Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Agricultural landscapes dominated by non-pollinator-dependent crops may play a role on the conservation of wild bees in riparian areas","authors":"António Santos,&nbsp;Robin Payne,&nbsp;Manuela Branco,&nbsp;José Carlos Franco","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wild bees play a crucial role in agriculture by providing pollination services in agricultural crops. However, configuration and composition of agricultural landscapes can affect wild bees in complex and sometimes conflicting ways, depending on species specific needs for foraging and nesting. This study explores how the composition and configuration of agricultural landscapes in two non-pollinator-dependent crops influence wild bee diversity and abundance in adjacent riparian areas. Twenty sites were selected, ten in olive grove landscapes and ten in irrigated cereal landscapes. Wild bees were sampled using pan traps placed along riparian field margins. Land use-land cover data were collected within a 400-meter buffer around each site. Using multivariate generalized linear models, the study assessed the influence of various landscape elements on wild bee communities. The results revealed that agricultural land use significantly affected bees in riparian margins, with olive grove landscapes supporting higher wild bee diversity and abundance than cereal landscapes. However, bee communities across both landscapes were dominated by similar genera, particularly <em>Lasioglossum</em> and <em>Panurgus</em>. More importantly, the impact of landscape features differed between the two crop types. In olive grove landscapes, landscape heterogeneity was the strongest predictor of bee abundance, while in cereal landscapes, tree cover was the most influential land use. The study also found that different bee species responded distinctively to landscape predictors. Landscape heterogeneity had a greater effect on below-ground nesting bees, whereas the proportion of crop cover had a stronger negative influence on above-ground nesting bees. These findings emphasize that the effects of agricultural landscapes on wild bee communities are shaped by both crop-specific characteristics and bee species’ ecological traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110213"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894512","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":"Short-term grazing exclusion have driven the stability of grassland ecosystems to shift from abiotic constraints towards multi-factor synergistic interactions","authors":"Meirui Li ,&nbsp;Yuchao Feng ,&nbsp;Jiyan Chen ,&nbsp;Fengpeng Han ,&nbsp;Chaoyi Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Against the backdrop of global climate change, maintaining grassland ecological stability is critical value for supporting the sustainable development of grasslands. However, our understanding of the impacts of short-term grazing exclusion on grassland ecological stability remains limited. This study conducted short-term grazing exclusion experiments across nine plots on the Inner Mongolia grasslands, collecting soil and vegetation samples at the conclusion of both grazing and grazing exclusion periods while concurrently conducting vegetation surveys. By integrating field measurements with Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data from both grazing (2011–2015) and grazing closure periods (2016–2019), we examined the effects of short-term grazing exclusion on grassland ecological stability. Findings revealed that short-term grazing prohibition significantly enhanced vegetation growth and soil nutrient accumulation: aboveground vegetation biomass increased by 1.9–3.8 times, while soil nitrogen content rose by 2.9–3.5 times. The short-term grazing exclusion strengthened the positive correlation between plant diversity, root nutrient accumulation, and ecosystem stability. The drivers of ecosystem stability shifted with the removal of grazing disturbance: during grazing periods, climate was the dominant factor, with root nutrients playing a secondary role. Following grazing exclusion, climate's influence diminished while the positive effects of biomass and plant diversity expanded, though root nutrients remained crucial. Within the context of Inner Mongolia grasslands’ grazing regime, favorable climate serves as the primary engine of ecosystem stability, with root nutrients constituting the most critical threshold. Grazing exclusion altered the previously climate-dominated framework of ecosystem stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110204"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880538","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":"Crop rotation benefits for nitrogen-oxide mitigation and soil health in tropical vegetable fields","authors":"Wei Tian ,&nbsp;Feilong Liang ,&nbsp;Rong Li ,&nbsp;Jinyang Wang ,&nbsp;Shuwei Liu ,&nbsp;Zhaoqiang