Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110320
Xiaoliang Li , Kening Wu , Weimin Cai , Bailin Zhang , Yanan Liu , Xiao Li
<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Imbalances in cropping structure and disordered spatial distribution pose potential threats to environmental carrying capacity, food security, economic returns, and land-use efficiency. However, systematic approaches to optimizing both cropping structures and their spatial allocation remain limited. Previous studies have primarily focused on quantitative optimization while neglecting critical constraints, thereby introducing biases and limiting spatial applicability.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to diagnose the problems in current cropping structures and develop an integrated optimization framework that simultaneously accounts for both quantitative and spatial dimensions, thereby promoting food supply–demand balance and environmental sustainability.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We employed a life cycle assessment model to evaluate the water and carbon footprints of rice, wheat, and maize, and applied a food supply–demand balance model to identify cropping structures that meet healthy dietary requirements. A multi-objective optimization model combined with an integer linear programming approach was then used to optimize both the quantity and spatial allocation of cropping structures under dietary demand and planetary boundary constraints.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Between 2018 and 2023, the sown areas of rice, wheat, and maize remained relatively stable, whereas double-cropping areas declined and single-cropping areas expanded. Compared with the diet-oriented cropping structure in 2023, the current structure resulted in 12.18 % higher carbon footprint and 8.78 % higher water footprint, though still 19.28 % and 28.08 % lower than the planetary boundaries of carbon and blue water use, respectively. Under three optimization scenarios, net economic benefits increased by up to 37.23 %, while water and carbon footprints were reduced by 8.87 % and 16.43 %, respectively. The optimized spatial configuration was dominated by single-cropping maize and wheat–maize rotations, with cropland suitability improved by at least 9.52 %. Nevertheless, notable discrepancies remain between the current and optimized patterns, highlighting the urgent need for policy support and adjustment.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Although the current structure has not exceeded planetary boundaries, it exhibits a significant mismatch between supply and demand. Optimized cropping structures can simultaneously enhance economic benefits and ensure environmental sustainability while maintaining dietary balance. Compared with current conditions, the optimized spatial allocation further improves overall cropland suitability.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>This study proposes an integrated pathway for the quantitative and spatial optimization of cropping structures in the context of healthy dietary demand and environmental sustainability, providing a methodological framework and practical reference
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Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110322
Ayman M.S. Elshamly , Modhi O. Alotaibi , Mashael M. Alotibi , Maged M. Alharbi , Esawy Mahmoud , Samar Swify , Kassem A.S. Mohammed , Saudi A. Rekaby , Adel M. Ghoneim , Wael A. Mahmoud , Rashid Iqbal , Maximilian Lackner
Objectives
Currently, there is a gap in understanding how fixed partial root-zone irrigation (FDI) and phosphorus (P) levels interact to affect stressed peanut yield and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE), with a particular need for data on their dynamic responses and potential to enhance FDI in arid conditions. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was designed using a split-split plot system to evaluate the impact of partial root-zone irrigation techniques, P application rates, and irrigation levels on peanuts. The experiment's goal was to determine how these factors influence the physio-chemical properties, root development, PUE, overall yield, and water productivity (WP).
Methods
The experimental setup involved two partial root-zone irrigation techniques in the main plots, FDI and alternate partial root-zone driplines (ADI), each with dripline distances of 15 cm and 30 cm from the plant rows, creating four treatments: FDI-15, FDI-30, ADI-15, and ADI-30. Two irrigation levels were applied to the sub-plots, consisting of 100 % and 75 % of the required peanut irrigation. Within these sub-plots, three different P application rates were distributed in the sub-sub plots: 0 kg P ha−1, 45 kg P ha−1, and 72 kg P ha−1.
Results
Variations in wetted area, peanut responses, PUE, yield, and WP were observed depending on the adopted irrigation technique, irrigation level, and P rate. Under FDI-30, the combination of 75 % irrigation level and 72 Kg P ha−1 led to positive outcomes in peanut crops, including higher nutrient content, improved root traits, increased relative water content, greater carbohydrate levels, and enhanced peanut yield and WP. Irrigating plants with 75 % of peanut irrigation amounts and applying 45 Kg P ha−1 using ADI-30 technique resulted in the highest recorded wetted area percentage, relative water content, total chlorophyll, root weight density, K, PUE, overall yield, and WP.
Conclusions
Based on the findings, applying 75 % irrigation level and adopting ADI-30 and 45 kg P ha−1 was recommended to boost peanut yield, PUE, and WP; while achieving efficient use of irrigation and P fertilization amounts. This approach leads to increased profitability, a more resilient farming system, and serves as a model for sustainable water and input management in similar crops and arid regions.
