Field Crops Research最新文献

{"title":"Maize root system phenotypes for efficient uptake of nitrogen and high yields","authors":"Jie Lu ,&nbsp;Hui Shao ,&nbsp;Tjeerd Jan Stomph ,&nbsp;Guohua Mi ,&nbsp;Lixing Yuan ,&nbsp;Jochem Evers","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Identifying maize genotypes with a high capacity for nitrogen uptake without yield penalty is relevant to breeding maize for sustainable production systems with reduced nitrogen input. Identifying root system phenotypes that may achieve this is difficult in the field. We applied an established functional-structural plant (FSP) model. We first identified seven important root traits that give either high yield or high N uptake at a wide range of soil N levels, and determined which trait values give both high N uptake and high yield. After that, data from field experiments covering 12 maize cultivars released in China between the 1970s and the 2010s were used to evaluate the model results. In line with observed data, our simulated results demonstrated trade-offs exist in root traits between high yield and high N uptake, specifically in root sink strength for carbon, root length density, root length, and root-to-leaf biomass partitioning. We identified two root system phenotypes that give both high yield and high N-uptake. We show low root biomass with high root length density at 15 cm to 45 cm depth allowed maize to combine high yield and high N uptake. Our study demonstrates that cluster analysis of FSP modelling results can be used to identify improved root system phenotypes across a wide range of environments, which is useful information when defining targets for breeding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110154"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093775","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":"Organic agriculture enhances zinc concentrations in edible crop parts: A meta-analysis","authors":"Jing Hou ,&nbsp;Xiaopeng Gao ,&nbsp;Martin H. Entz","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential micronutrients for humans, and their deficiencies lead to widespread malnutrition and other related health problems. Organic agriculture is often promoted for its potential to enhance soil health and environmental sustainability, but its effects on Zn and Fe concentrations in crops have remained inconsistent.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This meta-analysis aimed to compare Zn and Fe concentrations, and also evaluated crop yield, between organic and conventional agriculture systems. It also sought to identify environmental and agronomic factors that influence these outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 322 paired data points from 54 peer-reviewed publications on cereals, legumes, and vegetables were analyzed. The natural logarithm of the response ratio (lnRR) was employed as the effect size for Zn and Fe concentrations in edible crop parts and crop yield. The influences of crop type, soil properties (soil texture, soil organic carbon, soil pH) and climate factors (climate region, annual mean air temperature, annual precipitation) on the effect sizes were assessed using a mixed-effects model.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>Zinc concentrations in organically grown crops were 14.2 % (95 % CI: 9.7 – 19.0 %, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) higher than those under conventional agriculture, with the effectiveness being more evident in vegetables. This increase corresponded to an average of 4.3 mg kg^-1 higher Zn concentrations across crop types. Iron concentrations did not show an overall difference between the two systems, only under wet conditions (annual precipitation &gt; 850 mm) where organically grown crops had 14.5 % (95 % CI: 3.57 – 26.66 %, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) higher Fe concentration than conventionally grown crops. Despite these effects on micronutrients, organic agriculture was associated with a 24.7 % (95 % CI: −31.2 to −17.6 %, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) reduction in crop yield, especially for cereals grown in arid regions. These findings underscore a critical trade-off between nutritional micronutrient concentration and crop productivity.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>This is the first meta-analysis comparing organic and conventional agriculture regarding their impacts on micronutrient availability in crops. The findings highlight the need for integrated agronomic strategies that optimize nutrient quality while maintaining productivity. Bioavailability was not assessed in the present study but is highlighted as an urgent research priority when examining how organic systems influence micronutrient bioavailability for human consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110153"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093777","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":"Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer and long-term straw return synergistically improve wheat yield and reduced the nitrogen losses by regulating soil microbial communities and soil organic nitrogen components","authors":"Tianyang Zhou ,&nbsp;Yuguang Zang ,&nbsp;Zhikang Li ,&nbsp;Yajun Zhang ,&nbsp;Kuanyu Zhu ,&nbsp;Weiyang Zhang ,&nbsp;Hao Zhang ,&nbsp;Lijun Liu ,&nbsp;Zhiqin Wang ,&nbsp;Junfei Gu ,&nbsp;Jianchang Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110148","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context and problem&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Soil organic nitrogen (SON), the primary form of total soil nitrogen, regulates nitrogen retention, transformation, and supply. Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizers (CRNF) and straw return enhance soil fertility and reduce nitrogen losses, yet the synergistic effects of their long-term combination on SON dynamics, gaseous nitrogen emissions, and microbial-mediated nitrogen cycling remain poorly understood—limiting their optimized use in cropping systems.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Objective&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The objective of this study was to investigate the changes in different soil organic nitrogen components and the soil microbial regulatory mechanisms under various straw and nitrogen fertilizer management practices.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study, based on a wheat field experiment involving long-term straw return (started in 2015), included the following treatments: straw removal with common urea (N-CU), straw removal with CRNF (N-CRNF), straw return with common urea (R-CU), and straw return with CRNF (R-CRNF). We studied gaseous N loss, content of different SON components, and soil microbial communities under different treatments.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;On average, straw return not only increased SON content by 33.8 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; year&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;, but also optimize its composition. Specifically, it increases rapidly mineralized acid-hydrolysable nitrogen (AHN) by 124.6 kg N ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; year&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; while reducing slowly decomposed non-acid-hydrolysable nitrogen (N-AHN). CRNF decreased NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; volatilization by 19.0 % and N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O emissions by 27.8 %. Combining straw return with CRNF exhibited synergistic benefits exceeding either practice alone, including a 6.7 % increase in yield, a 21.3 % reduction in the ratio of total gaseous N loss to applied N, a 3.1 % increase in harvesting index of nitrogen (HI&lt;sub&gt;N&lt;/sub&gt;), and annual SON sequestration of 40.3 kg ha&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; year&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;. CRNF and straw return alter key soil microorganism traits that regulate AHN components and gaseous N losses. For example, ASN, AAN, and AHAN were related to the abundance of &lt;em&gt;Sarcopodium&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Bacillus&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Botryotrichum&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Vishniacozyma&lt;/em&gt;. NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; volatilization and N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O emissions were mainly related to the abundance of &lt;em&gt;Sporacetigenium&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;MND1&lt;/em&gt;, &lt;em&gt;Panaeolus&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Tomentella&lt;/em&gt;. Predicted metabolic functions also implies a potential synergistic effect: straw return could maintain soil nitrogen cycling activity, while CRNFs reduce associated losses.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Straw return combined with CRNFs synergistically enhanced soil fertility via SON accumulation, improved NUE by reducing gaseous N losses. The effects were related to alteration in soil microbial community.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Implication&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study provides useful information for how to enhance different SON com","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110148"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093776","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":"Nighttime warming affects yields of major grain crops: A global meta-analysis","authors":"Víctor D. Giménez ,&nbsp;Román A. Serrago ,&nbsp;Belén Kettler ,&nbsp;Guillermo A. García ,&nbsp;Somayanda M. Impa ,&nbsp;S.V. Krishna Jagadish ,&nbsp;P.V. Vara Prasad ,&nbsp;Daniel J. Miralles ,&nbsp;Ignacio A. Ciampitti","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current studies and future projections of climate change indicate an asymmetric warming characterized by a greater increase in nighttime temperatures relative to daytime temperatures. Warmer nights negatively impact crop yields, posing challenges for global food security. The effects of nighttime warming vary by crop species, developmental stages, regions, and experimental conditions. This meta-analysis synthesizes data from 59 studies (680 observations) on wheat, rice, maize, and soybean under controlled (i.e., greenhouses and growth chambers) and field conditions. Results show an average yield reduction of ∼25 % due to a mean nighttime warming of ∼4.5 °C, with rice (∼33 %) and wheat (∼21 %) being most affected, followed by maize (∼10 %), while soybean showed no significant changes. Yield losses were more pronounced under controlled conditions (∼41 %) than in field studies (∼10 %), likely due to differences in experimental setups and temperature intensities. Yield reductions were most significant during the critical periods of development for yield determination and grain-filling in wheat and rice, especially under higher warming intensities. Controlled studies reported higher yield penalties per °C increase in nighttime temperature compared to field studies: 4.7 % vs. 1.0 % in rice and 5.5 % vs. 0.5 % in wheat. These findings highlight the value of controlled experiments for understanding physiological impacts and assessing their mechanisms, but frequently overestimate yield penalties, emphasizing the need for more field-based approaches to represent real-world