Field Crops Research最新文献

{"title":"Greenhouse gas emissions during alfalfa cultivation: How do soil management and crop fertilisation of preceding maize impact emissions?","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109602","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109602","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The use of alfalfa in rotation with intensive crops is common practice to mitigate the physical and chemical issues arising from intensive farming practices. However, there is a dearth of studies on this practice. Given the current concern regarding climate change and the significant impact agriculture has on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, understanding the emissions associated with this practice, as well as the most suitable soil and crop management techniques for their mitigation, is of paramount importance.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The present study aimed to (i) quantify emissions of N<sub>2</sub>O, CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> in an alfalfa crop following a maize cropping scenario; (ii) to determine which tillage system generates the lowest GHG emissions, and; (iii) to determine how N fertilisation from a preceding intensive maize crop affects GHG emissions during alfalfa cropping period.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A three-year field experiment (2019, 2020 and 2021) was conducted to assess the emissions of N<sub>2</sub>O, CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> from alfalfa cultivation following a three-year period of irrigated maize. Two soil management practices (no-tillage and conventional tillage) were implemented during both the maize cropping period and the alfalfa establishment. Additionally, the nitrogen (N) fertilisation rates applied to the preceding maize crop were included as a treatment (0, 200, and 400 kg N ha⁻¹, corresponding to zero, medium, and high fertilisation levels, respectively) in a randomized block design with two factors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Emissions of N<sub>2</sub>O in alfalfa ranged from 0.05 to 0.32 mg N<sub>2</sub>O-N m⁻² day⁻¹, being significantly higher only during first month of sampling in the treatments that had received fertilisation. CO<sub>2</sub> emissions ranged from 1158 to 4258 mg CO<sub>2</sub>-C m⁻² day⁻¹. Year-average CH<sub>4</sub> fluxes were −0.27 g C ha⁻¹ day⁻¹. The average total dry matter produced by alfalfa was 17700 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, being higher for the no-tillage treatment, though significantly so only during first month of sampling.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Under Mediterranean conditions, the tillage system and mineral N fertilizer rates have a relative effect on greenhouse gas emissions during the alfalfa cropping period. Plots without N fertilization initially produced lower N<sub>2</sub>O emissions and higher total dry matter, resulting in the lowest scaled emissions. For the tillage treatment, no significant differences were found in emission dynamics, which may be due to the fact that alfalfa does not involve soil disturbance, leading to a homogenization of the treatments. However, the NT treatment showed lower scaled emissions due to higher yields in the first year. Therefore, alfalfa cultivation is characterized by low GHG emissions, high yields, and a notable capacity to mitigate the negative effec","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing nitrogen application patterns and amounts to improve maize yield and water-nitrogen use efficiencies in the Loess Plateau of China: A meta-analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>There is an urgent need to address the contradiction between maize production and soil nutrient shortages to achieve efficient maize production with minimum fertilizer, labor and environmental costs. Determination of rational Nitrogen (N) application patterns is the key to solving this problem.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>N application is an effective strategy to improve maize N uptake (NU), yield and water use efficiency (WUE). However, the effects of different N application patterns on maize NU, yield and WUE vary greatly, and it is difficult to determine the great-yield and high-efficiency N application pattern for maize in the Loess Plateau region according to a single experimental study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We synthesized 102 studies (102 sites) in the Loess Plateau region of China to evaluate the effects of different N application patterns (BU: basal urea; TU: basal and topdressing urea; S/C: slow/controlled release urea; S/CU: slow/controlled release urea mixed with normal urea) on maize NU, yield, WUE, and N use efficiency (NUE), and explored their responses to different climates, soil physicochemical properties, and field management practices.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>N application significantly increased the maize NU, yield and WUE. S/CU pattern significantly improved maize NU, yield and WUE the most with 110.74 %, 83.13 % and 86.21 %, respectively, compared to non-N application. S/C pattern showed the greatest increase in NUE of maize (3.47 %). Random forest analysis showed that growing season precipitation (GSP) was the most important determinant of the impact of N fertilizer application on maize NU, yield and WUE, while soil total nitrogen (TN) content was the most important determinant of maize NUE. The greatest increase in S/CU pattern yield and WUE enhanced when GSP and MAT were 200–400 mm and ≤ 10 °C, respectively. N application was more effective in increasing maize yield and WUE when the soil texture was clay loam and SOM &lt; 10 g kg⁻¹. Film mulching also further increased maize NU, yield, and WUE. In addition, variety of “Xianyu 335” had higher effect sizes for NU, yield and WUE than “Zhengdan 958”.