Shift from complementarity to facilitation on P uptake by intercropped wheat neighboring with faba bean when available soil P is depleted

Rhizosphere processes stimulate overyielding and facilitative phosphorus (P) uptake in cereal/legume intercropping systems. However, little is known about when and how rhizosphere alteration of legumes plays a role in improving P uptake by cereals. Wheat was grown isolated, monocropped or intercropped with faba bean in pots with low-P soil. The biomass, P content, carboxylates and phosphatases activity were measured in 15 destructive samplings. Intraspecific competition of the biomass and P uptake of monocropped wheat was not significant before 40 and 36 days after sowing (DAS), whereas there was interspecific competition of biomass of intercropped wheat before 66 DAS. However, afterwards, the increments of the biomass and P uptake of the intercropped wheat were 1.3–1.9 and 1.9–2.3 times of increment of monocropped wheat. Meanwhile, the concentrations of malate and citrate and the acid phosphatase activity in the rhizospheres of intercropped wheat were significantly increased, which suggested that wheat/faba bean intercropping is efficient in P utilization due to complementary P uptake in the early growth stage and the positive interactions of the rhizosphere processes when the soil P was depleted.