conditions better. This study underscores the urgency of standardizing experimental protocols and focusing research on major crops like maize and soybean, as well as other food-security crops like sorghum, millets, and legumes, in regions vulnerable to climate change. Incorporating advanced phenotyping, modeling, and field-adapted technologies will be crucial for developing effective adaptation, mitigation, and resilience strategies to combat nighttime warming’s impacts on global crop production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110142"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093778","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":"Rice-crab coculture produces higher carbon sink and eco-economic benefits","authors":"Hongwei Han ,&nbsp;Taotao Chen ,&nbsp;Feng Zhang ,&nbsp;Haixia Liu ,&nbsp;Yikui Bai ,&nbsp;Daocai Chi","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>Rice-crab coculture is a promising approach for developing eco-agriculture. However, there is limited information on the responses of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) and eco-economic benefits to the shift from monocultures to rice-crab coculture.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>This study aimed to determine the benefits of rice-crab coculture system (RC) on carbon emission and sequestration, carbon sink strength, gross primary production, crab and grain yield and comprehensive economic income.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A 2-yr field experiment was conducted to evaluate three culture systems: rice monoculture system (RM), crab monoculture system (CM), and RC.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results showed that CM acted as a carbon source (NEE: 4.76–5.09 C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The shift from CM to RC significantly raised soil carbon sequestration (0.17–1.58 C ha^–1 yr⁻¹). RC and RM both had gross primary production, resulting in a significant carbon sink (NEE: −3.96 to −3.71 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, −3.73 to −3.57 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, respectively). RC significantly decreased cumulative NEE (3.92 %–6.17 %) and increased gross primary production (6.53 %–7.27 %). RC transformed from CM and RM significantly raised soil easily oxidized organic carbon (6.28 %–14.60 %), microbial biomass carbon (2.82 %–11.20 %), and soil dissolved organic carbon (3.47 %–7.83 %) in 2022 and 2023, thereby resulting in higher soil respiration (1.95–5.09 C ha^–1 yr^–1). Within RC, the crab refuge area increased soil carbon sequestration and acted as a carbon source, while rice planting area acted as a carbon sink and counteracted the CO₂ emissions from the crab refuge area. Eco-economic benefit revealed that RC did not alter rice yield relative to RM, and produced 1.43–2.58 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 higher crab yield relative to CM, the highest economic benefits (3.64–4.48 10³ USD ha^–1 yr⁻¹), and the lowest NEE-scaled income (-1.25 to −1.21 10³ USD kg^–1C^–1 yr⁻¹) among the three treatments in both years.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>RC enhanced carbon fixation capacity and optimized carbon sink capacity, producing the highest economic benefits and the lowest NEE-scaled income.</div></div><div><h3>Implications or significance</h3><div>RC balanced across rice and crab yields, net income, gross primary production and soil carbon sequestration, establishing a scalable model for climate-resilient agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110152"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093803","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":"Root plasticity of maize intercropped with a legume green manure contributes to the maintenance of grain yield under reduced nitrogen inputs","authors":"Hanting Li ,&nbsp;Zhilong Fan ,&nbsp;Guocui Wang ,&nbsp;Yulong Wang ,&nbsp;Falong Hu ,&nbsp;Wen Yin ,&nbsp;Qiming Wang ,&nbsp;Weidong Cao ,&nbsp;Qiang Chai ,&nbsp;Tuo Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Intercropping offers multiple benefits in agroecosystem services and functions. However, the mechanisms by which intercrop roots contribute to the enhanced benefits are poorly understood. This study determined the root contribution of intercropped legume green manure to intercropped maize yields under reduced nitrogen fertilization.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A three-year field experiment (2019–2021) was conducted in an oasis irrigation area of northwestern China using a split-plot design with three replicates. The main plots compared maize-common vetch intercropping (IM) with maize monoculture (M), while subplots included a 25 % nitrogen reduction (N1: 270 kg ha⁻¹) and a conventional nitrogen rate (N2: 360 kg ha⁻¹).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Root weight density (RWD), root length density (RLD), and root surface area density (RSAD) in monoculture maize were symmetrically distributed under both nitrogen levels. In contrast, intercropped maize exhibited an asymmetric root spatial distribution during co-growth with common vetch, with significant suppression of RWD, RLD, and RSAD in soil zones adjacent to the common vetch, particularly beneath its rows. This suppression was also evident in the 0–60 cm soil layer near the common vetch row. Moreover, RSAD in the 60–120 cm layer remained consistently lower beneath the common vetch rows than in the maize inter-row zones, regardless of nitrogen input level. RWD and RLD at these depths, however, were less affected. Following the clipping of leguminous green manure, intercropped maize roots expanded laterally into previously occupied common vetch zones, increasing root proliferation throughout the 0–120 cm profile. Reduced nitrogen input enhanced vertical root penetration, promoting deeper rooting in underutilized subsoil layers. In monoculture maize, nitrogen reduction resulted in declines of 7 %-11 % in grain number per spike (GNS) and 9 %-20 % in thousand kernel weight (TKW), while spike number per unit area (SN) remained unaffected. However, these reductions were mitigated in the intercropping system. Mantel test analysis revealed that total RWD during the reproductive stages was positively associated with GNS, while total RLD during the dough and maturity stages contributed to TKW.