目前，在了解固定部分根区灌溉（FDI）和磷(P)水平如何相互作用影响胁迫花生产量和磷利用效率（PUE）方面存在空白，特别需要关于它们在干旱条件下的动态响应和提高FDI潜力的数据。为此，设计了一项为期2年的田间试验，采用裂畦法评价部分根区灌溉技术、施磷量和灌溉水平对花生的影响。试验的目的是确定这些因素如何影响理化性质、根系发育、PUE、总产量和水分生产力（WP）。方法采用FDI和ADI两种部分根区灌溉技术，分别距植株行15 cm和30 cm，分别设置4种处理：FDI-15、FDI-30、ADI-15和ADI-30。子田施2个灌溉水平，分别为花生需水量的100% %和75% %。在这些子样地中，3个不同的施磷率分布在子样地：0 kg P ha−1、45 kg P ha−1和72 kg P ha−1。结果不同灌溉方式、灌水量和施磷量对受水面积、花生反应、PUE、产量和WP的影响不同。在FDI-30条件下，75% %的灌溉水平和72 Kg P ha - 1的组合对花生作物产生了积极的影响，包括提高养分含量，改善根系性状，增加相对含水量，提高碳水化合物水平，提高花生产量和WP。以花生灌水量的75% %灌溉植株，并使用ADI-30技术施用45 Kg P ha - 1，可获得最高的湿面积百分比、相对含水量、总叶绿素、根重密度、K、PUE、总产量和WP。结论建议以75% %的灌溉水平、ADI-30和45 kg P ha - 1灌溉可提高花生产量、PUE和WP；同时实现灌溉和磷肥用量的有效利用。这种方法提高了盈利能力，增强了农业系统的抵御能力，并可作为类似作物和干旱地区可持续水和投入管理的典范。
{"title":"Utilizing unique irrigation techniques and different phosphorus rates as strategies to improve peanut growth, phosphorus use efficiency and water productivity","authors":"Ayman M.S. Elshamly , Modhi O. Alotaibi , Mashael M. Alotibi , Maged M. Alharbi , Esawy Mahmoud , Samar Swify , Kassem A.S. Mohammed , Saudi A. Rekaby , Adel M. Ghoneim , Wael A. Mahmoud , Rashid Iqbal , Maximilian Lackner","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Currently, there is a gap in understanding how fixed partial root-zone irrigation (FDI) and phosphorus (P) levels interact to affect stressed peanut yield and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE), with a particular need for data on their dynamic responses and potential to enhance FDI in arid conditions. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was designed using a split-split plot system to evaluate the impact of partial root-zone irrigation techniques, P application rates, and irrigation levels on peanuts. The experiment's goal was to determine how these factors influence the physio-chemical properties, root development, PUE, overall yield, and water productivity (WP).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The experimental setup involved two partial root-zone irrigation techniques in the main plots, FDI and alternate partial root-zone driplines (ADI), each with dripline distances of 15 cm and 30 cm from the plant rows, creating four treatments: FDI-15, FDI-30, ADI-15, and ADI-30. Two irrigation levels were applied to the sub-plots, consisting of 100 % and 75 % of the required peanut irrigation. Within these sub-plots, three different P application rates were distributed in the sub-sub plots: 0 kg P ha<sup>−1</sup>, 45 kg P ha<sup>−1</sup>, and 72 kg P ha<sup>−1</sup>.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Variations in wetted area, peanut responses, PUE, yield, and WP were observed depending on the adopted irrigation technique, irrigation level, and P rate. Under FDI-30, the combination of 75 % irrigation level and 72 Kg P ha<sup>−1</sup> led to positive outcomes in peanut crops, including higher nutrient content, improved root traits, increased relative water content, greater carbohydrate levels, and enhanced peanut yield and WP. Irrigating plants with 75 % of peanut irrigation amounts and applying 45 Kg P ha<sup>−1</sup> using ADI-30 technique resulted in the highest recorded wetted area percentage, relative water content, total chlorophyll, root weight density, K, PUE, overall yield, and WP.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Based on the findings, applying 75 % irrigation level and adopting ADI-30 and 45 kg P ha<sup>−1</sup> was recommended to boost peanut yield, PUE, and WP; while achieving efficient use of irrigation and P fertilization amounts. This approach leads to increased profitability, a more resilient farming system, and serves as a model for sustainable water and input management in similar crops and arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 110322"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-03DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110318
Yingbo Gao , Haiyan Chao , Xinyi Zhao , Xin Liu , Chang Liu , Guanda Hu , Xueqin Chen , Guowei Wang , Dunliang Wang , Rui Li , Juan Zhou , Xiaoxiang Zhang , Youping Wang , Jianye Huang , Zefeng Yang , Yong Zhou , Youli Yao
Context or problem
Increasing rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) through improved plant architecture and canopy management is a key strategy for sustainable agriculture.
Objective or research question
This study investigated the role of AP2/ERF transcription factor OsRAV1 in regulating rice growth and yield under varying nitrogen (N) rates and planting densities.
Methods
A three-year field experiment compared lines expressing different levels of OsRAV1 with wild-type controls. OsRAV1 expression was significantly influenced by N and planting density.
Results
Increased expression of OsRAV1 resulted in higher grain yield, primarily through increased spikelet number per panicle. Optimized planting density, combined with a moderate N rate, further enhanced yield, largely due to a reduction in panicle number per unit area at elevated OsRAV1 expression. Furthermore, increased OsRAV1 levels promoted leaf and stem elongation, increased internode diameter, and improved lodging resistance. OsRAV1 also stimulated starch and sucrose metabolism, enhanced nitrogen uptake, increased dry matter accumulation (DMA), and delayed leaf senescence. Conversely, OsRAV1 knockout line exhibited reduced grain yield, decreased NUE, and accelerated leaf senescence.
Conclusions
As a crucial regulator of rice architecture and yield, OsRAV1 increases spikelet number per panicle, stimulates starch and sucrose metabolism, and delays leaf senescence, thereby enhancing DMA, enhances yield, and improves NUE.
Implications or significance
Modulating OsRAV1 expression in rice presents a promising strategy to optimize plant architecture, increase yield, and improve NUE - key objectives for breeding programs aimed at sustainable rice production.
{"title":"Enhancing rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency through OsRAV1 expression and crop management","authors":"Yingbo Gao , Haiyan Chao , Xinyi Zhao , Xin Liu , Chang Liu , Guanda Hu , Xueqin Chen , Guowei Wang , Dunliang Wang , Rui Li , Juan Zhou , Xiaoxiang Zhang , Youping Wang , Jianye Huang , Zefeng Yang , Yong Zhou , Youli Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>Increasing rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) through improved plant architecture and canopy management is a key strategy for sustainable agriculture.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>This study investigated the role of AP2/ERF transcription factor <em>OsRAV1</em> in regulating rice growth and yield under varying nitrogen (N) rates and planting densities.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A three-year field experiment compared lines expressing different levels of <em>OsRAV1</em> with wild-type controls. <em>OsRAV1</em> expression was significantly influenced by N and planting density.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Increased expression of <em>OsRAV1</em> resulted in higher grain yield, primarily through increased spikelet number per panicle. Optimized planting density, combined with a moderate N rate, further enhanced yield, largely due to a reduction in panicle number per unit area at elevated <em>OsRAV1</em> expression. Furthermore, increased <em>OsRAV1</em> levels promoted leaf and stem elongation, increased internode diameter, and improved lodging resistance. <em>OsRAV1</em> also stimulated starch and sucrose metabolism, enhanced nitrogen uptake, increased dry matter accumulation (DMA), and delayed leaf senescence. Conversely, <em>OsRAV1</em> knockout line exhibited reduced grain yield, decreased NUE, and accelerated leaf senescence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>As a crucial regulator of rice architecture and yield, <em>OsRAV1</em> increases spikelet number per panicle, stimulates starch and sucrose metabolism, and delays leaf senescence, thereby enhancing DMA, enhances yield, and improves NUE.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>Modulating <em>OsRAV1</em> expression in rice presents a promising strategy to optimize plant architecture, increase yield, and improve NUE - key objectives for breeding programs aimed at sustainable rice production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110318"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Green manure (GM) can potentially increase crop yields by enhancing the soil properties to solve the contradiction between soil degradation and food security. However, the effects of GM on the soil properties and crop yields in variable environments, and the relationships between them remain unclear, and the key factors need to be identified. Moreover, global prediction are lacking of the effects of GM on crop yields.
