European Journal of Agronomy最新文献

{"title":"A wheat seedling detection model based on efficient feature extraction and coordinate attention mechanism","authors":"Shun Wang ,&nbsp;Bowen Zhang ,&nbsp;Yinchao Che ,&nbsp;Guang Zheng ,&nbsp;Yanna Ren ,&nbsp;Lei Xi ,&nbsp;Xinming Ma ,&nbsp;Shuping Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127993","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate detection of wheat seedlings is crucial for monitoring early population establishment and evaluating sowing quality. However, detection in real field environments remains challenging due to diverse seedling morphology, varying planting densities, occlusion, and complex background interference. Although deep learning has promoted the development of agricultural vision systems, existing wheat seedling detection methods still suffer from two key limitations: (1) insufficient modeling of spatial contextual relationships, leading to degraded accuracy under dense planting and complex field conditions; and (2) difficulty in balancing detection performance and computational efficiency, restricting real-time deployment on resource-limited agricultural devices. To address these issues, this study proposes Transformer-Coordinate Attention-Efficient YOLO (TCE-YOLO), a detection framework designed with three key modules: (1) the Depthwise-Transformer-Vision (DTV) module integrates Depthwise Separable Convolutions (DSC), Vision Transformer, and multi-scale spatial pooling to efficiently represent local structures, spatial context, and global patterns of wheat seedlings; (2) the Feature Enhancement Module(FEM) incorporates coordinate attention to enhance seedling-related features while suppressing background interference; and (3) the Feature Coordination Module (FCM) performs multi-scale feature interaction with reduced computational cost. These components jointly improve robustness under dense planting and complex field conditions while maintaining lightweight deployment characteristics. Furthermore, we construct the Wheat Seedling Dataset (WSD), covering multiple planting densities, varieties, and field environments across two growing seasons. Experimental results show that TCE-YOLO outperforms mainstream detectors while maintaining high efficiency, providing a deployable solution for wheat seedling detection under real field conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127993"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928664","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}

{"title":"No-tillage with straw mulching practices improved the lodging resistance of maize and yield in semi-arid areas","authors":"Jia Wang ,&nbsp;Jun Fan ,&nbsp;Zizhuang Ye ,&nbsp;Fuqiang Wei ,&nbsp;Mingde Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127983","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127983","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lodging risk is closely related to yield potential, especially in semi-arid agricultural ecosystems, where achieving sustainable development and increasing food production without increasing lodging risk is a key challenge. However, research on how different tillage practices affect maize lodging risk and yield potential remains limited. This study, based on a long-term field experiment established in 2004 in the Loess Plateau of China, investigates the effects of conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage (NT), no-tillage with straw mulching (NTS), and no-tillage with straw mulching in alternating wide and narrow rows (NTSR) on soil physical properties, agronomic traits, lodging, and yield from 2022 to 2024. The aim is to identify key factors affecting maize lodging and yield. The results indicate that compared to CT, NT, NTS, and NTSR significantly increased soil water. NTS and NTSR significantly improved the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) in the 0–40 cm soil layer. In the same soil layer, NT significantly increased soil bulk density (BD) and soil compaction (SC), while reducing Ks. During the key growth stages of maize, the canopy height, leaf area index (LAI), above-ground biomass (AGB), and root growth under NTS and NTSR were all significantly greater than under CT (P &lt; 0.05). However, the root morphology at the 0–100 cm depth under NT was significantly lower than that under CT (P &lt; 0.05). Additionally, NTS and NTSR significantly reduced the center of gravity (CG), ear height coefficient (EHC), and internode length (LTI), while increasing the root-shoot ratio (RSR), third internode diameter (SDTI), internode breaking strength (IBS), bending strength (BS), and stem lodging resistance index (SLRI) (P &lt; 0.05), which effectively reduced lodging rates. Random forest analysis indicated that soil water, IBS, BS, and LAI are the key factors affecting lodging. Compared to CT, NTS and NTSR significantly increased grain yield (by 16.8 % and 11.1 %, respectively) and 100-grain weight (by 6.8% and 4.5 %, respectively). Overall, NTS and NTSR improved soil water, soil physical properties, and the third internode traits of maize, achieving higher maize grain yield and lodging resistance. These findings provide valuable theoretical support for the sustainable development of rainfed agricultural areas similar to the Loess Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127983"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928706","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}

