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Background and Aims: The intercropping has great advantages in production gain, resources use and soil quality improvement. However, the effects of perennial forage legumes intercropped with annual grain crop on soil alkali-salinity was not well revealed. This study aimed to propose a spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) intercropping and reveal whether this cropping system could ameliorate soil salinity. Methods: A two-year field experiment was conducted under 3 cropping systems at 3 irrigation amounts in the inland arid area of northwestern China. The cropping systems were sole spring wheat cropping (W), 12 rows spring wheat/4 rows alfalfa intercropping (W12A4) and 8 rows spring wheat/4 rows alfalfa intercropping (W8A4), and irrigation amounts included 450 (full irrigation amount, If), 360 (moderate irrigation amount, Im) and 180 mm (low irrigation amount, Il). Results: The intercropping system, especially W8A4, could more decrease soil salinity, pH and topsoil bulk density, and increase soil water content, topsoil porosity, and Ca2+ and Mg2+ contents, compared to W. Soil electrical conductivity was positively correlated with topsoil bulk density and negatively correlated with topsoil porosity, which were enhanced by intercropping and irrigation. There was weak correlation between soil electrical conductivity and soil water content. W12A4 and W8A4 led to reduction in contents of Na+, K+, Cl−, and SO42−, while Ca2+ and Mg2+ accumulated in the soil. Conclusion: Intercropped alfalfa and spring wheat could reduce soil salinity, improve soil structure and ions balance. It was recommended that W8A4 with 360 mm irrigation could be extensively used in the arid area of northwestern China, gaining grain and forage production, and helping reduce salt accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A walnut–wheat intercropping pattern is practiced widely in southern Xinjiang to alleviate the contradiction between the lack of cultivated land resources and to increase economic value. Previous studies have confirmed that an alley cropping pattern could change the microclimate by supplying additional ecological functions such as windbreak, light interception, water conservation, etc. Cereal aphids (including Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, Metopolophium dirhodum, etc.) are commonly spread pests that harm wheat plants. But, the difference in population numbers between local patterns is still unknown. Pesticide reduction is the national strategy in China to alleviate the contraction between the demand of grain yield and environment protection. Plant protection-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) spraying pesticides are the most efficient method to control pests. However, compared to traditional artificial spraying method, how the UAV spraying method affect the control effect of reduced concentration pesticide is unclear. In order to address this problem, we conducted field investigations at Zepu county in southern Xinjiang to test the difference between walnut–wheat intercropping and wheat monocropping patterns for three consecutive years. And, we employed the field experiments to ensure the effectiveness of the reduced concentration common pesticides through the UAV spraying method. In conclusion, we conducted a comparison of the control effects of two spraying methods under conditions of reduced pesticide usage. Our findings revealed that the population of cereal aphids was larger in the intercropping pattern compared to the monocropping pattern. Although the control effect of the reduced treatment was lower than the regular dosage, some treatments still demonstrated sufficient capability to eliminate aphids, particularly when considering the effect within major varieties. Additionally, the use of the UAV spraying method exhibited a satisfactory effect when compared to the traditional artificial spraying method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating forage crops into the continuous winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system can be used for increasing rural population income and maintaining grain production on the Loess Plateau. The objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate economic yield (EYyield), dry matter yield (DMyield), crude protein yield (CPyield), wheat equivalent yield (WEyield), and food equivalent yield (FEUyield) when incorporating annual forages (oat [Avena sativa L.], soybean [Glycine max L.], and vetch [Vicia sativa L.]) into the traditional fallow‐winter wheat system from a 4‐year (2016–2020) experiment on the Loess Plateau of China. Results showed that incorporating annual forages into the continuous wheat system significantly increased system productivity. Among the four growing seasons, average system DMyield values for fallow‐winter wheat (F‐W), oat‐winter wheat (O‐W), soybean‐winter wheat (S‐W), and vetch‐winter wheat (V‐W) were 10348.52, 13854.15, 14679.94, and 12185.29 kg ha−1, respectively. The average wheat EYyield values were 3777.82, 3115.19, 4020.76, and 3180.71 kg ha−1, respectively. The average forage DMyield values were 0.00, 5497.19, 4284.64, and 2817.50 kg ha−1, respectively. The S‐W system had the highest DMyield and CPyield (1350.10 kg ha−1), and also had DMyield with the smallest variation (CV = 15.21%). The O‐W, S‐W, and V‐W systems produced FEUyield values that were 48.67%, 68.46%, and 30.53%, respectively, greater than the F‐W system. When considering market prices and yields, the S‐W system increased wheat gain yield and had the highest WEyield (6607.90 kg ha−1). Therefore, in consideration of forage quality, winter wheat production, and system productivity, we recommend the S‐W system for local farmers on the Loess Plateau. Core Ideas: Integrating annual forage crops into the continuous winter wheat cropping system increased