Objectives and methods
Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis using 5125 pairs of data observations to study the overall effects of GM and environmental variability on the soil properties and subsequent crop yields, and to establish their relationships by introducing the soil quality index (SQI). In addition, we used a machine learning model to predict the global changes in SQI and the yields of maize, wheat, and rice under GM.
Results
GM significantly increased the soil C, N, P, and K contents, and enzyme activities by 5.34–40.02 %, 8.81–32.39 %, 4.54–10.02 %, 1.18–8.74 %, and 9.49–19.76 %, respectively, increasing SQI by 16.96 %. The fundamental physical and chemical features of soil, duration of GM application, and climatic conditions significantly affected the improvements in the soil properties under GM. The initial total nitrogen (TN) content of the soil and duration of GM application were the two main factors associated with the effect of GM on SQI. When the initial soil TN content was lower than 0.75 g kg–1 and the GM application duration exceeded 15 years, SQI increased by 26.60 % and 19.94 %, respectively. GM significantly increased SQI by enhancing the soil properties to eventually increase the crop yield by 3.48 %. GM duration was the most important factor associated with the crop yield, and GM significantly increased the crop yield by 18.72 % when the duration exceeded 15 years. However, when the application duration is less than 5 years, the increase is only 2.10 %. The global machine learning model predicted that GM can potentially increase the SQI and crop yield by 23.98 % and 6.35 %, respectively.
Conclusion
Therefore, we conclude that applying GM as a green fertilization strategy can increase crop yields by enhancing SQI, and its effects on increasing yields are greater in areas with insufficient soil fertility and long-term planting.
Implication
This study highlights the importance of GM for farmland production. SQI was used to establish the relationship between soil quality and crop productivity, and we predicted the potential of GM for improving the global SQI and crop yields.
{"title":"Global meta-analysis and machine learning show that long-term green manure planting in areas with insufficient fertility produces higher grain yields by enhancing soil health","authors":"Peng Wu , Qi Wu , Jinyu Yu , Zihui Zhang , Hua Huang , Enke Liu , Kemoh Bangura , Xingli Huo , Haotian Wu , Zhikuan Jia , Peng Zhang , Guangxin Zhang , Jianfu Xue , Chuangyun Wang , Zhiqiang Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110323","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110323","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Green manure (GM) can potentially increase crop yields by enhancing the soil properties to solve the contradiction between soil degradation and food security. However, the effects of GM on the soil properties and crop yields in variable environments, and the relationships between them remain unclear, and the key factors need to be identified. Moreover, global prediction are lacking of the effects of GM on crop yields.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives and methods</h3><div>Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis using 5125 pairs of data observations to study the overall effects of GM and environmental variability on the soil properties and subsequent crop yields, and to establish their relationships by introducing the soil quality index (SQI). In addition, we used a machine learning model to predict the global changes in SQI and the yields of maize, wheat, and rice under GM.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>GM significantly increased the soil C, N, P, and K contents, and enzyme activities by 5.34–40.02 %, 8.81–32.39 %, 4.54–10.02 %, 1.18–8.74 %, and 9.49–19.76 %, respectively, increasing SQI by 16.96 %. The fundamental physical and chemical features of soil, duration of GM application, and climatic conditions significantly affected the improvements in the soil properties under GM. The initial total nitrogen (TN) content of the soil and duration of GM application were the two main factors associated with the effect of GM on SQI. When the initial soil TN content was lower than 0.75 g kg<sup>–1</sup> and the GM application duration exceeded 15 years, SQI increased by 26.60 % and 19.94 %, respectively. GM significantly increased SQI by enhancing the soil properties to eventually increase the crop yield by 3.48 %. GM duration was the most important factor associated with the crop yield, and GM significantly increased the crop yield by 18.72 % when the duration exceeded 15 years. However, when the application duration is less than 5 years, the increase is only 2.10 %. The global machine learning model predicted that GM can potentially increase the SQI and crop yield by 23.98 % and 6.35 %, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Therefore, we conclude that applying GM as a green fertilization strategy can increase crop yields by enhancing SQI, and its effects on increasing yields are greater in areas with insufficient soil fertility and long-term planting.</div></div><div><h3>Implication</h3><div>This study highlights the importance of GM for farmland production. SQI was used to establish the relationship between soil quality and crop productivity, and we predicted the potential of GM for improving the global SQI and crop yields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110323"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110310
Jinwook Kim , Breno Bicego , Gustavo A. Slafer , Roxana Savin
<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The companion paper reported that two contemporary cultivars differed constitutively in their average grain weight (AGW) and in their sensitivity to heat waves (HW). It is relevant to elucidate whether the effects of HW are direct on the capacity of the grains to grow or indirect through penalizing post-anthesis (AN) growth and consequently restricting the availability of assimilates for the growing grains. Testing HW with changes in source-strength could help further understanding the causes of the sensitivity of AGW to a HW. This may help to identify strategies in crop management and traits to target in breeding.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To quantify the effects and analyse the causes of post-AN HW on AGW on two contrasting cultivars, considering a double treatment at both stages (pre- + post-AN HW) and whether an increase in source strength through removing alternate rows in the plots by thinning modify the yield penalties. Also, source strength per grain during the effective period of grain filling was either decreased (through a defoliation) or increased (through de-graining) in combination with each of the other treatments.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Experiments were carried out in two locations, Lleida and Bell-lloc (NE, Spain). Main treatments consisted in the factorial combination of two contrasting genotypes (Pistolo of high AGW and Sublim of high GN), and three HW that were imposed in the field using installing tents with transparent polyethylene films either at booting (pre-AN HW) or 15 days after anthesis (post-AN HW). An additional HW (combination of pre- and post-AN HW) was imposed in one location while thinning treatment at the onset of stem elongation in the other.