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Published on: July 24, 2018
Legume-maize rotation and nitrogen fertilization boost microbial communities to enhance soil function and maize yield
Lang Cheng1, Yige Lei1, Xiqin Hou1
1State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Journal of Environmental Management
|June 17, 2026
Summary
Legume-maize rotation significantly boosts sweet maize yield and soil health compared to continuous maize, especially with optimal nitrogen fertilization. This sustainable practice enhances ecosystem functions and microbial diversity for increased productivity.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Soil Science
- Microbiology
Background:
- Sweet maize is a key crop in North China, but optimal management integrating crop rotation and nitrogen fertilization is not well understood.
- Understanding the interplay between legume-maize rotation, nitrogen input, soil quality, ecosystem multifunctionality, and microbial communities is crucial for sustainable agriculture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of legume-maize rotation versus double maize cropping on sweet maize yield, soil quality, and ecosystem multifunctionality.
- To analyze how nitrogen fertilization levels interact with these cropping systems to influence soil microbial diversity and community structure.
- To elucidate the mechanisms linking management practices to soil functions and crop yield.
Main Methods:
- A two-year field experiment comparing legume-maize rotation (SM) with double maize (DM) under three nitrogen (N) fertilization rates (0N, LN, HN).
- Quantification of maize yield, soil quality index (SQI), ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF), and microbial community diversity (bacterial and fungal).
- Analysis of microbial co-occurrence networks and integrated modeling (structural equation modeling) to link management, soil properties, and yield.
Main Results:
- Legume-maize rotation (SM) increased maize yield by 12.2%-26.6% under low and no nitrogen compared to double maize (DM), with no difference under high nitrogen.
- SM significantly enhanced ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) by 4.5%-29.9% and soil quality index (SQI) by 4.2%-18.2% compared to DM.
- SM promoted bacterial and fungal diversity and altered microbial community composition, with key taxa linked to improved SQI and EMF.
Conclusions:
- Legume-maize rotation, particularly with appropriate nitrogen management, offers a sustainable intensification strategy for sweet maize production.
- This rotation system improves soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality by positively influencing soil microbial communities.
- Optimizing nitrogen fertilization alongside legume-maize rotation is key to maximizing sweet maize productivity and environmental benefits.
Keywords:
Ecosystem multifunctionalityLegume-maize rotationMicrobial communityNitrogen fertilizationSoil quality indexMore Related Videos
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