Han ,&nbsp;Jianwen Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continuous cropping with excessive fertilization in tropical vegetable production incurs soil acidification, microbial imbalance, and low nitrogen (N) use efficiency, which has raised increasing concerns about soil health and N-oxide (N₂O and NO) emissions. To address these environmental challenges, innovative solutions like integrated cultivation systems with diversified crop rotations have become imperative. Although previous studies have shown that diversified crop rotation systems can improve soil health, increase crop yields, and reduce N-oxide emissions, evidence for intensive vegetable cropping systems in tropical climates remains limited. Here, we conducted a 2-year, four-season plot experiment in a tropical vegetable field to examine the effects of crop rotation system (bitter gourd-eggplant-bitter gourd-eggplant) relative to continuous cropping system (eggplant-eggplant-eggplant-eggplant) on soil health, microbial community, and associated N-cycling gene abundance and N-oxide emission fluxes. Relative to continuous cropping, crop rotation exhibited significantly lower average emission factors of fertilizer-induced N-oxide emissions (N₂O: 1.88 % <em>vs</em>. 2.32 %; NO: 0.15 % <em>vs</em>. 0.23 %). This reduction was likely attributed to changes in the composition of the soil microbial community, an increase <em>nos</em>Z gene abundance, alongside a decrease trend in mineral N content. Crop rotation also boosted vegetable equivalent yield by 124.29 % and improved soil health by 11.52 %, along with elevating enzyme activities related to C and N cycles. Lower N-oxide emissions under the crop rotation regime were also shown to be associated with higher soil health. Enzyme activities mediated N-oxide emissions in continuous cropping through biochemical constraints, while soil properties regulated emissions in rotation systems via physicochemical pathways. Our findings underscore that crop rotation rather than continuous cropping would benefit crop production, soil health, and reduce N-oxide emissions in tropical agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110205"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145894513","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":"Soil mineral-associated organic matter under conventional and no-till farming: Spatial drivers and local-scale mapping","authors":"Sofia Sushko ,&nbsp;Yury Dvornikov ,&nbsp;Svetlana Neprimerova ,&nbsp;Kristina Ivashchenko ,&nbsp;Anna Yudina ,&nbsp;Antonina Grigorova ,&nbsp;Nune Kovaleva ,&nbsp;Ludmila Orlova ,&nbsp;Chunsheng Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110207","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110207","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Optimizing long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration requires a mechanistic understanding of spatial variability and drivers of stable carbon pools. This study quantified the responses of stable mineral-associated (MAOM) and labile particulate organic matter (POM) to contrasting management systems in a commercial agricultural setting, identified key environmental drivers, and developed predictive spatial models. The study was conducted on Chernozem soils (291 ha) in the Russian forest-steppe ecotone, comparing a conventional tillage (CT) system (sunflower-wheat) with two no-tillage (NT) systems (soybean-sunflower-wheat) established for 5 and 8 years. NT systems received moderate nitrogen inputs (21–34 kg N ha⁻¹ annually), whereas CT received none. Ninety soil samples (0–10 cm) were analyzed using particle-size fractionation, microbial approach, X-ray diffraction and statistical modeling. NT had significantly increased MAOM (22–27 %) while decreasing POM (9–23 %) compared to CT. MAOM increased with MBC and dolomite content, but decreased with quartz content in silt-clay fraction (16 %, 8 % and 11 % of explained variance, respectively), underscoring microbial-mineral stabilization pathways. In contrast, POM variability was poorly predicted by soil microbial and mineral properties. Gradient boosting machine models integrating remote sensing indices with soil properties (SOC, MBC, quartz) achieved high predictive accuracy for both MAOM (R² = 0.77) and POM (R² = 0.73), enabling farm-scale mapping of these pools. Our results demonstrate that short-term NT, coupled with soybean inclusion and N fertilization can enhance SOC stability within a relatively short timeframe through microbial mediation. The integration of soil and remote sensing data offers a powerful framework for targeted SOC management and landscape-scale sequestration strategies in temperate agroecosystems, with potential relevance for other regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110207"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880534","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":"Differential impacts