Field Crops Research最新文献

{"title":"Co-application of microalgae and biochar increases yield and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions in saline-alkali soil","authors":"Chao Ma ,&nbsp;Zhe Xu ,&nbsp;Wei Yang ,&nbsp;Tao Tang ,&nbsp;Qi Liu ,&nbsp;Dongliang Zhang ,&nbsp;Prashanth Prasanna ,&nbsp;Zhongyi Qu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109885","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109885","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Despite the proven role of biochar or microalgae application alone in yield stability and climate resilience, their synergistic effects have not been well characterized, especially in fragile saline-alkali lands.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to investigate the individual and combined effects of biochar and microalgae application on sunflower yield, soil carbon (C), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and carbon footprint (CF), providing novel insights into saline-alkali soil management.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Three doses of microalgae fertilizer (0, 30, and 60 L ha⁻¹), combined with two rates of biochar (0 and 30 t ha⁻¹), were applied in field experiments over 3 years in Northwest China (Wuyuan, Inner Mongolia). The key parameters evaluated included the soil organic carbon (SOC) content, GHG emissions, and crop yield.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Microalgal fertilizer application alone caused minimal changes in SOC storage, whereas biochar application had a predominant effect, indicating that biochar was a key contributor to SOC accumulation. Notably, the combined effects of biochar and microalgae on yield, SOC storage, and emission reduction were stronger than those of each factor separately, confirming the positive complementary effects of dual application. The combination of microalgae fertilizer and biochar resulted in maximum yield (3824 kg ha⁻¹) and SOC sequestration (26 Mg C ha⁻¹), which increased by 58 % and 24 %, respectively, compared to that of the control over the three years. Additionally, co-application reduced GHG emissions and the CF by 18 %-31 % and 101 %, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The combination of 30 t ha⁻¹ biochar and 60 L ha⁻¹ microalgae was identified as the optimal strategy for the study area. This optimized regime holds great potential for increasing crop yield, enhancing C sequestration, and mitigating GHG emissions, thereby promoting sustainable development in saline agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109885"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792162","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 drip tape placement position and dripper type on root distribution, N use efficiency and yield of cotton under drip irrigation in Xinjiang, China","authors":"Kai Liu,&nbsp;Shaohua Liu,&nbsp;Huan Liao,&nbsp;Zhenan Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109894","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109894","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Drip irrigation technology has been widely used in cotton fields in Xinjiang of China. The placement of drip tape and the type of dripper directly influence the distribution of soil moisture and nutrients, thereby affecting root growth and nutrients uptake. However, the effect of drip tape placement position and dripper type on N use efficiency (NUE) and yield of cotton is still unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>In this study, two placement positions of drip tape (in wide (W) or narrow (N) rows of cotton plant) and two types of dripper (single-wing labyrinth dripper (L) or embedded dripper (E)) were evaluated, resulting in four treatments (LW, LN, EW, EN).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After 24 h fertigation, EW and EN treatments exhibited deeper soil moisture penetration than LW and LN treatments, while LW and LN showed more uniform moisture distribution in the 0–20 cm soil layer. The soil NO₃^--N of LW, LN and EN treatments were mainly concentrated in the narrow rows, while that in the EW treatment was concentrated in the wide rows. The root length density (RLD) distribution of LW, LN and EN treatments coincided with soil moisture and NO₃^--N patterns. Compared with EW and EN treatments, LW and LN treatments increased cotton RLD by 12 %-34 % and root surface area by 9 %-23 %. Compared with EW and EN treatments, the LW treatment significantly increased cotton yield and NUE by 12 %-15 % and 37 %-53 %, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Therefore, drip tape with single-wing labyrinth dripper placed in wide rows enhances cotton root growth and nutrients uptake, thereby increasing NUE and yield. This research contributes to optimizing drip irrigation configurations and improving cotton yield and NUE under drip irrigation in Xinjiang.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109894"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143785171","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":"Soybean-maize intercropping combined with water management enhances leaf traits to obtain yield benefits in semi-arid regions","authors":"Ping Chen ,&nbsp;GaoJie Xian ,&nbsp;Tian Pu ,&nbsp;Wanzhuo Gong ,&nbsp;Jianzheng Li ,&nbsp;Feng Yang ,&nbsp;Xiaochun Wang ,&nbsp;Taiwen Yong ,&nbsp;Yuze Li ,&nbsp;Yanhong Yan ,&nbsp;Jiang Liu ,&nbsp;Wenyu Yang ,&nbsp;Yushan Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109869","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109869","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Intercropping can enhance land use efficiency and offer promising ways for achieving food security and sustainable agriculture. However, the impact of water management on intercropping productivity still needs to be further studied in semi-arid areas, particularly the mechanisms behind the yield advantages related to crop leaf photosynthetic parameters in soybean-maize intercropping are still unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The current study aimed to assess the effects of cropping systems and water management on crop biomass accumulation, photosynthesis, grain yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), and economic benefits of soybean-maize intercropping systems in semi-arid regions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-year field experiment using a two-factor randomized block design was conducted in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, a semi-arid region of China. The study compared alternate soybean-maize intercropping (RI) and strip soybean-maize intercropping (SI) with the corresponding sole cropping (Factor A) under two water management strategies (Factor B), and analysed crop leaf functional traits mediated biomass accumulation and yield advantages in intercropping.