Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2013, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (11): 1010-1017.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00104

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Effects of maize-peanut intercropping and phosphate fertilizer on photosynthetic characteristics and yield of intercropped peanut plants

JIAO Nian-Yuan1,2,*(),YANG Meng-Ke1,NING Tang-Yuan2,YIN Fei1,XU Guo-Wei1,FU Guo-Zhan1,LI You-Jun1   

  1. 1College of Agronomy, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471003, China
    2State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong 271018, China
  • Received:2013-07-17 Accepted:2013-09-29 Online:2013-07-17 Published:2013-11-06
  • Contact: JIAO Nian-Yuan

Abstract:

Aims Our objective was to determine the enhanced utilization of weak light in intercropped peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea) and the regulatory effects of phosphate (P) fertilizer in maize-peanut intercropping system, which is of great significance to elucidate photosynthetic adaptation mechanism of intercropped peanut plants and to increase the yield.
Methods Chlorophyll (Chl) content and composition, photosynthetic light response curves, photosynthetic CO2 response curves, and fluorescence parameters in the functional leaves of intercropped peanut plants were studied at the experimental farm of Henan University of Science and Technology in 2011 and 2012.
Important findings The Chl b content was higher, and the Chl a/b ratio was lower, in the functional leaves of intercropped peanut plants than in those of single cropped peanut plants with or without P fertilizer application. There were higher values of maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII), photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) of photosystem II, apparent quantum yield (AQY), and photosynthetic rate, but lower values of stomatal conductance, RuBP carboxylation rate (Vcmax), electron transport rate (Jmax), and triose-phosphate utilization rate (TPU) in the functional leaves of intercropped peanut plants than in those of single cropped peanut plants. Application of P fertilizer was beneficial to improving chlorophyll content, ΦPSII and qP of photosystem II, Vcmax, Jmax, and TPU in the functional leaves of intercropped peanut plants. It suggested that intercropped peanut plants could make more efficient use of weak light because of the higher Fv/Fm, ΦPSII and qP of photosystem II resulting from higher Chl b content and changes chlorophyll composition of functional leaves, which strengthened the capacity of light absorption and transformation, but not because of the higher CO2 rate of fixation and improved carboxylation efficiency. Application of P fertilizer was beneficial to improving the utilization of weak light and to increasing the yield of intercropped peanut, resulting in an increase in the land equivalent ratio of the maize-peanut intercropping system by 6.2%-9.3%.

Key words: carboxylation efficiency, chlorophyll composition, intercropped peanut, phosphate fertilizer, photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic characteristics