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Across both locations, AGW was consistently higher in Pistolo compared to Sublim. Moreover, the entire distribution of individual grain sizes was higher in Pistolo, with both the lightest (bottom decile) and heaviest (top decile) grains significantly heavier in Pistolo. The main reason for the higher AGW of Pistolo was its higher rate of grain growth, as the duration was similar between both genotypes and also higher potential weight. Post-AN HW, reduced AGW, being Pistolo more sensitive than Sublim. The double HW treatment revealed that exposure to a post-AN HW was markedly less detrimental when preceded by a pre-AN HW. This suggests a non-additive effect on AGW, with prior HW exposure inducing a priming response that mitigated the impact of subsequent stress through antagonistic interactions between the two events. Varying source-sink ratios under heated conditions did not change the weight of the grains noticeably suggesting that direct effects of post-AN HW on the capacity of the grains to grow dominated those mediated by assimilate availability during grain filling.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The GN–AGW trade-off was not due to limited resources or more small grain
{"title":"Physiological bases of wheat grain weight response to heat waves: Post-anthesis sensitivity and responses to source-sink manipulations in contrasting cultivars","authors":"Jinwook Kim , Breno Bicego , Gustavo A. Slafer , Roxana Savin","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110310","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110310","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The companion paper reported that two contemporary cultivars differed constitutively in their average grain weight (AGW) and in their sensitivity to heat waves (HW). It is relevant to elucidate whether the effects of HW are direct on the capacity of the grains to grow or indirect through penalizing post-anthesis (AN) growth and consequently restricting the availability of assimilates for the growing grains. Testing HW with changes in source-strength could help further understanding the causes of the sensitivity of AGW to a HW. This may help to identify strategies in crop management and traits to target in breeding.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To quantify the effects and analyse the causes of post-AN HW on AGW on two contrasting cultivars, considering a double treatment at both stages (pre- + post-AN HW) and whether an increase in source strength through removing alternate rows in the plots by thinning modify the yield penalties. Also, source strength per grain during the effective period of grain filling was either decreased (through a defoliation) or increased (through de-graining) in combination with each of the other treatments.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Experiments were carried out in two locations, Lleida and Bell-lloc (NE, Spain). Main treatments consisted in the factorial combination of two contrasting genotypes (Pistolo of high AGW and Sublim of high GN), and three HW that were imposed in the field using installing tents with transparent polyethylene films either at booting (pre-AN HW) or 15 days after anthesis (post-AN HW). An additional HW (combination of pre- and post-AN HW) was imposed in one location while thinning treatment at the onset of stem elongation in the other.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Across both locations, AGW was consistently higher in Pistolo compared to Sublim. Moreover, the entire distribution of individual grain sizes was higher in Pistolo, with both the lightest (bottom decile) and heaviest (top decile) grains significantly heavier in Pistolo. The main reason for the higher AGW of Pistolo was its higher rate of grain growth, as the duration was similar between both genotypes and also higher potential weight. Post-AN HW, reduced AGW, being Pistolo more sensitive than Sublim. The double HW treatment revealed that exposure to a post-AN HW was markedly less detrimental when preceded by a pre-AN HW. This suggests a non-additive effect on AGW, with prior HW exposure inducing a priming response that mitigated the impact of subsequent stress through antagonistic interactions between the two events. Varying source-sink ratios under heated conditions did not change the weight of the grains noticeably suggesting that direct effects of post-AN HW on the capacity of the grains to grow dominated those mediated by assimilate availability during grain filling.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The GN–AGW trade-off was not due to limited resources or more small grain","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110310"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110321
Yifan Fu , Wei Yang , Meng Zhang , Xiangning Wu , Guodong Yang , Hongshun Xiang , Chanchan Du , Jinjuan Zhu , Chen Yang , Yunfan Wan , Shaobing Peng , Yu’e Li , Bin Wang , Shen Yuan
Context
Nitrogen (N) is essential for rice production but often exhibits low use efficiency and substantial environmental losses, especially in intensive double-season rice system. Resin-coated controlled-release urea (CRU) has the potential to better synchronize N release and crop demand; however, its long-term impacts on soil health, agronomic performance, and environmental outcomes remain insufficiently understood.
Objective
This study assessed the long-term effects of CRU compared to conventional urea (CK) on rice yield, soil properties, nutrient use efficiency, and environmental sustainability in double-season rice.
Methods
A 13-year field experiment (2012–2024) was conducted in central China with CRU and CK in both early and late-season rice. Measurements included soil physicochemical properties, yield and yield components. and nutrient uptake. Metrics such as partial factor productivity of fertilizer; physiological efficiency; nutrient harvest index, N balance; and carbon and N sequestrations were also calculated.
Results and discussion
Both treatments improved soil fertility over time, but CRU led to substantially greater gains – increasing soil organic carbon (+54.9 %), total N (+53.8 %), and total phosphorus (+27.0 %) relative to initial soil status. Compared to CK, CRU increased carbon and N sequestration by 17.6 % and 13.1 %, respectively; increased rice yields by 13.1 % in the early-season rice and 15.5 % in the late-season rice, driven by improvements in both source and sink capacity; increased total N, P, and K uptake by 21.0–22.9 %; and improved partial factor productivity of fertilizer by 13.2–15.5 %. Moreover, CRU reduced N surplus by 24.8–38.9 % and achieved a tighter alignment between N balance and yield, indicating simultaneous gains in crop productivity and environmental performance over CK.