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>S/CU pattern obtained greater maize yield and WUE with lower fertilizer and labor costs, the suitable rate of nitrogen application was determined to be 165.20 kg ha⁻¹ and the urea mix ratio was 65 %.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>The results would provide theoretical support and technical guidance for great-yield and high-efficiency green production of maize in the Loess Plateau of China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424879","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":"Alternate wetting and drying maintains rice yield and reduces global warming potential: A global meta-analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109603","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109603","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Rice production systems are significant sources of anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) i.e., methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Practicing alternate wetting and drying (AWD) in rice substantially affects rice yield as well as CH₄ and N₂O emissions from rice fields. However, it is difficult to determine global impacts from individual experiments as these studies differ in practice, experimental design, locations, nature of soil, and agro-ecological regions.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objectives of this article include (i) to conduct a global and comprehensive analysis to clarify the effects of AWD on rice yield, GHGs emissions, global warming potential (GWP), and greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) in the context of a variety of climatic conditions and initial soil properties, and (ii) to explore the effects of different agronomic measures on rice yield and emissions of GHGs under AWD.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>In this study, we analyzed 72 peer-reviewed studies worldwide that provide insights into the effects of climate, initial soil conditions, and agricultural management practices on rice yields, GHGs, GWP, and GHGI under AWD conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results found that AWD led to 1.52 % increase in rice yield with a 42.59 % increase in N₂O emissions, however, CH₄, GWP, and GHGI were reduced by 43.23 %, 36.84 %, and 38.57 %, respectively. Moreover, regional climatic factors and soil properties substantially affects the rice yield and GWP e.g., low mean annual temperature (≤ 15℃) and precipitation (≤ 1000 mm) are conducive for emission reduction potential of CH₄ and GWP. In addition, AWD reduced GWP highest in soils having pH ≤ 6.5, organic carbon content ≤ 12 g kg⁻¹, total nitrogen ≥ 2 g kg⁻¹, and high available N, P and K contents. Overall, rice yield improvements with decreased GHGs, GWP and GHGI were observed at 100–150 kg hm⁻² N fertilizer application rate, and the use of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers, deep fertilization, and biochar application. Furthermore, AWD increased economic benefits and energy use efficiency through the reduction of costs and energy losses associated with irrigation.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Thus, appropriate agronomic measures should be taken according to the local conditions for sustainable rice production with minimum emissions of GHGs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424540","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 deep banding and fertigation of phosphorus improves cotton yield by regulating root spatial distribution and growth","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109604","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>Traditionally, 100 % phosphorus (P) fertilizer application as a band at various depths before sowing significantly influenced crop root growth and yield by reducing P fixation and optimizing its spatial distribution. However, with the advent of drip fertigation in Xinjiang, China, P fertilization practices have shifted from 100 % basal to a combination of basal and fertigation for enhanced P nutrition in cotton. Despite this, the impact of pre-sowing P band application on cotton growth under drip fertigation remains unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>This study aimed to determine the optimal P fertilizer banding depth for cotton under a drip fertigation system.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Field trials were conducted comparing different basal P fertilizer application depths (5 cm, 15 cm, and 25 cm, denoted as D5, D15, and D25, respectively) with 50 % of the P rate and the remaining 50 % applied as topdressing via drip fertilization. A control (CK) involving 50 % broadcasted P fertilizer and 50 % topdressed P was included. The study focused on the effects of P application depth on soil P availability, root growth patterns, P utilization, and cotton yield.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>At the boll opening stage, the D15 treatment exhibited a significant 18.69 %-49.76 % increase in available phosphorus in the 10–40 cm soil layer compared to the CK. During the peak boll to boll opening stage, the D15 treatment significantly outperformed the CK in terms of total root biomass density (11.62 %-17.54 %), total root length (16.75 %-24.81 %), total root surface area (23.07 %-37.59 %), and total root volume (20.69 %-26.23 %). Moreover, root activity and growth parameters were notably higher in the D15 treatment within the 10–40 cm soil layer.