Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Assessing the non-target effects of herbicides on field margin plant communities after controlling for soil, climate, local context and landscape metrics","authors":"Laura Henckel ,&nbsp;Guillaume Fried ,&nbsp;Jean-Philippe Guillemin ,&nbsp;Isis Poinas ,&nbsp;Christine N. Meynard ,&nbsp;Benoit Ricci","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pesticides are often identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity decline in farmlands. However, our knowledge about this relationship has mostly being inferred from small to landscape-scale studies, or from indirect indicators of agricultural practices at large scales. Here, we used a national network of more than 500 sites monitored yearly from 2013 to 2018 in France to assess the non-target effects of herbicides on field margin plant communities. We used hierarchical generalized linear models to investigate the effects of practices on plant species richness, plant species evenness, proportion of nature-value plants, and proportion of grasses in field margins, while controlling for a large number of possible confounding effects. The intensity of herbicide use had a negative effect on plant species richness, and on the proportion of nature-value plants. In the margin of cereal fields, there was a negative effect of dicotyledon herbicides on richness and a negative effect of grass herbicides on species evenness. We also identified, in some specific crops, a negative effect of non-herbicide treatments on margin flora richness and on the proportion of nature-value plants. The presence of surrounding grasslands had a consistent favourable effect on richness and on the proportion of nature-value plants in field margins. Finally, situations of risk for pesticides drift had a negative effect on margin flora. This study confirms that reducing herbicide use represents a robust lever to maintain the floristic diversity of field margins, which could be combined with strategies reducing the risk of pesticide drift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110190"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941076","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":"Traditional coppicing and mowing maintain semi-natural habitats in the Tokyo metropolitan area","authors":"Kei Uchida ,&nbsp;Yuki Iwachido","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110215","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110215","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the impact of reintroducing traditional land-use practices on habitat quality and biodiversity is essential. Coppicing and mowing may enhance soil moisture by reducing dominant species, thereby promoting species coexistence. Coppicing also improves sunlight availability for understory plants. To fully understand biodiversity recovery in semi-natural ecosystems, it is necessary to examine the interaction between biodiversity and human management. This study investigated the effects of reintroducing traditional management practices on plant diversity in urban habitats, focusing on three factors: management (coppicing and mowing), local environment (soil moisture and sunlight), and landscape context (proportions of urban, agricultural, and forest areas). Specifically, we addressed: (1) whether traditional management practices maintain plant species richness, and (2) how these practices influence local environmental conditions to support biodiversity. Our findings confirm that traditional management fosters plant diversity, aligning with research in Europe. This study further highlights that even in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area—the world’s largest urban area—traditional ecological knowledge remains crucial for biodiversity conservation. Maintaining human-nature connections in urban environments is crucial, as traditional practices enhance native plant diversity, aesthetic value, and ecosystem services, such as pollinator support and urban pest control. However, demographic shifts in developed countries may challenge the continuation of these practices, necessitating more efficient management strategies in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110215"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941073","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":"Nitrogen reduction via cultivation of green manures in drylands: A microbial perspective on enhancing soil nitrogen availability to increase wheat yield","authors":"Chenxi Liu ,&nbsp;Shijie Wei ,&nbsp;Mengyun Li ,&nbsp;Qi Zhu ,&nbsp;Yongchun Cai ,&nbsp;Gaohai Han ,&nbsp;Huishuai Lv ,&nbsp;Zhaohui Wang ,&nbsp;Donglin Huang ,&nbsp;Xiaomin Wei ,&nbsp;Weidong Cao ,&nbsp;Yajun Gao ,&nbsp;Dabin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110208","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110208","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The application of green manure (GM) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer strategies plays pivotal roles in regulating soil N pools within the winter wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) cropping system. However, the impacts and underlying mechanisms of these strategies on soil organic N (SON) fractions and microbial community composition in drylands, as well as the relationships between microorganisms and SON fractions, remain unclear. To address this, an 8-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three GM treatments [black bean (BB, <em>Phaseolus vulgaris</em> L.), rapeseed (RS, <em>Brassica napus</em> L.), and fallow (FW, control)] and three N fertilizer levels (N0, N120, and N240) on soil N pools, wheat yield, and microbial community