productivity.The forage oat had the highest dry matter yield, but the soybean had the highest crude protein yield.Planting soybean into fallow‐wheat system when consideration of quality, digestibility, and production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation and high environmental costs impede agricultural production in North China. A 6-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of tillage practice and nitrogen application rate on changes in soil fertility and wheat yield. Four tillage systems (rotary tillage without maize straw return through 6 years, RT; rotary tillage with maize straw return through 6 years, RS; deep tillage with maize straw return through 6 years, DS; and rotary tillage through 2 years followed by deep tillage next year with maize straw applied for two cycles, RS/DS) and three N levels (HN, 300 kg N ha−1, refers to traditional farming practice; MN, 0.75 × HN, 225 kg N ha−1, to recommended N rate; and LN, 0.5 × HN, 150 kg N ha−1, to reduced N rate) were tested. The soil organic carbon, labile organic carbon, inorganic N, available phosphorus, and available potassium under straw return treatments were significantly higher than RT in the 0–30 cm soil layer (p < 0.05). The microbial diversity, invertase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase activities also increased when maize straw was returned. Tillage practices could distribute maize straw in different depths of the soil and then affect soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and microbial diversity. The RS treatment presented the greatest effects in the 0–10 cm layer, while more significant impacts were observed in DS and RS/DS treatments at the 10–30 cm depths. The levels of soil nutrients and enzyme activity increased with an increased N rate. Compared to that under LN, wheat yields increased under HN and MN treatments, whereas there were no significant differences between HN and MN (p > 0.05). An increasing tendency of grain yield was observed in DS and RS/DS, while conversely so in RS. RS/DS had lower farm costs than DS during the study duration. Thus, RS/DS at 225 kg N ha−1 is the best method for improving soil fertility and wheat yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat/soybean rotation is an important double-cropping system in the Huang-Huai-Hai plain of China. Continuous soybean cropping could cause soil quality deterioration and plant growth inhibition. However, the effects of continuous wheat/soybean cropping on soybean rhizosphere microbes remain largely unknown. In this study, we compared the soybean yield and rhizosphere soil microbial community between continuous winter wheat/summer soybean (W/S) with two harvests in one year and winter wheat/summer soybean-winter wheat/summer maize (W/S-W/M) with four harvests in two years. The results showed that the soybean yield in the W/S group significantly (p < 0.05) declined within the first two years. The W/S-W/M showed higher soybean yield and soil fertility index than the W/S group. The sequencing results revealed that cropping rotation had a higher impact on the fungal community than the bacterial community. The W/S group showed 22.08–23.01% higher alpha diversity of the fungal community, but the alpha diversity of the bacterial group did not vary significantly in this group. The fungal community composition in the W/S and W/S-W/M groups differed significantly. In the W/S-W/M group, a higher relative abundance of plant growth-promoting fungi (e.g., Mortierella), nematophagous fungi (e.g., Plectosphaerella), and biological control fungi (e.g., Coniothyrium) was observed. In the W/S group, a higher relative abundance of lignocellulose-degrading fungi (e.g., Trechispora, Myceliophthora, Botryotrichum, and Coniochaeta) and pathogenic fungi (e.g., Pyrenochaetopsis and Cyphellophora) was observed. LEfSe analysis demonstrated that Mortierella, Myceliophthora, and Trechispora could serve as crucial biomarkers. Mortierella was positively associated with available P levels and negatively associated with NO3−-N levels and pH while Trechispora showed the opposite trend. The findings of this study could enhance the current understanding of the mechanisms associated with the continuous wheat/soybean cropping obstacles and ensure the sustainability of agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of cadmium in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a serious threat to the safe use of farmland and to the health of the human diet that has attracted extensive attention from researchers. In this review, a bibliometric analysis was performed using a VOS viewer (1.6.18, Netherlands) to investigate the status of cadmium contamination in rice and wheat growing systems, human health risks, mechanisms of Cd uptake and transport, and the corresponding research hotspots. It has a certain reference value for the prevention and control of cadmium pollution in rice and wheat planting systems in China and abroad. The results showed that the Cd content in rice and wheat planting systems in the Yangtze River Basin was significantly higher than that in other areas of China, and the Cd content in rice and wheat grains and the hazard quotient (HQ) in Hunan Province was the highest. The average Cd concentration exceeded the recommended limit by about 62% for rice and 81% for wheat. The main reasons for the high Cd pollution in rice and wheat growing areas in Hunan are mining activities, phosphate fertilizer application, sewage irrigation, and electronic equipment manufacturing. In this review, we demonstrate that cadmium toxicity reduces the uptake and transport of essential elements in rice and wheat. Cadmium stress seriously affected the growth and morphology of plant roots. In the shoots, Cd toxicity was manifested by a series of physiological injuries, such as decreased photosynthesis, soluble protein, sugar, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Cadmium