
Principal Scientific Officer Pakistan Agricultural Research Council-Water and Agricultural Waste Management Institute, Tando Jam 70050, Pakistan
Muhammad Hayder Bin Khalid
National Research Center of Intercropping, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Hesham F. Alharby
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Ali Majrashi
Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Sameera A. Alghamdi
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Khalid Rehman Hakeem
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Muddaser Shah
Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
Shabir A. Rather
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
Intercropping cover crops with trees enhance land productivity and improves the soil’s physio-chemical properties while reducing the negative environmental impact. However, there is a lack of quantitative information on the relationships between fine root biomass and available soil nutrients, e.g., nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), especially in the rubber-Flemingia macrophylla intercropping system. Therefore, this study was initiated to explore the seasonal variation in fine root biomass and available soil nutrients at different stand ages (12, 15, and 24 years) and management systems, i.e., rubber monoculture (mono) and rubber-Flemingia macrophylla intercropping. In this study, we sampled 900 soil cores over five seasonal intervals, representing one year of biomass. The results showed that the total fine root biomass was greater in 12-year-old rubber monoculture; the same trend was observed in soil nutrients P and K. Furthermore, total fine root biomass had a significant positive correlation with available N (p Flemingia macrophylla intercropping system.