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Intercropping leguminous green manure with maize mitigated the adverse impacts of nitrogen reduction on maize yield by enhancing maize root plasticity.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>Selectively choosing intercrops with high root plasticity can improve crop productivity and system resilience by enhancing intercrops’ adaptability to climate change in irrigated areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110151"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093801","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":"Assessment and correction of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/9 NDVI using in-situ measurements across rice growth stages in southern South Korea","authors":"Soo-Jin Kim ,&nbsp;Hyunjoon Kim ,&nbsp;Hyeokbin Son ,&nbsp;Min-Won Jang","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to compare in-situ normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measurements with satellite-derived NDVI data for rice paddies field in southern region of South Korea and to develop calibration equations for different growth stages using both linear and non-linear regression models. The in-situ NDVI was measured with a portable leaf index meter (Crop Circle ACS-435), and satellite-derived NDVI was obtained from Landsat-8/9 and Sentinel-2 images. All values represented daily average NDVI across a five-year period (2020–2024). Analysis showed that satellite-derived NDVI values were generally lower than in-situ values, primarily because of atmospheric and spatial resolution differences. Both satellite platforms exhibited a strong positive correlation with ground-based NDVI, although stage-specific differences were observed. Landsat-8/9 outperformed in the pre-heading stage, whereas Sentinel-2 performed better in the post-heading stage. For Landsat-8/9, the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) decreased substantially from 38.6 % before correction to 16.7 % after applying the calibration equations, whereas for Sentinel-2 it decreased from 22.1 % to 15.3 %. This study establishes a foundation for improving the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based NDVI through in-situ calibration, with potential applications in agricultural productivity, environmental monitoring, and climate change adaptation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110149"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145093802","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":"Underground interaction saves nitrogen input by driving nitrogen fixation and transfer in maize-soybean intercropping","authors":"Bo Jing,&nbsp;Wenjuan Shi,&nbsp;Tao Chen,&nbsp;Jiawen Song","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Legume-based intercropping have been shown to improve sustainability in cereal-dominated agricultural systems. However, how underground interactions affect intercropping advantages under different nitrogen (N) application rates remains unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>To elucidate how underground interactions shape root niches and N distribution, influence N fixation and transfer, and thereby enhance productivity while reducing N input in maize-soybean intercropping.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>From 2023–2024, field experiment was conducted with maize monoculture, soybean monoculture, and maize-soybean intercropping under varying N application rates (maize: 0, 120, 180, 240, and 300 kg N ha^–1; soybean: 0, 60 kg N ha^–1). In 2024, a micro-plot experiment was established within the field experiment plots, including treatments of underground interaction and separation, with ¹⁵N labeling of soybean used to quantify N transfer to maize.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Maize-soybean intercropping demonstrated a productivity advantage (land equivalent ratio &gt; 1) and improved N use efficiency, primarily driven by the competitive dominance of maize (aggressivity &gt; 0). In maize-soybean intercropping, the N application rates that achieved maximum maize yield and N use efficiency were reduced to 183 and 149 kg ha^–1, respectively, compared to 241 and 313 kg ha^–1 in maize monoculture, respectively. In micro-plot experiment, underground interaction reduced soil mineral N accumulation by 9 – 28 % compared to underground separation, promoting a more uniform N distribution between maize and soybean sides under intercropping. In addition, under underground interaction, maize and soybean roots overlapped primarily on the soybean side, with the degree of overlap increasing with higher N application rates, despite the inhibition of soybean root growth compared to underground separation. Regardless of whether under underground separation or interaction, higher N application rates inhibited the percentage of N derived from the atmosphere of soybean but led to an increase in the total biological N fixation amount. Importantly, underground interactions drive N transfer from soybean to maize, with the percentage of N in the maize derived from transfer reaching 22 – 32 %. In summary, N application rates indirectly enhance N fixation and transfer by effecting soil N and root distribution in the underground interaction zone, enhancing benefits in maize-soybean intercropping.