that accumulates in the shoots is transferred to grains and then passes up the food chain to people and animals. Therefore, methods for reducing cadmium content in grains of rice and wheat are urgently needed, especially in Cd-contaminated soil. Current research on Cd pollution in rice and wheat planting systems focuses on the bioavailability of Cd, soil rhizosphere changes in wheat and rice, and the role of antioxidant enzyme systems in alleviating heavy metal stress in rice and wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green manure with appropriate amount of chemical nitrogen fertilizer can increase crop yield, but also aggravate soil carbon emissions. However, it is unclear whether incorporation of green manure into the cropping pattern with reduced nitrogen amount can alleviate this situation and enhance carbon sequestration potential. So, a field experiment with split-plot design was set up in 2018 of northwest China, and studied the effects of nitrogen reduction on crop productivity, carbon emissions, and carbon sequestration potential in 2021–2023. The main plots were two cropping patterns, including multiple cropped green manure after wheat harvest (W-G) and fallow after wheat harvest (W). Three nitrogen application levels formed the split-plots, including local conventional nitrogen amount (N3, 180 kg ha−1), nitrogen amount reduced by 15% (N2, 153 kg ha−1) and 30% (N3, 126 kg ha−1). The results showed that W-G increased grain yield of wheat and energy yield of wheat multiple cropped green manure pattern. The multiple cropped green manure after wheat harvest with local conventional nitrogen amount reduced by 15% (W-GN2) had the significant increasing-effect, and increased grain yield of wheat by 9.6% and increased total energy yields by 39.3% compared to fallow after wheat harvest with local conventional nitrogen amount (W–N3). Relative to W–N3, W-GN2 did not significantly increase carbon emissions of wheat season, and increased total carbon emissions of cropping pattern by 11.1%. Compared to multiple cropped green manure after wheat harvest with local conventional nitrogen amount (W-GN3), W-GN2 decreased carbon emissions by 5.8% in wheat season and decreased by 3.9% in the whole cropping pattern. Therefore, W-GN2 gained high carbon emission efficiency based on grain yield, and were 9.9% and 11.2% higher than W–N3 and W-GN3, respectively. In addition, W-GN2 enhanced soil total nitrogen, carbon, and organic carbon contents, compared with W–N3, thus increasing soil carbon sequestration potential index (net primary productivity/carbon emissions). We conclude that multiple cropped leguminous green manure after wheat harvest with local conventional nitrogen amount reduced by 15% can enhance crop productivity and carbon sequestration potential of farmland in arid areas. [Display omitted] • Wheat multi-cropped green manure with reduced N by 15% (W-GN2) increased wheat yield. • W-GN2 alleviated soil carbon emission (CE) and improved carbon emission efficiency. • W-GN2 increased soil total nitrogen, total carbon, and organic carbon contents. • W-GN2 improved soil carbon sequestration and NPP/CE value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field cultivation practices have changing the carbon and nitrogen cycles in farmland ecosystem, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were the important pa- rameters in maintaining soil quality and increasing agricultural productivity, however, N application's effects on the SOC and TN storage capacity under intensive wheat- maize cropping system remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics and relationships of SOC and TN for wheat-maize cropping system under nitrogen treatments. In doing so, continuous applications of four nitrogen application rates were examined: 0, 180, 240 and 300 kg ha-1 (N0, N180, N240 and N300, respectively). Wheat yields under N180 and N240 were significantly higher than that under N300, while the maize yields under N180, N240 and N300 were significantly higher than that under N0 by 79.79, 85.23 and 86.85%, respectively; the TN content and storage were significantly higher under N240 than that under other N levels in 40-60 cm soil layer after wheat growing season; the SOC content and storage under N180 and N240 were significant higher than that under N300 in 20-40 cm after maize growing season. The correlations between SOC and TN contents (or storage) were stronger after wheat planting than maize planting. These findings provide a basis for further studies on the effect of long-term N application on SOC and TN storage, crop quality and nitrogen use efficiency under wheat-maize cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of wheat, maize and rice accounts for more than 90% of the total grain production of China. Assessing the impact of climate warming on suitable planting regions, especially the potential northern planting boundaries of these crops, is therefore critical to help guide agricultural policymaking and further maintain food security. In this study, we analyzed the effect of climate warming on the potential northern planting boundaries of three specific crops (winter wheat, spring maize, double and triple rice cropping systems) during two time periods (1961–1990 and 1991–2020) using meteorological data from 2437 national weather stations. Results show that the potential planting boundaries of these crops present a northward movement and a westward expansion during the time period of 1991–2020 under the background of temperature increase compared with the time period of 1961–1990. Moreover, the boundaries of winter wheat and spring maize also show a trend of expansion to high-altitude areas (e.g., the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau). The average moving distance of these crops ranged from 20 km to 300 km. In general, the potential planting boundaries of winter wheat, spring