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To illustrate the effects of long-term straw returning on the fungal community, soil enzyme activity, and crop yield in a fluvo-aquic soil area typical of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, a 10-year field experiment (established in 2010) located in Dezhou City, Shandong province, was performed, including three fertilization regimes (NF, no fertilization control; NPK, fertilization with chemical N, P, and K fertilizers; NPKS, straw returning combined with chemical N, P, and K fertilizers). This study aimed to explore the regulation mechanisms of fungal communities on soil fertility, enzyme activities, and crop yield by employing co-occurrence network and structural equation model analyses. Our results showed that long-term straw returning significantly improved soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and wheat yield. Compared with the NPK and NF treatments, soil organic matter (SOM) increased by 9.20% and 34.75%, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN) increased by 12.03% and 39.17%, dehydrogenase (DHA) increased by 37.21% and 50.91%

Increasing grain zinc (Zn) concentration of cereals for minimizing Zn malnutrition in two billion people represents an important global humanitarian challenge. Grain Zn in field-grown wheat at the global scale ranges from 20.4 to 30.5 mg kg−1, showing a solid gap to the biofortification target for human health (40 mg kg−1). Through a group of field experiments, we found that the low grain Zn was not closely linked to historical replacements of varieties during the Green Revolution, but greatly aggravated by phosphorus (P) overuse or insufficient nitrogen (N) application. We also conducted a total of 320-pair plots field experiments and found an average increase of 10.5 mg kg−1 by foliar Zn application. We conclude that an integrated strategy, including not only Zn-responsive genotypes, but of a similar importance, Zn application and field N and P management, are required to harvest more grain Zn and meanwhile ensure better yield in wheat-dominant areas.

Potash resources in China are very scarce. It is especially important to correctly evaluate the potential potassium‐supplying power of soils in northern China in order to use soil potassium sufficiently and potash fertilizer properly. Regional differences in crop yield responses to long‐term potassium application in northern China were determined in this study. Twenty‐five representative soil samples from 13 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of major agricultural regions in northern China were collected from the surface layer (0–20 cm) before crop seeding in 1993. A soil potassium‐depletion study was carried out in a pot experiment with successive planting of corn seedlings for 10 harvests in the 25 soils. Since 1993, field trials on wheat and corn response to long‐term potassium application were conducted at the fixed sites of HLJ‐SC (Shuangcheng of Heilongjiang), JL‐LFZ (Liufangzi of Jilin), HB‐XJ (Xinji of Hebei), SX‐LF (Linfen of Shanxi), QH‐NKY (Nongkeyuan of Qinghai), and XJ‐CJ (Chan...