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Applying 50 % of the P fertilizer as a band at a 15 cm depth before planting drip-irrigated cotton is optimal. This practice enhances soil P availability, stimulates root growth and distribution, and ultimately improves P utilization and cotton yield.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>Banding P fertilizer at a 15 cm depth in combination with drip fertigation demonstrates superior yield benefits. This technology offers a novel approach to fertilizer application, enhancing nutrient use efficiency and crop productivity in drip-irrigated systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424878","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":"Optimizing transplanting densities for lowland rice production under low-yielding environments in the Madagascar highlands","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Rice yield is low at 2.1 t ha⁻¹ in sub-Saharan Africa. Increased yield is a critical challenge to food security and environmental conservation in this region. However, smallholder farmers have limited access to irrigation, mineral fertilizers, and improved crop varieties. One approach that even resource-limited farmers can easily manipulate is to optimize planting densities. However, there is limited empirical evidence to provide technical recommendations under such low-yielding conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to identify the effect of dense transplanting on lowland rice yields under low-yielding conditions, with a target range below 5 t ha⁻¹.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multi-field trials were implemented with transplanting densities of a regular rate at 25–26.7 hills m⁻², a doubled rate at 50–53.3 hills m⁻², and a tripled rate at 88.9 hills m⁻² in the central highlands of Madagascar, where rice yields are limited by nutrient deficiency and low temperature. Canopy coverage and cumulative intercepted radiation (CIR) were monitored from transplantation to maturity using digital imagery analysis. Field observations (n=306) and four-year household surveys (n=356) were combined to calculate the costs and benefits of changing transplanting densities.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Doubling densities from 25.0–26.7 hills m⁻² to 50.0–53.3 hills m⁻² had a consistent yield advantage by approximately 0.4 t ha⁻¹ across a yield range of 1.8 t ha⁻¹–4.4 t ha⁻¹. The yield was further increased by tripling the transplanting densities to 88.9 hills m⁻² when the yield range was 1.9–2.3 t ha⁻¹. The yield advantage of higher transplanting densities was attributed to a greater CIR at the initial growth stages and a significantly greater panicle number. Household surveys and field observations indicated that the benefit of yield gain was more than three times greater than the additional cost of doubling the seed amounts. No significant yield differences were observed by changing the transplanting densities when the yield level was higher than 5 t ha⁻¹ or lower than 1.3 t ha⁻¹ where substantial reductions in grain fertility occurred owing to low-temperature stress.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A relatively high transplanting density of 50–53.3 hills m⁻² or even higher is recommended to ensure initial canopy development and panicle number in low-yielding conditions where individual plant growth is stagnant, except in fields with high risks of grain set failure.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>This study provides an easy-to-use opportunity for smallholder farmers to increase their rice yield. Further studies are required to determine whether these findings apply to warmer climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142424877","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":"Effects of 12-year cropping systems and tillage practices on crop yield and carbon trade-off in dryland Loess Plateau","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109598","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109598","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Cropping systems and tillage practices suitable for local environmental conditions to balance the demand for food production and environmental impacts are critical for achieving a low-carbon cycle and sustainability of agricultural production systems in arid and semiarid regions.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three tillage practices under diversified cropping systems in terms of food production, farmers’ income, mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and economic and environmental sustainability.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Therefore, we conducted a 12-year (2007–2019) field experiment involving three tillage practices (no-tillage, NT; subsoiling tillage, ST; conventional tillage, CT) and three cropping systems (continuous winter wheat, W-W; winter wheat-spring maize cropping, W-M; continuous spring maize, M-M) in the Loess Plateau of China to evaluate their impact on food production, farmers’ income, GHG emissions, and environmental sustainability.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results indicated that the equivalent yield and equivalent economic benefit were the highest for M-M (9412 kg ha⁻¹and 2655 USD ha⁻¹); W-M and M-M increased equivalent yield by 44.1 % and 102.4 %, equivalent economic benefit by 44.6 % and 164.6 %, soil C sequestration by 23.8 % and 52.9 %, and reduced net GHG emissions (NGHG) by 12.5 % and 7.3 %, respectively, compared with W-W. The equivalent yield and equivalent economic benefit were highest under ST (7200 kg ha⁻¹ and 1767 USD ha⁻¹); NT and ST increased equivalent yield by 3.7 % and 8.1 %, equivalent economic benefit by 10.2 % and 11.1 %, soil C sequestration by 23.5 % and 7.5 %, and carbon sustainability index (CSI) by 5.5 % and 3.1 %, respectively, compared with CT. In addition, NT resulted in 6.5 % lower NGHG emissions than CT, whereas ST resulted in 2.7 % higher NGHG emissions than CT. This study identified W-M and NT with a higher comprehensive evaluation index (<em>CEI</em>) based on entropy-TOPSIS considering 6 indicators (equivalent yield, equivalent economic benefit, soil C sequestration, carbon sustainability index, net greenhouse gases emissions and yield-scaled carbon footprint).