maize, double and triple rice cropping systems changed significantly due to climate warming, and the suitable planting area was increased. Our study aims to provide a more recent and accurate result than those of previous studies, which is expected to strengthen our understanding of the effect of climate change on the potential northern planting boundaries of the three main grain crops in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive cereal production has brought about increasingly serious environmental threats, including global warming, environmental acidification, and water shortage. As an important grain producer in the world, the rice cultivation system in central China has undergone excessive changes in the past few decades. However, few articles focused on the environmental impacts of these shifts from the perspective of ecological footprints. In this study, a 2-year field trial was carried out in Hubei province, China, to gain insight into carbon footprint (CF), nitrogen footprint (NF), and water footprint (WF) performance. The three treatments were, namely, double-rice system (DR), ratoon rice system (RR), and rice-wheat system (RW). Results demonstrated that RR significantly increased the grain yield by 10.22–15.09% compared with DR, while there was no significant difference in the grain yield between RW and DR in 2018–2019. All of the calculation results by three footprint approaches followed the order: RR < RW < DR; meanwhile, RR was always significantly lower than DR. Methane and NH3 field emissions were the hotspots of CF and NF, respectively. Blue WF accounts for 40.90–42.71% of DR, which was significantly higher than that of RR and RW, primarily because DR needs a lot of irrigation water in both seasons. The gray WF of RW was higher than those of DR and RR, mainly due to the higher application rate of N fertilizer. In conclusion, RR possesses the characteristics of low agricultural inputs and high grain yield and can reduce CF, NF, and WF, considering the future conditions of rural societal developments and rapid demographic changes; we highlighted that the RR could be a cleaner and sustainable approach to grain production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw return is an effective measure to promote sustainable agriculture by significantly improving soil fertility. At present, few studies have been conducted on the most effective carbon enhancing management measures for various crops. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis using data collected from 184 literature sources, comprising 3297 data sets to analyze the carbon increase effects of straw returning in three main crops (rice, maize, and wheat) in China and to explore the influence mechanism of natural factors, soil properties, straw return measures, and cropping systems on the carbon enhancement effect. The study showed that straw return significantly increased soil organic carbon and the rate of increase was higher for wheat at 15.88% (14.74%–17.03%) than for rice at 12.7% (11.5%–13.91%) and maize at 12.42% (11.42%–13.42%), with varying degrees of improvement in other soil physicochemical properties. Natural factors have the greatest impact on the carbon increasing effect of rice fields, reaching 28.8%, especially at temperature between 10 °C and 15 °C, less than 800 mm precipitation, low latitude, and short frost-free period. Maize and wheat are most affected by soil properties, reaching 41% and 34.5% respectively. Furthermore, field management practices also play a pivotal role, organic carbon increasing obviously was observed when the C/N ratio of exogenous nutrients is bigger than 20 with the low initial organic matter. Shallow tillage and less than 7.5 t hm−2 straw returning with 3–10 years to the field are ideal for rice and maize. Crop rotation, especially in drylands, increased soil organic carbon more significantly than continuous. The results of our analysis can provide valuable insights into the effect of straw return on carbon increase. In the future, the soil carbon can be improved by adopting rational cropping patterns and straw return measures with taking into account climate and soil characteristics for different crops. [Display omitted] • The effects of straw return on soil organic carbon in three major crops were studied using meta-analysis. • SOC levels significantly increased for rice, maize, and wheat after straw return. • The impact of natural factors, soil properties, straw return measures, and cropping systems varied for different crops. • The increase in SOC for rice was largely influenced by natural factors, while for maize and wheat by soil properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cypyrafluone, a novel hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide, can successfully control a wide species of grass and broadleaf weed in wheat fields. However, the dissipation behaviors and terminal residues of cypyrafluone in wheat fields remain unclear. Here, a simple, accurate, and dependable approach for the analysis of cypyrafluone in soil, wheat plant, and grain was constructed utilizing an adapted QuEChERS extraction combined with UPLC-MS/MS. For accurate quantification, matrix-matched calibrations with high linearity (R2 >0.99) were employed to eliminate matrix interference. The method possessed high accuracy with recoveries in the range of 85.5%− 100.6% and precision with relative standard deviations < 14.3%, as well as high sensitivity with limits of quantifications of 0.001 mg kg−1 in the three matrixes. The dissipation kinetics and terminal residues of cypyrafluone were determined at two separate locations with different climates, soil types and cropping systems in 2018. The half-lives of cypyrafluone in soil and wheat plant were 1.47–1.55 d and 1.00–1.03 d, respectively. At harvest, the terminal residue values of cypyrafluone detected in wheat plants were 0–0.0025 mg