of tea-woody plant intercropping patterns on the status of soil organic carbon, macronutrients and metallic nutrients","authors":"Dan Wang ,&nbsp;Yuhua Liang ,&nbsp;Benjuan Liu ,&nbsp;Rui Cao ,&nbsp;Shiquan Chen ,&nbsp;Hanhui Xu ,&nbsp;Wanqin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110197","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To mitigate soil degradation while maintaining agricultural productivity and enhancing tea quality and economic returns, agroforestry practices involving intercropping tea with fruit trees or legumes are increasingly adopted. Although the impacts of fruit/legumes-tea intercropping on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics, nutrient cycling, and economic outputs are well-documented, the effects of tea-woody plant intercropping configurations on SOC and nutrient status remain less explored. To address this gap, we systematically evaluated the concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of SOC and macronutrients and metallic nutrients in 0–30 cm soil profiles (0–10 cm topsoil; 10–30 cm subsoil) under four tea-woody plant intercropping systems: tea-waxberry, tea-persimmon, tea-broad-leaved trees, and tea-deciduous cypress. A Soil Nutrient Status Index (SNSI) was developed to comprehensively evaluate soil nutrient conditions. Results indicated that intercropping generally enhanced SNSI. All intercropping systems increased total potassium (TK) (by 12–19 % in subsoil) but reduced total nitrogen (TN) levels, except in the subsoil under tea-deciduous cypress system. Tea-broad-leaved tree systems promoted substantial SOC accumulation (153 % increase compared to monoculture tea plantations) but induced severe nitrogen (N) limitation by escalating C:N ratio in topsoil. Tea-deciduous cypress intercropping improved SOC and total phosphorus (STP) concentrations but led to potassium (K) deficiencies, as indicated by reduced K:N and K:P ratios. Tea -waxberry intercropping substantially elevated metallic nutrients (Ca, Na, Mg, Mn) by 2–19-fold but decreased SOC and TN concentrations. Increased K:N and K:P ratios under most intercropping systems suggests K enrichment, yet exacerbating N:P imbalances. Metallic nutrients exhibited strong intercorrelations, with tea-waxberry system enhancing Mg:Zn and Na:Cu ratios. Subsoil layers exhibited stronger nutrient correlations than topsoil, indicating distinct biogeochemical processes. The study highlights trade-offs among intercropping systems: tea-broad-leaved tree intercropping supports carbon sequestration but requires N supplementation; tea-waxberry intercropping boosts metallic nutrients but reduces SOC stocks; and tea-deciduous cypress intercropping risks K deficiency. These findings underscore the necessity for context-specific intercropping strategies coupled with precision nutrient management to achieve balanced soil health and sustainable tea production, and provide deep insights for optimizing agroforestry practices in tea-growing regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110197"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880603","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":"From roots to residues: Tracing contrasting pathways of carbon incorporation into soil organic matter of a Mediterranean agricultural trial","authors":"Layla M. San-Emeterio ,&nbsp;Ian D. Bull ,&nbsp;Jens Holtvoeth ,&nbsp;Rafael López-Núñez ,&nbsp;José A. González-Pérez","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110179","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110179","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mediterranean agricultural soils are characterized by low organic matter content and high mineralization rates, making carbon stabilization a particular challenge. Here, we combined lipid biomarker analysis with compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) to trace the incorporation of maize-derived C following a crop switch from wheat (C₃) to maize (C₄). Two treatments were compared: (A) biomass+root inputs and (B) root-only inputs. Within 21 months, significant enrichment in δ¹³C was detected across compound classes, with long-chain <em>n</em>-alkanes, hydroxy acids and sterols showing increases of + 3 to + 6 ‰, especially in the upper 5 cm, while unsaturated fatty acids displayed minor contributions (&lt; 1 ‰) due to rapid turnover. Aboveground residue inputs (treatment A) enhanced microbial assimilation of maize carbon in surface soils, leading to fast but short-lived incorporation, consistent with shorter bulk SOC mean residence times (MRT) of ca. 15 days compared to the root-only treatment (ca. 28 days). In contrast, root-derived inputs (treatment B) contributed to more persistent pools at depth, where bulk SOC MRTs increased up to 30 days and suberin-derived biomarkers showed pronounced environment. Bulk SOM δ¹³C showed smaller changes (&lt; 1 ‰) than individual compounds, underscoring the value