{"title":"Innovative integrated management achieves high productivity and profitability of sugarcane in China with low environmental costs","authors":"Huayang Wang ,&nbsp;Yinghe Yao ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Jiaxing Chen ,&nbsp;Xiao Tang ,&nbsp;Prakash Lakshmanan ,&nbsp;Xinping Chen ,&nbsp;Yan Deng ,&nbsp;Fusuo Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127985","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127985","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sugarcane (<em>Saccharum officinarum</em> L.) production in China faces challenges of high input costs, substantial emissions, and low efficiency. While individual sustainable practices such as fertilizer reduction, enhanced-efficiency nitrogen fertilizers, organic amendments, and straw return offer partial benefits, they lack integrated effectiveness. We hypothesize that systematically combining these practices could enhance productivity, reduce emissions, and improve soil health through synergistic nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. However, empirical evidence and systematic evaluations of such integrated practices in Chinese sugarcane systems remain limited. To address this, a two-year field study was conducted at two representative sugarcane plantations in Guangxi under straw return conditions to evaluate the effects of five regimes on yield, nutrient use efficiency, soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB). The treatments included CK (no fertilizer), FP (farmer practice), OPT (optimized NPK), IKPS1 (based on OPT, integrating further optimized nutrient inputs with controlled-release urea), and IKPS2 (based on IKPS1, substituting 30 % of N with organic fertilizer). Compared with FP, both IKPS1 and IKPS2 reduced total NPK inputs by 47 %, while increasing cane yield by 4.6–5.8 % (up to 109.3 t ha⁻¹) and sugar yield by 6.2–9.0 %. Additionally, compared to FP, nutrient use efficiency for N, P, and K under IKPS1 and IKPS2 improved significantly by 81.2–82.0 %, 148.1–255.8 %, and 76.4–101.6 %, respectively. Environmentally, IKPS1 and IKPS2 markedly reduced Nr losses by 57.7–68.7 % and GHG emissions by 40.7–43.8 % relative to FP. Notably, IKPS2 achieved carbon neutrality (-151.9 kg CO₂-eq ha⁻¹), primarily attributed to enhanced SOC sequestration. Economically, both systems increased NEEB over FP, with gains of 114.5 % under IKPS1 and 61.2 % under IKPS2. Comprehensive evaluation indices further confirmed their superiority (0.59 for IKPS1, 0.81 for IKPS2). A stepwise strategy is proposed to prioritize cost-effective practices of IKPS1, while advancing toward carbon neutrality by IKPS2. Overall, this study provides an evidence-based framework to advance sustainable sugarcane production and support the green transformation of tropical agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127985"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928711","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}

{"title":"Dynamic hazard assessment of compound drought and heat events in maize based on a soil-temperature-integrated index in Songliao Plain","authors":"Xianwei Lu ,&nbsp;Sicheng Wei ,&nbsp;Ying Guo ,&nbsp;Cha Ersi ,&nbsp;Dan Chen ,&nbsp;Ziyuan Zhou ,&nbsp;Yue Li ,&nbsp;Yuping Dong ,&nbsp;Zhijun Tong ,&nbsp;Xingpeng Liu ,&nbsp;Jiquan Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunli Zhao ,&nbsp;Yanxia Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compound drought and heat events (CDHEs) pose severe threats to food security, yet the role of soil temperature in event occurrence and crop stress has been largely overlooked. Using ERA5-Land and SPEI-GD datasets (1982–2021), we developed a soil-temperature-integrated Compound Drought and Heat Event Index (CDHEI) to make dynamic hazard assessment of compound drought and heat events in maize by combining air temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, and meteorological drought indices. CDHEs during maize growth stages in the Songliao Plain were identified using run theory, and their spatiotemporal characteristics and hazard levels were systematically assessed. The results showed that CDHEs were mainly concentrated in the northwest and southwest regions of the Songliao Plain, with around year 2000 identified as a critical breakpoint, after which their frequency and intensity increased significantly in the 21st century. CDHEI was strongly correlated with maize yield loss, with the maximum correlation coefficient reaching 0.749 (p &lt; 0.05), particularly in the southwestern and northwestern regions. Compared with existing indices, specifically the CDHEI without the soil temperature component (CDHEI_noST), the Compound Events Toolbox and Dataset (CETD), and the Compound Drought and Heat Magnitude Index (CDHMI), the correlation increased by 13 % to over 100 %, highlighting the superior capability of CDHEI in capturing yield impacts. Dynamic hazard assessment further identified Baicheng, Songyuan, and surrounding areas as high-hazard-level zones. Breakpoint-year analysis also revealed that the soil temperature (SSTI) had the highest importance in event evolution, underscoring the dominant role of soil thermal anomalies in the intensification of CDHEs. Overall, this study highlights the indispensable role of soil processes in compound extreme event monitoring and provides a scientific basis for agricultural risk assessment and regional adaptation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127984"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928705","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}