kg−1 and 0.0044–0.0057 mg kg−1 at the recommended dose and 1.5 times of the recommended dose, respectively, and 0.0049 mg kg−1 of this herbicide was detected in grain at 1.5 times of the recommended dose, which was below the maximum residue limit (MRL). Finally, the risk quotient for cypyrafluone ranged from 0.33% to 0.81% (<1) for different age groups in China, indicating that the impact of residues from the cypyrafluone application on wheat was acceptable. These findings above will offer scientific guidelines for cypyrafluone application in the wheat field ecosystem. [Display omitted] • Cypyrafluone is a new HPPD-inhibiting herbicide applied POST in wheat fields. • An UPLC-MS/MS method combined with modified QuEChERS was developed. • Its dissipation dynamics and terminal residues were investigated in field conditions. • The chronic dietary risk due to residues of cypyrafluone in wheat was acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yield components play a decisive role in regulating the potential crop grain yields, and their formation is greatly influenced by in-season nitrogen (N) management, as N is essential of optimizing crop growth. To test the applicability of critical N dilution curve based instantaneous N nutrition index (NNI) and integrated NNI (NNI inte) in-season prediction of grain yield and its components in wheat. This study evaluated the applicability of the critical N dilution curve for predicting grain yield and yield components in wheat by establishing the relationships of NNI and NNI inte with relative grain yield (RY), dry matter (RDM), number of spikes (RPN), number of grains per spike (RGN), and grain weight at different growth stages of wheat. Data were acquired from six multi-N rates field experiments conducted in eastern and central China. The RY, RPN, and RDM were estimated by NNI and accumulated NNI inte during different growth stages of wheat. The higher R2 values of relationships observed during the middle to later growth stages compared with early growth stages indicated that the early growth stages might not be suitable for estimating wheat grain yield and yield components. The NNI inte specifically during booting to anthesis stage showed improved accuracy estimating the number of grains per spike compared to other stages. Overall, the estimation performance based on accumulated NNI inte was superior compared to NNI or NNI inte during the single growth stage of wheat. The above models provided comprehensive and accurate estimates dry matter at maturity, grain yield and yield components as early as the anthesis stage. The findings provided valuable insights for predicting grain yield and yield components in intensive wheat cropping systems, and also offer practical guidance for precisely scheduling N management. • Wheat grain yield and yield components were estimated by NNI and integrated NNI (NNI inte) during different growth stages. • Single-stage NNI (booting) allows earlier estimates of dry matter at maturity and spike number. • Single-stage NNI inte (anthesis) only improved the estimation performance of grain number. • NNI inte over multiple consecutive stages could better estimate dry matter at maturity, grain yield, and spike number. • The models can comprehensively and accurately estimate grain yield and yield components as early as the anthesis stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil CO 2 emissions respond differently to different tillage practices. However, limited information is available regarding the impact of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) on soil CO 2 emissions and the primary controlling factors or processes. The goal of this study is to derive the relationship of soil CO 2 emissions with soil physicochemical properties from differently tilled soils in a typical winter wheat summer maize rotation system. We hypothesized that soil tillage practices would impact the soil carbon cycle by modifying soil physical and chemical properties, which would in turn affect the soil CO 2 emissions. The study was conducted from 2018 to 2022 with two tillage practices using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. A leading international real-time monitoring system in situ was used to collect soil CO 2 emission data. Cumulative soil CO 2 emissions were reduced by 28.7% in maize and increased by 9.0% in wheat under NT as compared to CT. On an annual scale, the cumulative CO 2 emissions were decreased by 20.5% in NT as compared to CT. Maize season accounted for 70% 78% of soil CO 2 emissions. NT improved the aboveground biomass by 7.74% and 6.44%, and grain yields by 10.2% and 4.49% for maize and wheat, respectively. The soil CO 2 emission intensity of maize was reduced by 35.9% under NT as compared to CT. No significant differences were discovered under the two tillage practices for soil CO 2 emission intensity of wheat. For maize, NT increased the bulk density, subsequently decreasing soil temperature and increasing soil moisture. NT also led to higher soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content, ultimately resulting in a significant reduction in soil CO 2 emissions. For wheat, NT increased soil bulk density, further increasing soil moisture and lowering soil pH. NT thus resulted in lower soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content, ultimately leading to enhanced soil CO 2 emissions. Some of these observations might not be consistent with theoretical predictions, which indicated that the unconsidered factors of actual field conditions might have much significant effects. Overall, NT can be extensively used as an eco-friendly cropland tillage practice based on its positive effects of reducing CO 2 emissions and increasing crop yields. [Display omitted] • CO 2 emission variations by tillage were evaluated by the structural equation model. • No-tillage (NT) decreased CO 2 emissions by 28.7% in maize and