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>An optimal N application rate of approximately 165 kg ha^–1 was identified for maize-soybean intercropping, achieving a balance productivity, N use efficiency, N fixation, and N transfer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110150"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145061112","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":"Is mechanized conservation agriculture a promising solution for smallholder farmers? Evaluating its short-term agronomic and economic performance in Ethiopia","authors":"Bisrat G. Awoke ,&nbsp;Thomas Daum ,&nbsp;Karlheinz Köller ,&nbsp;Dereje A. Anawte ,&nbsp;Mubarek M. Issa ,&nbsp;Teshome B. Gutema ,&nbsp;Debele D. Enki ,&nbsp;Godfrey Omulo ,&nbsp;Regina Birner","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110141","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mechanization can play a key role in addressing farm power limitations and driving an agricultural transformation in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), but conventional mechanized tillage can lead to land degradation. Mechanized conservation agriculture (CA) could help to address this concern, but little is known about its agronomic and economic performance in SSA. We explore mechanized CA performance in two contrasting agro-ecological conditions in Ethiopia – specifically a maize-haricot bean system in sandy loam soils in semi-arid Melkassa, and a wheat-faba bean system with heavy clay soils in sub-humid Kulumsa. We employed a Randomized Complete Block Design experiment with three treatments and three replications; (1) conventional disc and harrow tillage (CT), (2) reduced tillage – ripper (RIPT), (3) no-tillage– no-till seeder (NT). The results indicated that in Melkassa, where improved soil moisture availability was attained, RIPT enabled significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) higher maize yields (2595 kg ha⁻¹ and 5831 kg ha⁻¹, in 2022 and 2023 respectively) compared to CT (1751 kg ha⁻¹ and 3246 kg ha⁻¹) and higher gross margins (825 US$ ha⁻¹ and 2624 US$ ha⁻¹) obtained for maize compared to CT (261 US$ ha⁻¹ and 1126 US$ ha⁻¹). In Kulumsa, no significant yield difference was obtained between CT and CA (RIPT and NT) treatments for wheat in both seasons, however, wheat was the most profitable crop under RIPT due to a 13 % reduction in total variable cost. The promotion of rippers appears to be a useful first step to replace conventional tillage with mechanized CA practices in Ethiopia, potentially using rental services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110141"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046959","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":"Physiological mechanisms and agronomic strategies underlying flood tolerance variability in dryland crops: A global meta-analysis","authors":"Shen Qiu ,&nbsp;Yanjun Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianlong Dai ,&nbsp;Hezhong Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.110146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>The increasing frequency of flooding events poses significant challenges to global agricultural sustainability in dryland systems, demanding urgent insights into crop-specific resilience mechanisms and adaptive strategies linked to yield formation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Through a global meta-analysis of 217 peer-reviewed studies, we systematically evaluate flood tolerance and agronomic mitigation strategies across six major dryland crops (cotton, maize, peanut, rapeseed, soybean, and wheat) by integrating yield, biomass, and physiological traits (e.g., photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes). A novel flood tolerance index (FTI) was developed to quantify resilience.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among the six crops examined, wheat and rapeseed demonstrated the highest flood tolerance (FTI: 0.80 and 0.77, respectively), followed by soybean and cotton (0.68 and 0.64), while peanut and maize displayed the lowest tolerance (0.61 and 0.57). These variations in flooding tolerance align with differences in reliance on three adaptation strategies: quiescence (e.g., antioxidant enzyme activity), compensatory growth (post-flood photosynthetic recovery), and escape (aerenchyma formation), regulated by flood-responsive genes such as <em>Zea mays</em> ethylene response factor B 180 (<em>ZmEREB180</em>) and <em>Brassica napus</em> phytoglobin 1 (<em>BnPgb1</em>). Agronomic interventions, such as raised-bed cultivation, bio-stimulants, post-flood fertilization and diversified intercropping, enhanced crop yield by 7.3–55.2 % through improving these adaptation strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The analysis reveals significant variation in flood tolerance among dryland crops, driven by different reliance on escape, quiescence, and compensatory strategies. Building on these insights, we propose a flooding-smart adaptation (FSA) framework that integrates crop physiology with agronomic practices, offering a scalable pathway to mitigate economic losses and stabilize productivity in flood-prone regions. This study advances methodologies for resilience assessment and provides actionable strategies to align crop ecology with climate-smart agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"334 ","pages":"Article 110146"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046958","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}