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The adoption of W-M and NT in the Loess Plateau has the potential to enhance crop yield and farmers’ income while proving benefits to the environment.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>These findings provide a scientifically grounded basis for selecting effective agricultural management strategies that can maintain food security while minimizing environmental impacts amid climate warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142329772","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":"Does shifting from normal to early or late sowing dates provide yield benefits? A global meta-analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Shifting the sowing date has been proposed as a simple agronomic lever to enhance crop establishment, growth, and yield, which could be a climate change adaptation strategy.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>Previous research showed that the experimental data assessing the effect of sowing date are not consistent and vary between trials and publications. We hypothesized that the difference in pedoclimatic conditions and management practices may be responsible for the contrasting impact of sowing dates on crop establishment, growth, and yield.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A global meta-analysis of 94 studies and 3145 observations was conducted to quantify the effect of covariates related to crop types and pedoclimatic conditions in relation to early and late sowing dates compared to normal sowing dates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>On average, early sowing significantly increased seedling emergence vigor (53 %, confidence interval (95 %) = [49 %,58 %]) and disease and pest control (88 % [20 %,195 %]) without significant effect on plant biomass (2 % [-2 %,5 %]) and yield (-10 % [-20 %, +0.8 %]) compared to normal sowing date. In contrast, late sowing had no significant effect on seedling emergence vigor (28 %[-4 %,72 %]) or disease and pest control (14 %[-1 %,31 %]) while it significantly decreased plant biomass (-21 %[-21.42 %,-21.12 %]) and yield (-24 % [-28 %, −19 %]) compared to normal sowing date, in particular when the sowing delay exceeded three weeks and when the average minimum temperature was above 13°C during the growing season.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Early sowing does not affect crop productivity while late sowing reduces crop yield. Shifting from normal to late sowing dates may lead to yield losses exceeding 20 %, especially in warm conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>This study offers an important insight into the potential of crop yield improvement by adjusting sowing dates to aid decision-making in relation to specific pedoclimatic conditions and cropping practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142329774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing crop seeding rates on organic grain farms using on farm precision experimentation","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic agriculture is often regarded as less damaging to the environment than conventional agriculture, though at the expense of lower yields. Field-specific precision agriculture may benefit organic production practices given the inherent need of organic farmers to understand spatiotemporal variation on large-scale fields. Here the primary research question is whether on-farm precision experimentation (OFPE) can be used as an adaptive management methodology to efficiently maximize farmer net returns using variable cover crop and cash crop seeding rates. Inputs of cash crop seed and previous-year green manure cover crop seed were experimentally varied on five different farms across the Northern Great Plains from 2019 to 2022. Experiments provided data to model the crop yield response, and subsequently net return, in response to input (seeding) rates plus a suite of other spatially explicit data from satellite sources. New, field-specific spatially explicit optimum input rates were generated to maximize net return including temporal variation in economic variables. Inputs were spatially optimized and using simulations it was found that the optimization strategies consistently out-performed other strategies by reducing inputs and increasing yields, particularly for non-tillering crops. By adopting site specific management, the average increase in net return for all fields was $50 ha⁻¹. These results showed that precision agriculture technologies and remote sensing can be utilized to provide organic farmers powerful adaptive management tools with a focus on within-field spatial variability in response to primary input drivers of economic return. Continued OFPE for seeding rate optimization will allow quantification of temporal variability and subsequent probabilistic recommendations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142326799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishing the water resources implications for closing the land and water productivity gaps using remote sensing – A case study of sugarcane","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Two of the key limitations for sustainably increasing agricultural production are the scarcity of land and fresh water resources. Establishing land and water productivity gaps is, therefore, essential for measuring how efficiently these resources are being utilised and assessing the scope for increasing feed and food production. Monitoring the productivity gaps at large scales or over time using field data is challenging and expensive. Remote sensing offers an alternative data source to reveal spatial and temporal variations in productivity.