Significance
This long-term study demonstrates that under the specific soil and climatic conditions tested, CRU-based N management enhances soil health, rice yield, and nutrient use efficiency, while reducing N losses and associated environmental risks. The findings provide robust evidence supporting CRU as a key technology for the sustainable intensification of rice production in intensive double-season rice system.
{"title":"Long-term evidence that controlled-release urea enhances yield and soil fertility while mitigating environmental impacts in double-season rice","authors":"Yifan Fu , Wei Yang , Meng Zhang , Xiangning Wu , Guodong Yang , Hongshun Xiang , Chanchan Du , Jinjuan Zhu , Chen Yang , Yunfan Wan , Shaobing Peng , Yu’e Li , Bin Wang , Shen Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110321","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Nitrogen (N) is essential for rice production but often exhibits low use efficiency and substantial environmental losses, especially in intensive double-season rice system. Resin-coated controlled-release urea (CRU) has the potential to better synchronize N release and crop demand; however, its long-term impacts on soil health, agronomic performance, and environmental outcomes remain insufficiently understood.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study assessed the long-term effects of CRU compared to conventional urea (CK) on rice yield, soil properties, nutrient use efficiency, and environmental sustainability in double-season rice.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A 13-year field experiment (2012–2024) was conducted in central China with CRU and CK in both early and late-season rice. Measurements included soil physicochemical properties, yield and yield components. and nutrient uptake. Metrics such as partial factor productivity of fertilizer; physiological efficiency; nutrient harvest index, N balance; and carbon and N sequestrations were also calculated.</div></div><div><h3>Results and discussion</h3><div>Both treatments improved soil fertility over time, but CRU led to substantially greater gains – increasing soil organic carbon (+54.9 %), total N (+53.8 %), and total phosphorus (+27.0 %) relative to initial soil status. Compared to CK, CRU increased carbon and N sequestration by 17.6 % and 13.1 %, respectively; increased rice yields by 13.1 % in the early-season rice and 15.5 % in the late-season rice, driven by improvements in both source and sink capacity; increased total N, P, and K uptake by 21.0–22.9 %; and improved partial factor productivity of fertilizer by 13.2–15.5 %. Moreover, CRU reduced N surplus by 24.8–38.9 % and achieved a tighter alignment between N balance and yield, indicating simultaneous gains in crop productivity and environmental performance over CK.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This long-term study demonstrates that under the specific soil and climatic conditions tested, CRU-based N management enhances soil health, rice yield, and nutrient use efficiency, while reducing N losses and associated environmental risks. The findings provide robust evidence supporting CRU as a key technology for the sustainable intensification of rice production in intensive double-season rice system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110321"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110317
Kaijing Yang , Fengxin Wang , Jianyu Zhao , Clinton C. Shock , Youliang Zhang , Shaoyuan Feng , Xiaoyan Hou , Jiangjiang Han , Xiuxia Wu
Potato is a globally important crop and its high production requires suitable soil conditions, including temperate soil temperature and good aeration. To explore the effects of irrigation methods and mulching on soil temperature, soil aeration, tuber yield, and water use efficiency (WUE), four years of field experiments were conducted in an arid region of Northwest China in 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015. Treatments consisted of one furrow irrigation treatment with transparent plastic mulching (FT) and three drip irrigation treatments with transparent film mulching (DT), black plastic film mulching (DB) and non-mulch (DN), respectively. The results showed that furrow-irrigated soil had higher temperature and poorer aeration than the corresponding drip-irrigated soil. The use of plastic mulch increased soil CO2 concentration and decreased the soil oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) versus non-use of mulch. Transparent plastic mulch increased daily mean soil temperature throughout the growing season, while black plastic mulch increased soil temperature in the early and late growing season but reduced it during the tuber initiation and bulking stages. Specifically, daily mean soil temperature and CO2 concentration were respectively about 1 °C and 40.4 % lower for DB than those for DT throughout the growing season. Furthermore, during the tuber initiation and bulking stages daily mean soil temperature in the 0–20 cm layer of DB was 0.2–3.7 °C lower than that of DN, but the CO2 concentration did not differ, creating more favorable conditions for tuber growth. Potato yield under drip irrigation were 17 %–40 % and 21 %–40 % higher than under furrow irrigation in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Mean yield for mulched potato increased by 21 %–53 % compared to non-mulched potato and the corresponding WUEs improved by 12 %–59 %. Both yield and WUE were the highest in treatment DB among all treatments in 2007 and 2015. Consequently, drip irrigation with black plastic mulch was found to be an efficient agronomic approach to improve potato productivity and WUE by increasing soil temperature during early vegetative growth but decreasing soil temperature during tuber initiation and bulking with appropriate soil aeration.
{"title":"Soil temperature and aeration modification using black plastic mulch to improve potato yield and water use efficiency","authors":"Kaijing Yang , Fengxin Wang , Jianyu Zhao , Clinton C. Shock , Youliang Zhang , Shaoyuan Feng , Xiaoyan Hou , Jiangjiang Han , Xiuxia Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Potato is a globally important crop and its high production requires suitable soil conditions, including temperate soil temperature and good aeration. To explore the effects of irrigation methods and mulching on soil temperature, soil aeration, tuber yield, and water use efficiency (WUE), four years of field experiments were conducted in an arid region of Northwest China in 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015. Treatments consisted of one furrow irrigation treatment with transparent plastic mulching (FT) and three drip irrigation treatments with transparent film mulching (DT), black plastic film mulching (DB) and non-mulch (DN), respectively. The results showed that furrow-irrigated soil had higher temperature and poorer aeration than the corresponding drip-irrigated soil. The use of plastic mulch increased soil CO<sub>2</sub> concentration and decreased the soil oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) versus non-use of mulch. Transparent plastic mulch increased daily mean soil temperature throughout the growing season, while black plastic mulch increased soil temperature in the early and late growing season but reduced it during the tuber initiation and bulking stages. Specifically, daily mean soil temperature and CO<sub>2</sub> concentration were respectively about 1 °C and 40.4 % lower for DB than those for DT throughout the growing season. Furthermore, during the tuber initiation and bulking stages daily mean soil temperature in the 0–20 cm layer of DB was 0.2–3.7 °C lower than that of DN, but the CO<sub>2</sub> concentration did not differ, creating more favorable conditions for tuber growth. Potato yield under drip irrigation were 17 %–40 % and 21 %–40 % higher than under furrow irrigation in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Mean yield for mulched potato increased by 21 %–53 % compared to non-mulched potato and the corresponding WUEs improved by 12 %–59 %. Both yield and WUE were the highest in treatment DB among all treatments in 2007 and 2015. Consequently, drip irrigation with black plastic mulch was found to be an efficient agronomic approach to improve potato productivity and WUE by increasing soil temperature during early vegetative growth but decreasing soil temperature during tuber initiation and bulking with appropriate soil aeration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110317"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110316
Zexi Zhang , Jianhua Dong , Xiaogang Liu , Dan Xu , Yanhong Liu , Hualing Zhang , Jinxue Li
Context
Slow/controlled-release fertilizers (SCRFs) are widely employed due to their potential to enhance crop yields and promote ecological benefits. However, the effects of SCRFs on crop yield, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and soil organic carbon (SOC) under varying crop types, field management practices, and environmental conditions remain unclear.