{"title":"Supplementary irrigation alleviates the inhibition effect of warming on metallic micronutrients absorption","authors":"Haifang Pang ,&nbsp;Shangying Ma ,&nbsp;Fengni Xue ,&nbsp;Zongzhen Li ,&nbsp;Junjie Hu ,&nbsp;Zeyu Xin ,&nbsp;Yongzhe Ren ,&nbsp;Yanhao Lian ,&nbsp;Tongbao Lin ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global warming-induced drought threatens the micronutrient quality of agricultural products, as water availability governs nutrient translocation and partitioning within plants. However, the effects of supplemental irrigation on wheat micronutrient dynamics under warming conditions remain poorly characterised. Here, a 3-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of warming treatments (CK: ambient temperature; WS: winter-spring warming; FF: flowering-grain filling warming) and irrigation regimes (CI: conventional irrigation; SI: supplemental irrigation) on metal micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) in winter wheat and their driving factors. Results showed that warming slightly increased grain Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations (0.3–5.8 %) but reduced their total accumulations (17.1–34.6 %). Compared to CK, FF decreased soil available micronutrients (9–35.7 %), with Fe and Zn availability strongly correlated with microbial taxa (Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes). SI increased grain Fe (3.1 %) and Zn (7.1 %) concentrations, enhanced total micronutrient uptake (6.8–22.6 %), and elevated soil-available micronutrients (6.2–25.8 %) relative to CI. Structural equation modelling revealed that soil temperature, moisture, pH, nutrients, available micronutrients, and microbiota jointly regulated grain micronutrients through direct pathways, with microbes being a key driver (total direct effect value = 0.619, p &lt; 0.001). We conclude that supplemental irrigation effectively mitigates warming-induced micronutrient depletion, whereas the soil microbiota plays a pivotal role in mediating wheat micronutrient acquisition. These findings advance adaptive strategies to safeguard crop nutritional security under changing climate conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127979"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897842","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}

{"title":"Yield and protein gaps in barley: Quantifying nitrogen and sulfur contributions","authors":"Federico M. Gomez ,&nbsp;Flavio H. Gutiérrez-Boem ,&nbsp;Pablo Prystupa ,&nbsp;Jorge L. Mercau ,&nbsp;Jose J. Boero ,&nbsp;Gustavo Ferraris ,&nbsp;Leonor G. Abeledo","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127978","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127978","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Malting barley requires management strategies that simultaneously achieve a high yield and grain protein concentration meeting brewing industry requirements, yet the impacts of nitrogen and sulfur limitations on these variables remain unclear. Yield and protein gaps under rainfed conditions have not been quantified or nutritionally decomposed for barley at the farm scale. This study aimed to i) quantify yield and grain protein gaps in malting barley, ii) evaluate the contribution of N and S to these gaps, iii) examine the relationship between yield and protein gaps, and iv) analyze the relationship between yield, grain protein, and their respective gaps with crop N uptake. Forty-two on-farm experiments were conducted in the central Pampas region of Argentina, with N and S fertilization treatments in a randomized complete block design. These experiments, combined with crop modeling (APSIM), were used to estimate yield potential (Yp), water-limited yield potential (Yw), actual yield (Ya), yield gap (Yg = Yw - Ya), actual grain protein concentration (Pa), and protein gap (Pg = Pi - Pa, where Pi is the 11 % average industrial protein requirement). Mean Yg represented 27.6 % of Yw and was mainly due to N limitation (97.6 % of cases), while S limitation was less frequent (&lt; 23.5 %). Pa was consistently below the 11 % industry requirement. Mean Pg was 26.5 % of Pi and was also mainly due to N limitation. The association between Pg and Yg was weak. Crop N uptake influenced both gaps, with higher N requirements needed to achieve Pi than to maximize yield. This study demonstrates that optimizing N management is essential for closing yield and protein gaps in malting barley in the Pampas, whereas S limitation is less frequent. Future research should integrate the effects of multiple stressors (nutrients, water, and temperature) on yield and protein gaps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127978"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928712","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}