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This paper presents a framework that integrates remote sensing derived data and field data to assess (1) land and water productivity gaps, (2) bright spots – fields exhibiting land- and water productivity equal to or higher than the target, and (3) net irrigation water demand for increasing production.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The framework is developed and applied to the Xinavane sugarcane estate in Mozambique, demonstrating its practical application through systematic evaluation on a 6637 ha section of the estate divided by different irrigation application methods.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results reveal that the productivity gap is the highest on fields irrigated by furrow (13.1 tonnes (ton) per ha), followed by sprinkler (12.6 ton/ha) and centre pivot (9.4 ton/ha). Bridging the productivity gap on the same cropland results in an increased sugarcane production of 12.5 % requiring 8.5 % additional irrigation water, whereas achieving the same production increase through irrigation expansion requires more blue water.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The analyses show that remote sensing provides a viable source of information to diagnose the productivity constraints and how bright spots can provide insights into the best field management practices to overcome them. The framework demonstrates its usefulness for policy makers and stakeholders to make informed decisions on the scarce blue water allocation for enhancing agricultural production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142323534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using APSIM to optimize corn nitrogen fertilizer application levels in alfalfa-corn rotation system in Northeast China","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109596","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Alfalfa (&lt;em&gt;Medicago sativa&lt;/em&gt; L.) consumes a large amount of soil inorganic nitrogen (N) but can supply ample rhizosphere deposited N to subsequent crops. Therefore, N fertilizer application levels should be optimized for corn under long-term alfalfa-corn (AC) rotation system to achieve high yield and N use efficiency.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Objective&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The present study assessed the yield and water and N use efficiency of corn under N fertilizer application in a long-term AC cropping system and optimized the corn N fertilizer application level using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;APSIM was calibrated and validated utilizing the experimental datasets of yield, aboveground biomass, plant N uptake, soil water storage, and inorganic N at 0−140 cm soil layer during corn growth with four N fertilizer treatments (0, 130, 195, and 260 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;), which were collected from a six-year-old alfalfa field experiment carried out in Lishu County (Jilin Province, China) from 2020 to 2022; the field experiment was initiated in 2014. The validated APSIM was then utilized to simulate the long-term (1981−2020) characteristics of crop and soil under different corn N fertilizer application levels in a continuous corn (CC) cropping system and different alfalfa-corn rotation systems (one, two, three, four, and five years of alfalfa followed by two years of corn; 1A2C, 2A2C, 3A2C, 4A2C, 5A2C). The simulated N treatments included 0−300 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; range with an increment of 30 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Model evaluation revealed that APSIM effectively captured the dynamics of the crop, soil water, and soil inorganic N during corn cultivation following alfalfa at four N fertilizer application levels. The normalized root-mean-square errors between the observed and simulated values under different treatments were less than 30 %. Alfalfa had legacy effects on the soil water and soil N mineralization (N&lt;sub&gt;min&lt;/sub&gt;) of subsequent first-year corn, which ensured the corn yield following alfalfa. The first-year net N&lt;sub&gt;min&lt;/sub&gt; in the soil with corn following alfalfa increased by 140 % (65 %−268 %) compared to the CC cropping system. Alfalfa planting also increased the 0−140 cm soil inorganic N before sowing (N&lt;sub&gt;sow&lt;/sub&gt;) by 351 % (292 %−463 %) for the subsequent corn with no N fertilizer application and the 0−140 cm soil water storage before sowing by 22 % for the subsequent corn with relatively high N fertilizer application (300 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;) compared to the CC cropping system. The highest yield and N use efficiency could be achieved by applying 90 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; N fertilizer for 1A2C/2A2C/3A2C rotation systems and 60 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; N fertilizer for 4A2C/5A2C rotation systems to the first-year corn following alfalfa. However, the N fertilizer requirement of the second-year corn following alfalfa under AC","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142319610","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}