Polycultures, mixtures of different crop species in the same field, may provide both production and ecological benefits. Silage production in annual cropping systems may incorporate polycultures and take advantage of species’ niche partitioning, potentially stabilizing yield variation due to abiotic stress. Using maize (Zea mays L.) silage as the basis of our 3‐yr study, we tested the impact on crop and soil attributes of replacing a fraction of maize with soy [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], sorghum (Sorghum bicolor var. bicolor × bicolor and var. sudanense [unnamed hybrid]), or a medley of soy, sorghum, and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Compared to maize monocultures and on average for the 3 yr, a replacement mixture of maize + soy lowered yields (1.57 vs. 1.87 kg m^–2), but increased the N, P, and K concentration in the silage by 1.2x, 1.09x, and 1.03x, respectively. Maize + sorghum polycultures matched the biomass yields of maize monocultures (1.77 vs. 1.87 kg m^–2) and increased K concentration (10.2 vs. 8.2 g kg^–1). While random forest analysis revealed no change in post‐harvest soil mineral N with depth among treatments, there was a tendency for higher total mineral N left in the soil for soy‐containing vs. sorghum‐containing treatments (12.4 vs. 10.9 g m^–2). Silage polycultures are a feasible alternative to maize silage monocultures and can improve silage nutrient concentration with no yield penalty if maize or sorghum dominate plant stands.

中文翻译：

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青贮饲料实用杂种或鸡翅混养吗？

混养，同一田地不同作物品种的混合物，可能同时提供生产和生态效益。一年生作物系统中的青贮饲料生产可能会采用混养方式，并利用物种的生态位分配优势，潜在地稳定了由于非生物胁迫导致的产量变化。使用玉米（玉米L.）青贮饲料作为我们3年研究的基础上，我们测试了大豆[替代玉米的比例对作物和土壤的影响属性大豆（L.）大豆- ]，高粱（高粱双色变种双色×双色和变种苏丹草[无名混合]），或大豆，高粱，和向日葵的集锦（向日葵L.）。与玉米单一栽培相比，平均3年，玉米+大豆的替代混合物降低了产量（1.57比1.87 kg m ^–2），但将青贮饲料中的N，P和K浓度提高了1.2倍，1.09 x和1.03x。玉米+高粱的混养与单作玉米的生物量产量相匹配（1.77对1.87 kg m ^–2），钾含量增加（10.2对8.2 g kg ^–1）。尽管随机森林分析显示，不同处理之间采收后土壤矿质N随深度没有变化，但含大豆和高粱的土壤中残留的总矿质N趋于增加（12.4 vs. 10.9 g m ^–2）。青贮混养是玉米青贮单培养的可行替代方案，如果玉米或高粱占主导地位，则可以提高青贮养分浓度，而不会造成产量损失。