increased by 8.99% in wheat. • Annual CO 2 emissions were decreased by 20.5% under NT than conventional tillage (CT). • Maize season accounted for 70% 78% of soil CO 2 emissions. • CO 2 emission intensity of maize was reduced by 35.9% under NT compared with CT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tillage practice can change soil properties, regulate crop root development and nutrient availability, thus affecting crop growth and yield. However, the effect of no tillage (NT) and deep tillage (DT) on crop yield relative to conventional tillage (CT) under varied environmental and management conditions is unclear in China. We assessed the yield response of wheat and maize to NT and DT relative to CT based on collected field data (518 observations) with a meta-analysis. In general, NT led to negative yield response of both crops relative to CT, whereas maize presented a positive yield response (6.0 %) to NT in sandy soil, and crop yield responses to NT were not significantly different among environmental and management factors. DT significantly increased the yield of wheat (8.7 %) and maize (8.2 %) over CT. For wheat, the yield response to DT was similar across soil textures, climate conditions, experiment durations, N fertilizer rates, and residue managements; however, the interval DT every 2–3 years (13.2 %) and monoculture (13.9 %) increased yield response than the continuous DT (8.4 %) and double cropping system (8.9 %), respectively. The yield response of maize to DT was greater in semidry region (16.1 %) and under high N fertilizer rate (>300 kg N ha−1) (16.1 %), interval DT (12.4 %) compared with those in humid (7.5 %) and semi-humid (6.8 %) regions, low N fertilizer rates (<300 kg N ha−1) (6.9 %−7.5 %), and continuous DT (7.8 %), respectively; but other environmental and management factors did not affect its yield response. Overall, NT presented similar yield of wheat and maize to CT, while DT significantly enhanced their yields; this analysis revealed the crucial environmental and management factors influencing yield response to tillage practices in China, we also gave some suggestions on selecting appropriate tillage methods to realize high crop yield or/and agricultural sustainable development. • NT led to negative yield response of wheat and maize relative to CT. • DT significantly enhanced wheat and maize yields over CT. • Interval DT and monoculture presented better effects on crop yield response to DT. • Environmental and management factors should be considered to enhance yield using DT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fallow-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (F-W) is the major cropping system for wheat production on the Loess Plateau of China. Integrating forage crops into the summer fallow season could improve crop yield, water productivity, and rainwater use efficiency, but this process is limited by the inter- and intra- annual variable precipitation. A 3-year (2016–2019) field experiment was conducted on the Loess Plateau to investigate the effects of fallow-winter wheat, oat (Avena sativa)-winter wheat (O-W), soybean (Glycine max)-winter wheat (S-W), and vetch (Vicia sativa)-winter wheat (V-W) systems on dry matter yield, water use, water productivity, and precipitation use efficiency under three interannual rainfall scenarios: a 30% decrease in rainfall (R-30%), normal rainfall (CK), and a 30% increase in rainfall (R+30%) by a rainfall-collection-redistribution device. In 2017–2018, under the CK scenario, the F-W, O-W, S-W, and V-W system wheat yields were 3.39, 3.63, 4.30, and 3.24 t ha−1, respectively, and the system yield values were 11.28, 16.72, 16.40, and 14.27 t ha−1, respectively. Compared to the CK scenario, the F-W, O-W, S-W, and V-W system yields increased by 22.9%, 34.5%, 20.4%, and 33.8% in 2016–2017 under the R+ 30% scenario, but the system water productivity decreased by 19.9%, 41.8%, 19.6%, and 32.4% in 2017–2018 under the R-30% scenario. Compared to those of the F-W system, the O-W, S-W, and V-W system yields significantly increased by 48.2%, 45.4%, and 26.5%, respectively, and the system water productivity increased by 51.5%, 47.3%, and 25.17%, respectively, in 2017–2018 under the CK scenario. The system precipitation use efficiency also increased by 29.3%, 42.9%, and 28.9% in 2018–2019 under the R+ 30% scenario. Across the three growing seasons, the F-W system had the highest wheat yield in the dry growing season. The S-W system had the highest dry matter yield, water productivity, and precipitation use efficiency in the normal and wet growing seasons. Therefore, we recommend the F-W system for local farmers when considering saving more soil water and maintaining wheat yield in the dry growing season. In normal and wet growing seasons, we recommend the S-W system for local farmers considering that the system increases productivity and improves environmental sustainability. • The O-W system had the highest forage yield, but it decreased the winter wheat yield in dry conditions. • The S-W system increased productivity and precipitation use efficiency in normal and wet conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nutrient Expert (NE), is designed through adoption of 4R nutrient stewardship. • Results show that NE achieved higher yields, higher profitability, and lower environmental risks. • An outstanding advantage of NE is user-friendly and can be easily acquired by all farmers with smartphones. Fertilizer has revolutionized crop production, but a lack of evidence-based fertilizer usage has resulted in negative economic and environmental ramifications, particularly for smallholder farmers. This study aimed at developing an innovative nutrient recommendation approach, Nutrient Expert (NE), for improving yields of maize, wheat, and rice while optimizing fertilizer input through adoption of 4R (applying the right source of nutrients at the right