Niche-specific maize microbiomes enhance productivity and nitrogen uptake under intercropping

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Microbiology
• Plant Science

Background:

• Intercropping enhances crop yield, but the underlying microbial mechanisms are not fully understood.
• Understanding microbial roles is key to optimizing intercropping benefits for biomass and nitrogen (N) acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how maize-soybean intercropping affects maize biomass and N uptake.
• To explore niche-specific microbial community shifts in response to intercropping.
• To link microbial changes to plant performance in intercropped maize.

Main Methods:

• Compared intercropped and monocultured maize at the tasseling stage.
• Profiled bacterial and fungal communities in above- and belowground maize compartments.
• Correlated microbial data with organ-level biomass and N content.

Main Results:

• Intercropping significantly increased maize biomass and N uptake, primarily in roots and leaves.
• Microbial communities were restructured: bacterial diversity decreased in some niches, while fungal diversity increased in others.
• Specific microbial taxa (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Ascomycota) shifts were better predictors of plant performance than diversity metrics.

Conclusions:

• Intercropping enhances maize growth and N acquisition by modulating niche-specific microbial communities.
• Cross-compartment microbiome organization is crucial for intercropping success.
• Microbiome-informed strategies can improve crop management in intercropping systems.