Enhancing the component intra- and interrelationship of Elymus nutans mono- and mixed sowing communities via adjusting sowing patterns in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

Wen Ren; Changxing Lin; Jingyong Ma; Zhixin Zhang; Yuying Shen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169949

Enhancing the component intra- and interrelationship of Elymus nutans mono- and mixed sowing communities via adjusting sowing patterns in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Mar 10:915:169949. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169949. Epub 2024 Jan 12.

Authors

Wen Ren¹, Changxing Lin², Jingyong Ma², Zhixin Zhang³, Yuying Shen⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China; Institute of Farmland Irrigation of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453002, China; Shangqiu Station of National Field Agro-ecosystem Experimental Network/National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment/National Long-term Experimental Station for Agricultural Green Development, Shangqiu 476000, Henan, China.
² College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China.
³ College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: zhangzhixin1986@gmail.com.
⁴ College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, 730020 Lanzhou, China. Electronic address: yy.shen@lzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38220004
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169949

Abstract

Spatial arrangement is a key factor in maintaining community yield and stability via regulating component intra-/interspecific competition in an alpine climate environment. A 2-yr field trial was conducted on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, including cross row (S_C), double row (S_D), single row (S_R), broadcast (M_B), dependent row (M_D) and independent row (M_I). Our results showed that S_C could avoid intraspecific competition by reasonable spatial arrangement, which favored the dominant component growth (1st year: leaf; 2nd year: stem and reproductive organ). For mixed communities, RII (relative interaction intensity) implied that interspecific competition also embodied on dominant component, and higher Elymus nutans component advantages seriously limited Onobrychis viciifolia's components growth in the 2nd year. More details displayed that E. nutans in M_B or M_D produced the maximum system yield via increasing leaf investment at the initial stages and stem investment after July 2019. Besides, M_I possessed lower component numbers than M_B and M_D in the unit area. PCA analysis revealed that component numbers or biomasses changed synchronously, besides the E. nutans of S_C, M_B, and M_D presented significant discrepancies compared to other treatments in September 2019, which verified the effect of sowing patterns on component growth (P < 0.05), but O. viciifolia in different sowing patterns was similar in the 2nd year. Considering the adaptability and production for the environment of the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, S_C is recommended for the promoted effect on component biomasses. M_B and M_D, with the merit of spacing utilization as well as higher resistance to variation in seasonal growth conditions via optimizing interspecific relationships for mixed communities, are adapted for increasing yield via component harvesting. Our results unveiled the potential of optimizing spatial usage efficiency via controlling component growth characteristics and stressed the importance of dynamic change of dominant components to enhance forage system production in alpine regions.

Keywords: Alpine grassland ecosystem; Component traits; Plant community; Plant interaction; Sowing patterns.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Climate
Elymus*
Grassland
Tibet