{"title":"Exploring the hyperspectral response of leaf chlorophyll content under canopy structure and soil background variability","authors":"Zhenwang Li ,&nbsp;Zhaokai Ma ,&nbsp;Ruisi Bao ,&nbsp;Wenli Fang ,&nbsp;Quan Tang ,&nbsp;Erya Yu ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Song ,&nbsp;Changwei Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127982","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2026.127982","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) serves as a critical indicator of crop health and nitrogen status, playing a pivotal role in photosynthesis, vegetation productivity, and precision agriculture. However, remotely retrieving LCC at the canopy scale remains challenging due to confounding factors such as soil background and canopy structure variability. This study employs the PROSAIL radiative transfer model, global sensitivity analysis, and field measurements to explore the hyperspectral response of LCC under various canopy structures and soil backgrounds in agricultural canopies, and to evaluate the robustness of spectral vegetation indices (VIs) under varying conditions. Our findings indicate that the contribution of LCC to canopy spectral reflectance varies significantly with canopy structure and soil background properties, except for soil moisture, which has a minor influence. Spectral bands around 550–575 nm and 700–705 nm are highly sensitive to LCC and least affected by confounding factors. In contrast, LCC-sensitive spectral bands around 665–685 nm are more susceptible to variations in canopy structure and soil type. Simulation and field experiments on twelve LCC-related VIs reveal that MTCI (MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index), DIDA (Difference Index of the Double-peak Area), and MACC01 (Maccioni index) exhibit higher accuracy in estimating LCC at individual sites but perform poorly across different sites. LICI (LAI-insensitive chlorophyll index) demonstrates the best performance for LCC estimation across various vegetation types and regions, showing potential for large-scale LCC monitoring in agricultural canopies. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing spectral bands and developing new spectral VIs for LCC estimation as an indicator of crop nitrogen stress under complex environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127982"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145928704","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}

{"title":"Long-term cultivation of indica–japonica hybrid rice reshapes the sustainability of rice systems by simultaneously enhancing yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and soil health","authors":"Jinjia Gan ,&nbsp;Xinyue Xu ,&nbsp;Sheng Tang ,&nbsp;Kefeng Han ,&nbsp;Tao Sun ,&nbsp;Jinzhao Ma ,&nbsp;Xiangde Yang ,&nbsp;Xiu Liu ,&nbsp;Haoran Fu ,&nbsp;Zhihao Pang ,&nbsp;Lingli Mao ,&nbsp;Lianghuan Wu ,&nbsp;Qingxu Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Indica–japonica</em> hybrid rice (IJHR) integrates the superior traits of <em>indica</em> rice and <em>japonica</em> rice (JR), with advantages in yield, Nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE), and root carbon (C) input. To assess its sustainability, a 9-year field experiment was conducted comparing the IJHR and JR under equivalent N applications. IJHR achieved higher grain yield and NUE and lower apparent N surplus than did JR. Compared with JR, IJHR increased soil organic matter (SOM) by 15.8 %, dissolved organic C and N by 37.0 % and 66.0 %, respectively, and microbial biomass C by 26.8 %. The activities of C- and N-cycling enzymes increased by up to 106 %. These enhancements contributed to a 129.8 % improvement in the soil quality index (SQI) compared to that of the JR. Random forest analysis identified aboveground biomass, NUE, and dissolved organic C as the main yield drivers. SQI improvements were attributed mainly to SOM accumulation and root-derived C inputs, reinforced by enzyme-mediated C and N cycling. A higher SQI further enhanced the yield. Partial least squares path modeling demonstrated that IJHR achieves a higher yield primarily through an increase in the number of spikelets per panicle, mediated by root-driven improvements in soil quality. NUE enhancement was driven mainly by greater plant N uptake. These findings provide a process-based framework linking root traits, soil biochemical functioning, yield formation and NUE in rice systems. Here, we highlight the dual benefits of IJHR in boosting grain production and soil quality, providing a promising pathway for reconciling food security and sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 127973"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897841","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}

