Effects of intercropping of maize and potato on sloping land on the water balance and surface runoff

• Published in: Agricultural water management 2016-03, Vol.166, p.9-16
• Main Authors: Fan, Zhiwei, An, Tongxin, Wu, Kaixian, Zhou, Feng, Zi, Shuhui, Yang, Yuanman, Xue, Guofeng, Wu, Bozhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Crops; Evaporation; Land; Maize; Potatoes; Runoff; Soil evaporation; Soil moisture content; Solanum tuberosum; Sole; Transpiration; Zea mays
• ISSN: 0378-3774; 1873-2283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2015.12.006

•The effect of intercropping on controlling water loss on sloping land remains not clear.•The maize-potato intercropping on sloping land could decrease the runoff compared with sole maize.•Decreased runoff in intercropping compared with sole maize is relevant to potato tuber most likely generating soil crevices.•The maize-potato intercropping on sloping land could decrease the soil evaporation as compared with sole crop.•Water loss controlling advantage of maize-potato intercropping on sloping land plays an important role in its overyielding. It has been suggested that the increased yields of intercropping are strongly correlated to its effect on controlling water loss. However, studies of the effect of intercropping on controlling water loss on sloping land are few. In this study, with maize (Zea mays L.) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) as experimental crops, a comparison was made of surface runoff, soil evaporation, soil moisture content, crop transpiration and crop yield between the intercropping and the sole crop on sloping land during 2012–2013. Data showed that: (1) the accumulative runoff in maize and potato intercropping (IC) was not significantly different from that in sole potato (SP), but significantly decreased by 56.75–74.53% (P