Objective and methods
Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 951 observations from 145 published studies worldwide to evaluate how substituting SCRFs for rapid-acting fertilizers (RAFs) affects yield, GHG emissions, and SOC in maize, wheat, and rice under different agricultural systems. Furthermore, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model combined with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was applied to quantify the relative importance of five environmental factors, including climatic characteristics and soil properties, and to identify the key predictors regulating the effects of SCRFs.
Results
Results indicated that SCRFs enhanced crop yield and increase SOC stock (yield by 3.4–7.7 %, SOC by 7.6–8.4 %), while reducing N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂ emissions (by −5.8 % to −26.9 %). The effects of SCRFs under different field management practices varied depending on crop type. A one-time basal application of SCRFs significantly enhanced yield and SOC responses in maize and rice, whereas split application was more effective for wheat. Low-to-medium nitrogen application rates (≤250 kg N ha−1) were identified as a threshold at which SCRFs achieved the largest positive effect sizes for yield and SOC accumulation, while optimizing GHG emissions reduction effects, across all crops. Additionally, conservation tillage (CT) in combination with SCRFs was associated with greater SOC accumulation in maize and wheat, whereas crop-specific irrigation strategies were associated with stronger yield responses and GHG mitigation effects. The mean annual temperature (MAT) was identified as a key predictor of the effects of SCRFs on crop yield and N₂O emission, whereas soil background levels of SOC, total nitrogen (TN), and pH were key predictors of CH₄ and CO₂ emission and SOC.
Conclusions
SCRFs enhance crop yield and SOC while reducing GHG emissions, with these effects strengthened by appropriate field management practices and regulated by climatic and soil factors.
Implications
These findings provide scientific evidence supporting the effects of replacing RAFs with SCRFs on yield improvement, emission reduction, and SOC enhancement in the three major cereal crops across diverse agricultural systems.
缓释/控释肥料因其具有提高作物产量和促进生态效益的潜力而被广泛应用。然而，在不同作物类型、田间管理方式和环境条件下，scfs对作物产量、温室气体排放和土壤有机碳（SOC）的影响尚不清楚。目的与方法本研究对全球145项已发表研究的951项观察结果进行了荟萃分析，以评估在不同农业制度下，用速效肥料替代速效肥料对玉米、小麦和水稻产量、温室气体排放和有机碳的影响。此外，应用极端梯度增强（XGBoost）模型结合SHapley加性解释（SHAP），量化了气候特征和土壤性质等5个环境因子的相对重要性，并确定了调节scfs效应的关键预测因子。结果表明，scfs提高了作物产量，增加了有机碳储量（产量增加3.4-7.7 %，有机碳增加7.6-8.4 %），同时减少了N₂O、CH₄和CO₂的排放（减少−5.8 %至−26.9 %）。在不同的田间管理措施下，scfs的效果因作物类型而异。一次性基施可显著提高玉米和水稻的产量和有机碳响应，而分施对小麦更有效。低至中等施氮量（≤250 kg N ha - 1）被确定为一个阈值，在此阈值下，所有作物的scfs对产量和有机碳积累的正效应最大，同时优化温室气体减排效果。此外，保护性耕作（CT）与scfs相结合，玉米和小麦的有机碳积累更大，而特定作物的灌溉策略与更强的产量响应和温室气体缓解效应相关。年平均温度（MAT）是scfs对作物产量和N₂O排放影响的关键预测因子，而土壤背景有机碳（SOC）、总氮（TN）和pH是nh4和CO₂排放以及有机碳（SOC）的关键预测因子。结论scfs在提高作物产量和有机碳含量的同时减少温室气体的排放，这些作用在适当的田间管理措施下得到强化，并受气候和土壤因子的调节。这些发现为在不同农业系统中，用秸秆秸秆代替秸秆秸秆对三种主要谷类作物增产、减排和有机碳增强的影响提供了科学证据。
{"title":"Meta-analysis of slow/controlled-release fertilizers on yield, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil organic carbon in major cereal crops","authors":"Zexi Zhang , Jianhua Dong , Xiaogang Liu , Dan Xu , Yanhong Liu , Hualing Zhang , Jinxue Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Slow/controlled-release fertilizers (SCRFs) are widely employed due to their potential to enhance crop yields and promote ecological benefits. However, the effects of SCRFs on crop yield, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and soil organic carbon (SOC) under varying crop types, field management practices, and environmental conditions remain unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective and methods</h3><div>Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 951 observations from 145 published studies worldwide to evaluate how substituting SCRFs for rapid-acting fertilizers (RAFs) affects yield, GHG emissions, and SOC in maize, wheat, and rice under different agricultural systems. Furthermore, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model combined with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was applied to quantify the relative importance of five environmental factors, including climatic characteristics and soil properties, and to identify the key predictors regulating the effects of SCRFs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results indicated that SCRFs enhanced crop yield and increase SOC stock (yield by 3.4–7.7 %, SOC by 7.6–8.4 %), while reducing N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂ emissions (by −5.8 % to −26.9 %). The effects of SCRFs under different field management practices varied depending on crop type. A one-time basal application of SCRFs significantly enhanced yield and SOC responses in maize and rice, whereas split application was more effective for wheat. Low-to-medium nitrogen application rates (≤250 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>) were identified as a threshold at which SCRFs achieved the largest positive effect sizes for yield and SOC accumulation, while optimizing GHG emissions reduction effects, across all crops. Additionally, conservation tillage (CT) in combination with SCRFs was associated with greater SOC accumulation in maize and wheat, whereas crop-specific irrigation strategies were associated with stronger yield responses and GHG mitigation effects. The mean annual temperature (MAT) was identified as a key predictor of the effects of SCRFs on crop yield and N₂O emission, whereas soil background levels of SOC, total nitrogen (TN), and pH were key predictors of CH₄ and CO₂ emission and SOC.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>SCRFs enhance crop yield and SOC while reducing GHG emissions, with these effects strengthened by appropriate field management practices and regulated by climatic and soil factors.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>These findings provide scientific evidence supporting the effects of replacing RAFs with SCRFs on yield improvement, emission reduction, and SOC enhancement in the three major cereal crops across diverse agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110316"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110309
Breno Bicego , Jinwook Kim , Roxana Savin , Gustavo A. Slafer