composition on the Loess Plateau of China. Results indicated that both N fertilizer and GM treatments increased the contents of soil total N (TN), NO₃^--N, microbial biomass N (MBN), and total hydrolysable-N (AHN). Specifically, growing BB as a GM crop significantly enhanced the AHN content by 13.3 %, primarily through increases in amino acid-N (AAN), hydrolysable NH₄⁺-N (AN), and amino sugar-N (ASN). Notably, N fertilization reduced soil microbial interactions and bacterial diversity. However, GM cultivation mitigated the adverse effects of N fertilization on soil microbial communities and facilitated the microbial transformation of excessive mineral N into MBN. Compared to FW-N240, the cultivation of BB as GM coupled with reduced N fertilization not only increased wheat yield but also reduced N₂O emissions. However, cultivating RS reduced N₂O emissions and sustained wheat yield at the high N level (N240). Overall, integrating leguminous GMs with moderate N application (N120) enhanced soil N availability by promoting microbial-mediated N cycling, providing a sustainable strategy to regulate the N recycling process to enhance wheat productivity and soil fertility in dryland agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110208"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902258","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 reclamation enhances soil organic carbon accumulation via mitigating salinity and alkalinity in coastal saline soils","authors":"Wei Zhu ,&nbsp;Shiguo Gu ,&nbsp;Xin Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuan Yu ,&nbsp;Shuanghuang Yu ,&nbsp;Xiangping Wang ,&nbsp;Rui Jiang ,&nbsp;Xiangtian Meng ,&nbsp;Rongjiang Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal saline soil reclamation is critical for global food security, with soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation being central to rehabilitation. However, the characteristics of SOC under different saline-alkali levels corresponding to various reclamation ages with in-situ crop straw incorporation, and its key components, plant residue carbon (PRC) and microbial necromass carbon (MNC) remain unclear. Using a chronosequence of reclamation durations (0, 3, 5, and 8 years) in Dongtai reclamation area, China, we measured SOC, soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass. Reclamation progressively reduced soil electrical conductivity (EC), while pH declined more gradually. The accumulation of PRC and MNC lagged behind the reduction of EC and pH, following curvilinear patterns. By year 8, SOC in the 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm layers reached 6.30 g kg⁻¹ and 6.37 g kg⁻¹, representing 62 % and 120 % increases from the year 0, while PRC increased by approximately 500 % in both layers. Fungal necromass carbon (FNC) dominated MNC pool, with FNC/BNC (bacterial necromass carbon) ratios of 7.48 (0–15 cm) and 6.52 (15–30 cm) at year 8, respectively. EC and pH decreased, thus affect enzyme activities and soil nutrients, and SOC sequestration was ultimately promoted. Therefore, long-term reclamation (&gt; 8 years) enhances desalination and SOC storage, substantial SOC gains occur only once soils become non-salinized (EC_1:5 &lt; 1 dS m⁻¹, pH &lt; 8.5), underscoring EC and pH control as prerequisites for stable SOC sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110212"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902259","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":"Grazing intensity, microtopography, and soil properties mediate the relationship between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in grazed wetlands in a semi-arid region","authors":"Mingye Zhang ,&nbsp;Shuchen Liu ,&nbsp;Shouzheng Tong ,&nbsp;Yu An ,&nbsp;Ming Jiang ,&nbsp;Haitao Wu ,&nbsp;Guodong Wang ,&nbsp;Dongjie Zhang ,&nbsp;Geng Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110210","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110210","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil seed banks (SSBs) serve as the fundamental basis for natural vegetation regeneration, and their relationship with aboveground vegetation (AV) plays an important role in achieving natural rehabilitation of wetlands. Grazing is the predominant form of wetland resource utilization in semi-arid regions, significantly influencing biodiversity and ecological functions. Although the response of wetland SSBs to grazing is an important focus area in ecology research and microtopography is extremely common in semi-arid wetlands, the mediating role of microtopography in regulating the impact of herbivores on SSB dynamics remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, this long-term field study (2000–2023) investigated the effects of four grazing intensities (no, slight, moderate, and heavy grazing) and three microtopographic conditions (hummock apex, hummock brae, and hummock interspace) on SSBs. Results revealed that the interaction between grazing and microtopography significantly influenced SSBs and their association with AV. The density and richness of SSBs decreased with an increase in grazing intensity and significantly varied with microtopographic heterogeneity. The similarity between SSBs and AV initially increased and subsequently decreased with increasing grazing intensity, with the similarity level being higher for the hummock apex than for other positions. Electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid levels, and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) levels were significantly negatively correlated with the density and richness of SSBs and the density of AV. Redundancy analysis indicated that EC and NO₃⁻-N significantly influenced SSB properties