rate, time and place) nutrient stewardship technologies, and evaluating the large-scale performance on crop productivity and the environmental impact of cropping systems. Thus, we compared NE to current farmers' practice (FP) and soil test-based fertilizer application (ST) for 1,534 farm field experiments in order to validate the benefits of NE on both crop productivity and environmental protection in the main cereal production areas in China. Overall, the NE treatment achieved 4.4 % higher grain yield and 5.8 % more profit over FP, more yield for rice, but no differences for maize and wheat over ST. Nutrient Expert required 29.0 % and 14.7 % less fertilizer N than FP and ST, respectively. The NE recommendations improved the nitrogen (N) recovery efficiency by 10.8–13.4 percent points over FP across the 1,534 sites. Using the NE approach, on average, reactive N losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were reduced by 36.2 % and 21.5 % over FP, 16.0 % and 9.9 % over ST, respectively. The NE, as a user-friendly tool, is widely applicable across farm types and climatic regions. It could be beneficial for improving fertilizer use efficiency and maintaining strategic food security for smallholder production areas in China where N fertilizer is inappropriate and usually over applied. This approach could potentially be expanded to help reduce N losses and GHG emissions in other regions globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping system models are widely used to assess the impacts of and adaptation practices to climate change on agricultural production. However, crop growth simulations at large scales have often lacked consideration of variation in crop cultivars, which were represented by different sets of genetic coefficients in crops models. In this study, taking the phenology of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as an example, we compared four different strategies for upscaling genetic parameters in phenology simulations at large scales with two experimental datasets. The first dataset was from field experiments comprising 40 different spring wheat cultivars at Altay (2014) and Yangling (2015–2017) station; the second dataset was historical (2010–2014) observed phenology records from 57 national agro-meteorological observation stations in China. The four strategies were the representative cultivar estimated at a single site (SSPs), the representative cultivar estimated at the 57 sites (NRPs), the various representative cultivars estimated at different agro-ecological zones (RRPs), and the virtual cultivars generated from the posterior distributions (VCPs). The posterior distributions aforesaid were established based on the calibrated parameter values of the 40 different spring wheat cultivars planted in Yangling. Then, 1000 sets of VCPs were randomly sampled from the posterior distributions. The results indicated that both the SSPs and NRPs strategy obtained large errors and uncertainties in spring wheat phenology simulations in China since only one representative cultivar was used. The RRPs strategy achieved the second high and the highest accuracy in anthesis and maturity data simulations. The VCPs strategy obtained the highest accuracy in anthesis simulation but relative larger errors in maturity simulation. The VCPs strategy can be directly used in large-scale crop growth simulations without tedious process of calibration. Hence, this strategy is recommended in areas where observations are scarce and for model users who not good at model parameter estimation. • Four upscaling strategies for estimations of regional genetic parameter were compared. • Applying a single cultivar in regional crop growth simulations produced large errors. • Posterior distributions of spring wheat cultivar-genetic parameters were generated. • Using posterior distributions simplified parameter estimations and increased accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution from the paddy fields has posed a threat to surface water quality, and the reactive N in runoff has been recognized as the dominant contributor. In the rice-wheat systems of eastern China, replacing wheat (Triticum aestivum) with Chinese milk vetch (CMV) (Astragalus sinicus) is known to reduce total fertilizer N use and associated N losses during winter; however, the function of the rice-CMV system in controlling the N runoff loss was overlooked during the summer rice-growing season. Over 6 years, we monitored soil mineral N, plant N accumulation, rice grain yield, N agronomic efficiency (AE N), and N runoff in rice-CMV fertilizer N rate-response experiments and made comparisons with the conventional N inputs in rice-wheat rotation. Aboveground CMV residues added 65–116 kg N ha−1 yr−1; therefore, by adjusting the fertilizer time, the rice in this system required 44–56% less N fertilizer to produce rice yields equivalent to the 270 kg N ha−1 (district average, C270) used in the rice-wheat system. In all fertilizer N application treatments, 120 kg ha−1 seemed to be the threshold that ensured the soil N supply, the N accumulation at rice critical stages, and consequently, the current level rice yield. The corresponding runoff N averaged 9.3 kg ha−1 season−1, which was 51.8% less than that in C270 (19.3 kg ha−1 season−1). Cumulative N runoff (total N and NH 4 +-N) correlated strongly with fertilizer N input for any single year (sample size = 108, P < 0.01). Application of 30–120 kg fertilizer N ha−1 gave an equivalent AE N , which indicated that the integration of CMV and fertilizer N could increase the agronomic efficiency of N fertilizer applied to the rice. Rotating paddy rice with CMV instead of wheat, together with the suitable adjustment of N fertilizer, could sustain rice yield and gain the utmost environmental benefits from rice-based agroecosystems. [Display omitted] • Sharp reduction and adjustment of N fertilizer sustained rice