of CSIA for capturing short-term dynamics. These results demonstrate the complementary roles of aboveground residues and roots in shaping SOC turnover and stabilization. In Mediterranean soils with inherently low organic matter stability, residue management strongly mediates both the amount and persistence of new carbon, with implications for developing residue-management strategies that enhance potential pathways towards carbon stabilization in fragile Mediterranean agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110179"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880539","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":"Scale-dependent effects of honeybee abundance on Lima bean pollination and yield","authors":"María Virginia Chirilá ,&nbsp;Andrés Tálamo ,&nbsp;Natacha P. Chacoff ,&nbsp;Diego P. Vázquez","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High pollinator abundance can hinder crop productivity due to accumulated reproductive costs associated with repeated visits. We combined observational and experimental approaches across flower, plant, and field scales to evaluate how honeybee (<em>Apis mellifera</em>) abundance affects the pollination service, net reproductive benefit, and crop yield in Lima bean (<em>Phaseolus lunatus</em>). Natural pollination resulted in lower fruit and seed set than optimal hand cross-pollination, indicating a limitation in the pollination service at the plant level. At the flower scale, net reproductive benefit increased asymptotically with increasing visits, driven primarily by increased fruit set, with no detectable change in seed set. In contrast, crop yield at the field scale declined linearly with increasing honeybee visitation, with each additional 1.2 increase in visits per flower per hour reducing seed production by 21 %. Overall, our results indicate that high honeybee abundance can constrain Lima bean reproduction and yield. Furthermore, these findings underscore the need for pollination studies to use standardized, multi-scale approaches to accurately assess and manage the impact of this superabundant pollinator in agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110200"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880533","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":"Soil health indicator variability and management sensitivity across soils, bioregions, and agricultural systems","authors":"Katherine A. Dynarski ,&nbsp;Ekundayo Adeleke ,&nbsp;R. Louis Baumhardt ,&nbsp;Joseph Burke ,&nbsp;Tiffany Carter ,&nbsp;Paul DeLaune ,&nbsp;Huijie Gan ,&nbsp;Julie Grossman ,&nbsp;Josh Heitman ,&nbsp;Divya Kandanool ,&nbsp;Katie Lewis ,&nbsp;Katherine Naasko ,&nbsp;Regina O’Kelley ,&nbsp;Deanna Osmond ,&nbsp;Sharon Perrone ,&nbsp;Deann Presley ,&nbsp;Alexis Racelis ,&nbsp;Haiying Tao ,&nbsp;Peter Tomlinson ,&nbsp;Laura Starr ,&nbsp;Skye A. Wills","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil health indicators inherently vary across soils and landscapes due to soil-forming factors unrelated to land management and thus should be interpreted in pedogenic-specific contexts. Dynamic Soil Properties for Soil Health (DSP4SH) is a nationwide effort organized by United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service to evaluate the inclusion of soil health indicators in soil survey mapping products. Twelve chemical, biological, and physical soil health indicators were measured with consistent methodologies across a wide range of soil types, bioregions, and agricultural production systems. We found significant variability in soil health indicators corresponding with soil taxonomic suborder, supporting the importance of context-specific soil health benchmarks. Relative values of all soil health indicators differed significantly between perennial reference ecosystems and agricultural systems, and about half of the indicators examined (soil organic carbon, autoclaved-citrate extractable [ACE] protein, permanganate-oxidizable carbon, β-glucosidase activity, and arylsulfatase activity), were also significantly higher in soil health management agricultural systems compared to conventional agricultural systems. Aggregate stability, soil respiration, and enzyme activities exhibited the most variability between project locations. We found that ACE protein was highly sensitive to management and strongly correlated with soil organic carbon and warrants further investigation as a soil health indicator. Surprisingly, arylsulfatase activity exhibited the largest overall effect size, as well as greater observed management sensitivity in warmer, drier sites. However, additional research into method replicability and interpretation is needed for either metric to be suitable for soil survey adoption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110203"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880535","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":"Responses of plant