across all grazing intensities, and that EC was a key driver of changes in the structural attributes of AV. Furthermore, a structural equation model indicated that grazing and microtopography directly affected SSB properties. In particular, microtopography mediated the process through which grazing disturbed AV, thereby affecting SSBs. Altogether, these findings suggest that grazing and microtopography profoundly affect the structural attributes of wetland SSBs through multiple pathways. These findings enhance the understanding of the ecological functions of microtopography and provide valuable insights into the near-natural restoration and sustainable utilization of grazed wetland ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110210"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902260","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":"Nitrogen sustainability and soil carbon sequestration in fresh grain legume-based rotations: The vital role of the cover crop mixture","authors":"Zhi Liang ,&nbsp;Juliana Trindade Martins ,&nbsp;Leanne Peixoto ,&nbsp;Kirsten Lønne Enggrob ,&nbsp;Chiara De Notaris ,&nbsp;Jim Rasmussen","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Building soil carbon (C) while retaining nitrogen (N) is central to sustainable agriculture. Integrating fresh grain legumes (GLs) with cover crops could achieve both, yet documentation of combined C and N benefits is lacking at the rotation scale. In particular, no study has quantified total C inputs, including root fragments and rhizodeposited C, from both main GLs and cover crops within a single crop sequence. We conducted a two-year rotation in Denmark, comparing fresh GLs (faba bean, pea, pea-barley mixture) with a cereal reference (barley), each followed by two cover crop types (pure ryegrass or a mixture of ryegrass, plantain and chicory) and a subsequent cereal. We tracked N recycling (biological N₂ fixation, soil N availability, residual N fertility) and quantified root fragments and net rhizodeposited C from both main and cover crops (1-m), using a ¹ ³CO₂-labelling approach. Among GLs, faba bean fixed the most atmospheric N₂ and left substantial residual N, that cover crops captured and translated into higher subsequent cereal yields. GLs supplied less belowground C inputs than the barley reference (1 vs. 2 Mg C ha⁻¹), yet the cover crop mixture after faba bean remarkably added up to fivefold C (5 Mg ha⁻¹) that of the preceding main crops. Total C inputs from faba bean-cover crop matched those of the barley-cover crop reference (4–5 vs. 5–6 Mg C ha⁻¹). As the first empirical study, we demonstrated fresh GLs-cover crops, particularly faba bean-cover crop mixture, enhanced C inputs and sustained N recycling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110206"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895866","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":"Enhanced anaerobiosis and increased carbon input boost microbial-mediated carbon sequestration in paddy irrigation-drainage units","authors":"Shaopeng Wang ,&nbsp;Yinghua Yin ,&nbsp;Fulin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yongxin Liao ,&nbsp;Yan Zhou ,&nbsp;Hongbin Liu ,&nbsp;Limei Zhai","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110211","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110211","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing carbon sequestration in rice paddies while mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a critical environmental challenge. Rice field management typically occurs within irrigation and drainage units (IDUs), which comprise paddies and ditches. However, comprehensive studies on microbial carbon cycle processes within IDUs are scarce. This study examined GHG emissions, carbon storage, microbial metagenomics, and physicochemical properties of two types of IDUs with different anaerobic conditions and carbon inputs: rice–wheat (RW) rotation and rice–crayfish (RC) rotation. Findings indicate that the greatest divergence in microbial functional traits for carbon cycling between the ditch and paddy was in carbon fixation, in which the ditch acted as a carbon source and the paddy served as a carbon sink in RW IDUs. The input and balance of carbon and nitrogen are limiting factors for microbial carbon turnover in long-term anaerobic ditches. The RC ditch with simultaneous additional carbon and nitrogen inputs from feed increased microbial carbon turnover and accumulation compared with the RW ditch that only receives runoff nitrogen. The duration of anaerobic conditions becomes the decisive factor for carbon accumulation in paddies under substantial concurrent carbon and nitrogen inputs. In continuously flooded RC paddy fields, the winter season witnessed a 29.5 % increase in carbon-fixing microbes and a 14.0 % decrease in carbon-metabolizing microbes, leading to a 91.6 % reduction in respiration rates and a 53.8 % increase in net ecosystem carbon budget. Notably, the persistence of anoxic conditions augments methane emissions in RC IDUs, particularly through aceticlastic methanogenesis. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the overall net global warming potential for the RW IDUs escalates to 27,603.2 kg·ha⁻¹, which is 4.23 times that of the RC IDUs. This study underscores the microbial-mediated carbon cycling within two distinct IDUs, offering vital insights into carbon sequestration enhancement and emission reduction in rice agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"399 ","pages":"Article 110211"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880537","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":"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}