yields in rice-CMV rotation. • Incorporating CMV residues reduced N fertilizer use by 150 kg N ha−1. • 51.8% less of runoff N ran from paddy field in the optimum rates (120 kg N ha−1) of rice-CMV system. • The incorporation of CMV residues increased fertilizer N use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Plain (NCP) is an important production base for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) in China, but intensive continuous winter wheat and summer maize (WM) double-cropping system (control) has also created the high carbon footprint (CF) ecological problems. It is imperative to build a new rotation pattern that not only achieves direct and indirect low greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, but also takes into account the grain security. CF metrics (per unit area (CF a), per unit economic output (CF e) and per unit kg grain yield (CF y)) were calculated for a two-year crop rotation experiment established at the Wuqiao Experimental Station, from October 2016 to September 2018. The treatments were eight alternative crop sequences grown in the first year, followed by WM in the second year. Alternative crop sequences included (1) WM, (2) fallow, (3) spring maize, (4) winter wheat, (5) spring sweet potato (Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill), (6) spring peanut (Arachis hypogaea Linn.), (7) winter wheat-summer peanut, and (8) potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) - silage maize. The results showed that fallow → WM and winter wheat → WM were weak absorption sinks of net GHG, and other rotation patterns were all net sources during the experimental period, while the seven rotation patterns could attain 48%–94% of grain crops yield in control. Spring sweet potato → WM and winter wheat - summer peanut → WM, had no significant differences with control from three different CF perspectives. Spring maize → WM, spring peanut → WM, and potato - silage maize → WM produced more CF than control. Therefore, fallow and planting winter wheat alone in the first year of novel two-year rotation patterns reduced CF in the NCP, planting spring sweet potato and winter wheat-summer peanut increased net income without increasing CF and without compromising grain security, which could attain 1.53 and 1.12 times of the control. The research preliminary showed that winter wheat → WM, spring sweet potato → WM and winter wheat - summer peanut → WM were feasible to trade off of grain production and reducing CF. • Exploring the novel rotation patterns and trying to ensure grain security while reducing carbon emissions. • Compared with winter wheat and summer maize (WM), fallow→WM and W→WM were weak absorption sinks and required fewer resources. • Spring sweet potato→WM and W-summer peanut→WM increased net income, without increasing CF and compromising grain security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A water-energy-food relative index for cropping systems at the field scale is proposed. • Synergy among water, energy and food in the North China Plain is evaluated. • Sustainable systems can balance crop production while reducing resource depletion. Extreme climate change, rapid population growth and economic development drive a growing demand for resources, which lead to energy, food, water and their intertwined nexus becoming increasingly important. Agricultural decisions considering the interconnections among water, energy, and food are critical. The consumption of large amounts groundwater and non-renewable energy by the predominant traditional wheat-maize cropping system has caused a serious water shortage in the North China Plain (NCP), which is a large food production region in China. This situation has strained the relationship between water/energy consumption and food production. It is important to seek synergy in the water-energy-food nexus. This paper proposed a relative index of water-energy-food (WEF RI) based on different values of resource consumption and use efficiency between treatment systems and control system to analyze the synergy between water utilization, energy consumption and food supply in different cropping systems at the field scale. The goal is to seek a sustainable cropping system to balance crop production while reducing energy consumption and water depletion. In this case, different systems including monocropped maize (Zea mays) (MM), intercropped maize and soybean (Glycine max) (MS), relay cropped of maize with pea (Pisum sativum) (MP) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) (MO), rotation of maize with spinach (Spinacia oleracea) (MI) and ryegrass (Secale cereale) (MR), and using traditional wheat-maize (Triticum aestivum) (MW) as a control. MM, MS, MP and MO were the best systems within a particular range of food supply reduction. The WEF RI of the MM/MS system was the highest (2.96/2.78). Compared to the MW system, the groundwater consumption of MM/MS was reduced by 73.84%/73.84%, and non-renewable energy inputs were reduced by 48.01%/48.30%; however, the food supply decreased by 48.05%/51.70%. The WEF RI of the MP system was 1.98. In comparison with the MW system, the groundwater consumption of the MP system was reduced by 28.46%, and the non-renewable energy inputs were reduced by 42.68%. However, the food supply decreased by 37.13%. The WEF RI of MO system was 1.92. Compared to the MW system, the groundwater consumption of MO was reduced by 11.47%, non-renewable energy inputs were reduced by 32.14%, and the food supply only decreased by 26.27%. In conclusion, we theoretically proposed the following references for cropping systems in the NCP: MM and MS are implemented when the areas has extreme water shortages, MO is implemented when a less than 30% reduction in the food supply capacity is acceptable, and MP is recommended if a 30%–40% reduction in the food supply is acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]