<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Wheat is essential to global food security however climate change threatens its yield. While the impacts of gradual temperature increases are known, the effects of heat waves (HW), which are becoming more frequent and severe, are less understood particularly under field conditions. This study explores the impact of pre- and post-anthesis (AN) HW on grain yield (GY), grain number (GN), average grain weight (AGW), and physiological determinants of GN.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To quantify the pre- and post-AN HW effects on GY, GN and AGW of two cultivars with constitutive contrasting levels of GN and AGW; to determine whether a higher or lower sensitivity to a HW would be related to genotypic inherent characteristic; and to ascertain whether penalties in GN due to pre-AN HW are direct on reproductive output or indirect by affecting crop growth. Most details on AGW determination are offered in the companion paper.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Experiments were irrigated and carried out in two locations of NE Spain. Main treatments consisted in the factorial combination of two contrasting genotypes (Pistolo of high AGW and Sublim of high GN), and three HW that were imposed in the field using portable tents covered with transparent polyethylene films, but with the base opened to favour air circulation, during 9–11 continuous days, increasing temperatures during the day only, which resulted in average daily temperature 3–4 ºC warmer. The HW started either at booting (pre-AN HW) or 15 days after anthesis (post-AN HW). An additional HW (combination of pre- and post-AN HW) was imposed in one location while thinning treatment at the onset of stem elongation in the other.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Under unheated conditions, both cultivars had similarly high yields. The increment of yield potential with thinning was lower in Pistolo (33 %) than Sublim (79 %). Both cultivars had similar spike number plasticity, but only Sublim showed spike fertility plasticity to added resources as well. HW significantly reduced GY: Pistolo was more sensitive to pre-AN HW, but not to post-AN HW. Yield losses were mainly due to reduced GN with pre-AN HW, and reduced AGW with post-AN HW. Pre-AN HW increased floret mortality mostly in central spikelets, while thinning boosted floret survival, especially in distal spikelets, restoring fertility even in typically sterile basal spikelets. Thinning reduced HW damage in Pistolo from 18 % to 1 %, but not in Sublim (c. 14 % in both conditions). This implies that HW effects could be mainly indirect, through affecting growth, or mainly direct, affecting floret developmental process (and not reversed when more assimilates become available), depending on the genotype. Post-AN HW caused greater GY penalties (24.8 %) than pre-AN HW (15.1 %), but this seemed related to environmental variation during treatments than a true greater sensitivity. More in depth analyses regarding AGW is pro
{"title":"Yield and grain number formation as affected by pre- and post-anthesis heat waves and thinning in two contrasting wheat cultivars","authors":"Breno Bicego , Jinwook Kim , Roxana Savin , Gustavo A. Slafer","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Wheat is essential to global food security however climate change threatens its yield. While the impacts of gradual temperature increases are known, the effects of heat waves (HW), which are becoming more frequent and severe, are less understood particularly under field conditions. This study explores the impact of pre- and post-anthesis (AN) HW on grain yield (GY), grain number (GN), average grain weight (AGW), and physiological determinants of GN.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To quantify the pre- and post-AN HW effects on GY, GN and AGW of two cultivars with constitutive contrasting levels of GN and AGW; to determine whether a higher or lower sensitivity to a HW would be related to genotypic inherent characteristic; and to ascertain whether penalties in GN due to pre-AN HW are direct on reproductive output or indirect by affecting crop growth. Most details on AGW determination are offered in the companion paper.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Experiments were irrigated and carried out in two locations of NE Spain. Main treatments consisted in the factorial combination of two contrasting genotypes (Pistolo of high AGW and Sublim of high GN), and three HW that were imposed in the field using portable tents covered with transparent polyethylene films, but with the base opened to favour air circulation, during 9–11 continuous days, increasing temperatures during the day only, which resulted in average daily temperature 3–4 ºC warmer. The HW started either at booting (pre-AN HW) or 15 days after anthesis (post-AN HW). An additional HW (combination of pre- and post-AN HW) was imposed in one location while thinning treatment at the onset of stem elongation in the other.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Under unheated conditions, both cultivars had similarly high yields. The increment of yield potential with thinning was lower in Pistolo (33 %) than Sublim (79 %). Both cultivars had similar spike number plasticity, but only Sublim showed spike fertility plasticity to added resources as well. HW significantly reduced GY: Pistolo was more sensitive to pre-AN HW, but not to post-AN HW. Yield losses were mainly due to reduced GN with pre-AN HW, and reduced AGW with post-AN HW. Pre-AN HW increased floret mortality mostly in central spikelets, while thinning boosted floret survival, especially in distal spikelets, restoring fertility even in typically sterile basal spikelets. Thinning reduced HW damage in Pistolo from 18 % to 1 %, but not in Sublim (c. 14 % in both conditions). This implies that HW effects could be mainly indirect, through affecting growth, or mainly direct, affecting floret developmental process (and not reversed when more assimilates become available), depending on the genotype. Post-AN HW caused greater GY penalties (24.8 %) than pre-AN HW (15.1 %), but this seemed related to environmental variation during treatments than a true greater sensitivity. More in depth analyses regarding AGW is pro","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110309"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145881388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110314
Fuquan He , Dongdong Chen , Qi Li , Caiyun Luo , Yukun Zhang , Li Zhang , Zongjian Zhao , Liang Zhao
