Abstract:
To investigate the effects of intercropping on organic carbon sequestration in red soil and its response to phosphorus application, this study was based on a 7-year continuous field positioning experiment in a typical low-phosphorus red soil region of Yunnan. Four phosphorus fertilizer gradients were set: 0 (P0), 60 (P60), 90 (P90), and 120 (P120) kg∙P
2O
5∙hm
-2. The study systematically analyzed changes in soil organic carbon storage, soil organic carbon components, carbon sequestration amount, carbon sequestration rate, soil carbon pool activity index, and carbon pool management index under two planting patterns: maize monoculture (MM) and maize//soybean intercropping (MI), as well as their responses to different phosphorus fertilizer application rates. The results indicate that under different phosphorus application gradients, maize//soybean intercropping significantly enhances the organic carbon storage, the content of soil active organic carbon components, the soil carbon sequestration amount and rate in red soil, and notably promotes the organic carbon sequestration in red soil. Under P0, P60, P90, and P120 conditions, compared to corresponding monocultures, intercropping increased soil organic carbon storage (SOCs) by 21.3%, 31.8%, 30.1%, and 31.1%, respectively; soil organic carbon content (SOC) by 15.3%, 34.4%, 28.9%, and 25.5%, respectively; labile organic carbon (LOC) content by 20.1%, 54.7%, 39.1%, and 32.1%, respectively; microbial biomass carbon (MBC) by 26.5%, 48.8%, 38.5%, and 49.7%, respectively; soil carbon sequestration by 42.6%, 49.3%, 42.8%, and 46.1%, respectively; the activity index (AI) of red soil carbon pool by 9.0%, 36.1%, 20.3%, and 14.2%, respectively; and the carbon pool management index (CPMI) by 25.7%, 86%, 54.5%, and 39.7%, respectively. Simultaneously, the yields of intercropped maize increased by 38.6%, 46.1%, 24.2%, and 6.5%, respectively.Regardless of whether in monoculture or intercropping patterns, the rational application of phosphorus fertilizer significantly enhanced the organic carbon sequestration in red soil, with P90 showing the highest effect. The intercropping's promotion of red soil carbon sequestration was most pronounced at P60. In conclusion, on low-phosphorus red soil, maize//soybean intercropping significantly promotes soil carbon sequestration and increases maize yield advantages, with the intercropping advantage being optimal at 60-90 P
2O
5 kg∙hm
-2. This is one of the optimized planting models for promoting maize yield increase and achieving green and low-carbon goals in the red soil region of Southwest China.