{"title":"Integrated management of sowing date, density and nitrogen reduces environmental footprints while sustaining cotton yield in the Yellow River Valley","authors":"Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuo Wang ,&nbsp;Yongjiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongchun Sun ,&nbsp;Ke Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhiying Bai ,&nbsp;Lingxiao Zhu ,&nbsp;Zhanbiao Wang ,&nbsp;Hezhong Dong ,&nbsp;Liantao Liu ,&nbsp;Cundong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conventional cotton production system in China’s Yellow River Valley (mid-April sowing, 45,000 plants ha⁻¹, and 240 kg N ha⁻¹) (MLH) achieve high yield but incurs excessive resource use and environmental costs. Sustainable intensification requires strategies that reconcile productivity, efficiency, and ecological outcomes. Through a three-year (2021–2023) field experiment, we assessed integrated management strategies combining sowing date (normal: mid-April; late: early May), planting density (typical: 45,000; high: 90,000 plants ha⁻¹), and nitrogen rate (conventional: 240 kg N ha⁻¹; reduced: 180 kg N ha⁻¹). Seed cotton yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), energy flows, carbon/nitrogen footprints, and economic returns were quantified, and a sustainable performance index (SPI) was calculated for integrated assessment. Results showed that the late sowing + high density + reduced N rate (LHR) strategy maintained seed cotton yield while significantly increasing NUE by 34.8 % and energy productivity by 15.1 %, compared to the conventional MLH system. This strategy also reduced direct and indirect emissions (fertilizer production, labor), lowering the carbon footprint per unit yield by 34.5 % and nitrogen footprint by 31.9 %. The resultant decrease in environmental costs enhanced net ecosystem economic benefit by 27.1–38.3 %. Consistently, the SPI, integrating productivity, resource efficiency, environmental impact, and economics, confirmed late sowing + high density + reduced N as the optimal strategy for synergistic improvement in economic and ecological outcomes. These findings demonstrate that coordinated optimization of sowing date, density, and nitrogen management enables climate-resilient cotton production with lower emissions and higher resource efficiency—a transferable model for similar agroecosystems. Future integration with precision nitrogen technologies (e.g., deep placement, controlled-release fertilizers) could further amplify sustainability gains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 127975"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883348","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}

{"title":"Rotation and organic fertilization alleviate soil microbial phosphorus limitation and improve soil health and productivity in a continuous cropping pineapple orchard","authors":"Chengming Yan ,&nbsp;Dongsheng An ,&nbsp;Yanan Liu ,&nbsp;Baoshan Zhao ,&nbsp;Qiufang Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhiling Ma ,&nbsp;Haiyang Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Long-term pineapple monoculture severely degrades soil in tropical regions, necessitating sustainable remediation strategies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of crop rotation and organic fertilization in improving soil health and productivity through a field experiment in a decade-long continuously cropped pineapple orchard, with four treatments: continuous pineapple (PP, control); PP with 30 % organic fertilizer substitution (OP); <em>Alpinia officinarum–</em>pineapple rotation (GP); banana–pineapple rotation (BP). Soil health was evaluated using three metrics: the soil quality index (SQI) derived from conventional biochemical indicators, and soil multifunctionality (SMF) based on seven enzymatic activities, and microbial community structure via phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. Microbial metabolic limitation was determined via extracellular enzyme stoichiometry. Compared to PP, both remediation strategies significantly alleviated microbial phosphorus (P) limitation, increasing EEA_N:P by 12.4<img>16.6 % and reducing the vector angle by 20.1<img>27.7 %. Consequently, they enhanced microbial abundance (PLFA increased 30.9–84.1 %) and diversity, with increases in SQI (21.2<img>47.4 %), SMF (26.8<img>45.7 %), and pineapple yield (9.3<img>25.5 %). Crop rotation, particularly BP, consistently outperformed organic fertilization across these metrics—e.g., BP rotation increased total PLFA by 84.1 %, markedly exceeding the 30.9 % increase under OP. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis confirmed a critical pathway whereby P limitation alleviation enhanced microbial abundance and SMF, directly boosting yield. Thus, while both strategies were beneficial, crop rotation was superior, with BP most improving soil health and productivity. These findings inform sustainable tropical agriculture and soil health indicator selection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 127980"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883347","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}