<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Cultivated grasslands developed via advanced agronomic practices serve as a critical source of supplementary feed and high-quality forage for animal husbandry. <em>Elymus nutans</em>, the most ecologically versatile and widely cultivated forage grass on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QZP), is highly prized for its exceptional forage quality and sustained high yields.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to assess the dynamic in forage yield, carbon (C) sequestration, resource utilization efficiency, physiological parameters, and economic income of <em>Elymus nutans</em> over a 5-year planting cycle in cultivated grasslands of the eastern QZP from 2012 to 2022.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An eddy covariance flux tower equipped with a full suite of meteorological sensors was established on the cultivated grassland to assess the high-frequency ecosystem-level exchanges of CO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O, and biometeorological parameters. Meanwhile, forage bio-physical parameters, including above-ground biomass (AGB) and leaf area index (LAI), were measured during the growing season (May–September). The flux data were processed, quality-checked, gap-filled, and partitioned to construct seamless time-series of daily flux for further analysis of its dynamics, photosynthetic responses, and derived eco-physiological parameters.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that within 5-year planting cycle, the gross primary productivity (GPP) displayed a unimodal pattern, reaching their peak in the third year at 823.87 ± 97.54 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ . Meanwhile, C uptake period and the maximum daily GPP jointly accounted for 83 % of the variation in GPP. The AGB initially increased and then stabilized, reaching a peak of 665.17 ± 84.83 g/m² in the second year. The LAI followed similar unimodal patterns, with peaks in the second year at 2.18 ± 0.67 m²/m². Regarding resource use efficiency, C use efficiency remained relatively stable at 0.04 ± 0.013, while water use efficiency and light use efficiency displayed unimodal dynamics. Physiological parameters (apparent quantum yield, <em>α</em>; maximum carboxylation rate, <em>P</em>max; daytime ecosystem respiration rate, <em>R</em>d) all showed unimodal changes, with peak values observed in the second year. Over five years, <em>Elymus nutans</em> grasslands produced 2.73 t/ha seeds and 19 t/ha forage, generating CNY 43,894.75 in economic income. They also sequestered 6.64 t/ha CO₂, corresponding to a C trading value of CNY 453.51.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These results confirm that a 5-year reploughing regime for <em>Elymus nutans</em> grasslands represents a viable strategy to sustain forage yields, maintain C sink functionality, secure economic income, and optimize resource utilization. This study provides critical empirical support and a strategic framework for the adaptive management and sustainable development of perennial cultivated grassl
{"title":"Five years of re-ploughing of grass cultivation (Elymus nutans) in the eastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau proves to management measure: An eddy covariance-based analysis","authors":"Fuquan He , Dongdong Chen , Qi Li , Caiyun Luo , Yukun Zhang , Li Zhang , Zongjian Zhao , Liang Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110314","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110314","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Cultivated grasslands developed via advanced agronomic practices serve as a critical source of supplementary feed and high-quality forage for animal husbandry. <em>Elymus nutans</em>, the most ecologically versatile and widely cultivated forage grass on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QZP), is highly prized for its exceptional forage quality and sustained high yields.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to assess the dynamic in forage yield, carbon (C) sequestration, resource utilization efficiency, physiological parameters, and economic income of <em>Elymus nutans</em> over a 5-year planting cycle in cultivated grasslands of the eastern QZP from 2012 to 2022.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>An eddy covariance flux tower equipped with a full suite of meteorological sensors was established on the cultivated grassland to assess the high-frequency ecosystem-level exchanges of CO<sub>2</sub>, H<sub>2</sub>O, and biometeorological parameters. Meanwhile, forage bio-physical parameters, including above-ground biomass (AGB) and leaf area index (LAI), were measured during the growing season (May–September). The flux data were processed, quality-checked, gap-filled, and partitioned to construct seamless time-series of daily flux for further analysis of its dynamics, photosynthetic responses, and derived eco-physiological parameters.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that within 5-year planting cycle, the gross primary productivity (GPP) displayed a unimodal pattern, reaching their peak in the third year at 823.87 ± 97.54 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ . Meanwhile, C uptake period and the maximum daily GPP jointly accounted for 83 % of the variation in GPP. The AGB initially increased and then stabilized, reaching a peak of 665.17 ± 84.83 g/m² in the second year. The LAI followed similar unimodal patterns, with peaks in the second year at 2.18 ± 0.67 m²/m². Regarding resource use efficiency, C use efficiency remained relatively stable at 0.04 ± 0.013, while water use efficiency and light use efficiency displayed unimodal dynamics. Physiological parameters (apparent quantum yield, <em>α</em>; maximum carboxylation rate, <em>P</em>max; daytime ecosystem respiration rate, <em>R</em>d) all showed unimodal changes, with peak values observed in the second year. Over five years, <em>Elymus nutans</em> grasslands produced 2.73 t/ha seeds and 19 t/ha forage, generating CNY 43,894.75 in economic income. They also sequestered 6.64 t/ha CO₂, corresponding to a C trading value of CNY 453.51.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These results confirm that a 5-year reploughing regime for <em>Elymus nutans</em> grasslands represents a viable strategy to sustain forage yields, maintain C sink functionality, secure economic income, and optimize resource utilization. This study provides critical empirical support and a strategic framework for the adaptive management and sustainable development of perennial cultivated grassl","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"338 ","pages":"Article 110314"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145838176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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