productivity and soil nutrient concentration to different levels of semi-arid grassland degradation","authors":"Yajun Zhou ,&nbsp;Limin Duan ,&nbsp;Jianying Guo ,&nbsp;Denghua Yan ,&nbsp;Yingjie Wu ,&nbsp;Yixuan Wang ,&nbsp;Huade Guan ,&nbsp;Okke Batelaan ,&nbsp;Tingxi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurately assessing grassland health necessitates quantifying changes in plant community diversity and soil physicochemical properties during the successional processes of vegetation degradation and restoration. This study classified degradation into three stages (light, moderate, and heavy) and restoration into two stages (enclosure ≤5 years and enclosure &gt;5 years). We conducted a quantitative assessment of vegetation characteristics and the dynamics of soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus across different degradation and restoration stages, utilizing 30 pairs of grazed and exclosure control plots across the watershed. Our results revealed significant variations in vegetation cover and species richness along the degradation and restoration gradients. Aboveground biomass and vegetation cover declined progressively with increasing degradation intensity. Soil nutrients, including SOC, TN, and TP, exhibited a pronounced \"surface accumulation\" pattern, with the highest concentrations in the topsoil (0–10 cm). Significant differences in SOC, TN, and TP were observed among degradation stages in surface soils, while bulk density (BD) and pH values showed relatively little variation. Soil water content and TP differed significantly in the topsoil among restoration stages. Enclosure enhanced aboveground biomass and species richness, but species diversity declined when enclosure duration exceeded five years. Although soil nutrient contents changed after enclosure, the relative rates of change in soil stoichiometry remained largely unchanged. These findings highlight the importance of integrating vegetation and soil parameters for a comprehensive assessment of grassland health and restoration effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110198"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880605","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":"Enhancing crop productivity and soil microbial functions through strategic peanut-based multi-cycle rotation strip intercropping","authors":"Qiqi Dong ,&nbsp;Yang Yuan ,&nbsp;Zecheng He ,&nbsp;Mingze Liu ,&nbsp;Dongying Zhou ,&nbsp;Penghao Yu ,&nbsp;Ziwen Li ,&nbsp;Yuanming Lu ,&nbsp;Xinkai Hu ,&nbsp;Xiaoguang Wang ,&nbsp;Chunji Jiang ,&nbsp;Xibo Liu ,&nbsp;Shuli Zhao ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Chao Zhong ,&nbsp;He Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuli Kang ,&nbsp;Xinhua Zhao ,&nbsp;Haiqiu Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110209","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110209","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rotation strip intercropping of maize and peanut (RMP) is a sustainable agricultural practice that mitigates global climate change challenges and ensure food security. However, the effects of peanut-based multi-cycle RMP on crop yields and rhizosphere microecological dynamics remain underexplored. Here, a four-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate different rotation cycles impacts of RMP 16:8 (16-row maize and 8-row peanut) and RMP 8:8 (8-row maize and 8-row peanut) on crop yield and rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, and microbial functional dynamics. In RMP (16:8) and RMP (8:8), maize yields increased by 32.03 % and 33.13 %, while peanut yields rose by 4.11 % and 5.29 %, respectively. Additionally, under RMP (8:8), rhizosphere soil nutrient content and enzyme activities improved significantly, ranging from 10.22 % to 42.81 % and 14.50–45.50 %, respectively. Metagenomic analyses revealed that the relative abundances of C (<em>folA</em> and <em>mxaF</em>), N (<em>nirK</em>, <em>ureC</em>, <em>narC</em>, and <em>nasA</em>), and P (<em>pstS</em> and <em>cmk</em>) cycling functional genes, along with microorganisms such as <em>Bradyrhizobium, Sphingomonas, Nitrosopira,</em> and <em>Burkholderia</em>, were closely associated with improved soil properties. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further demonstrated that genus-level microorganisms indirectly affected soil enzyme activities via C, N, and P cycling genes, while soil enzyme activities positively influenced plant nutrient accumulation and yield through enhanced soil nutrient contents. This study highlights the potential of peanut-based multi-cycle RMP to enhance crop productivity and soil microbial functions, providing a theoretical foundation for improving soil health and advancing sustainable agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110209"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880532","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}