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results showed that the LER ranged from 1.07 to 1.17 for RI with average partial land equivalent ratio (pLER) at 0.20 and 0.92 for soybean and maize. The LER of SI ranged from 1.13 to 1.35 and the pLER of soybean and maize were 0.38 and 0.86. The average net effect of soybean-maize intercropping was 5.41 Mg ha^–1. Although the LER was independent of water management, full irrigation without plastic film mulch treatment (WM1) boosted the net effect of intercropping systems compared with the reduced irrigated ridge-furrow treatment (WM0). Intercropping enhanced biomass accumulation and grain yield by increasing the leaf area index rather than improving leaf photosynthetic parameters. Additionally, WM1 improved crop leaf functional traits and enhanced biomass accumulation contributing to higher yield advantages and economic benefit compared with WM0.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In semi-arid regions, soybean-maize intercropping can achieve trade-off situations of yield advantages. Especially, strip soybean-maize intercropping with WM1 has obtained the highest yield advantage and economic benefit by enhancing the functional traits of crop leaves.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The current study deciphered the mechanism of yield advantages for soybean-maize intercropping in semi-arid regions, and also proposed reasonable water management strategies. Especially in the strip intercropping, the optimized water management strategies should be considered to further increase land productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109869"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143863646","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":"Intercrop overyielding is maintained under estimated water and nitrogen stress in maize-cowpea on-farm trials in semi-arid Zimbabwe","authors":"Illiana W. Kwenda ,&nbsp;Gatien N. Falconnier ,&nbsp;Rémi Cardinael ,&nbsp;François Affholder ,&nbsp;Antoine Couëdel ,&nbsp;Frédéric Baudron ,&nbsp;Angelinus C. Franke ,&nbsp;Isaiah Nyagumbo ,&nbsp;Stanford Mabasa ,&nbsp;Mathilde de Freitas ,&nbsp;Valentin Pret ,&nbsp;Souleymane Diop ,&nbsp;Eleanor F. Mutsamba-Magwaza ,&nbsp;Regis Chikowo","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109890","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109890","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Problem</h3><div>Semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa are characterized by highly variable rainfall and low inherent soil fertility. Maize-cowpea intercropping may offer the prospect of increasing and stabilizing crop productivity in these regions. However, the performance of such cropping systems often varies considerably in space and time.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The main objective of the study was to understand how farmer context and rainfall variability influence the performance of maize-cowpea intercropping, using on-farm field experiments together with soil-crop model simulations to compute water and nitrogen stress.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The data used in this study was generated from twelve on-farm trials during two cropping seasons (2021/22 and 2022/23) in semi-arid Zimbabwe. Three maize (Zea mays L.) varieties, one cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) variety and two cropping systems - either sole or intercropped - were tested. The STICS soil-crop model was parameterized to reproduce crop growth in the on-farm trials and compute water and nitrogen (N) stresses. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the impact of experimental treatments and simulated water and N stresses on intercropping performance.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The Partial Land Equivalent Ratio (pLER – the ratio of intercropped productivity over sole crop productivity) for maize and cowpea greatly varied across farms and crop types. Maize variety did not significantly impact the pLER of maize and cowpea. Water stress and nitrogen (N) stress simulated by the model were significant predictors of variations in pLER: maize pLER for aboveground biomass significantly decreased with increasing simulated water stress, and maize pLER for grain yield significantly decreased with increased simulated N stress. Yet, average LER remained above one, regardless of the water or N stress on maize, because of a greater contribution of cowpea to LER when water and N stress on maize was high. Late planting was found to exacerbate maize water stress, while low total nitrogen in the top soil was significantly correlated with maize nitrogen stress.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our study reveals that the production benefits of maize-cowpea intercropping can be maintained, in conditions of high water and nitrogen stress in multi-year and multi-location on-farm experiments.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>Our findings confirm the assumption that intercropping is a useful approach to intensify and stabilize grain and fodder production in smallholder mixed crop-livestock farming systems in semi-arid environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109890"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143785068","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":"Simple-efficient cultivation for rapeseed under UAV-sowing: Developing a high-density and high-light-efficiency population via tillage methods and seeding rates","authors":"Xiaoqiang Tan ,&nbsp;Mingqiang Bai ,&nbsp;Zongkai Wang ,&nbsp;Chunmei Xiang ,&nbsp;Yugui Cheng ,&nbsp;Yufeng Yin ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Zhenghua Xu ,&nbsp;Jie Zhao ,&nbsp;Bo Wang ,&nbsp;Jie Kuai ,&nbsp;Guangsheng Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109887","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;UAV-sowing (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-sowing) technology is an effective approach to promote yield and economic benefits in the rice-rapeseed rotation system. However, in the pursuit of maximizing annual benefits, soil tillage methods, seeding rates, planting densities, and photosynthetic efficiencies need to be optimally integrated to establish a more efficient system.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Objective&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Field experiments were conducted at multiple sites over several years to explore the yield performance, economic benefits, and the mechanisms underlying high productivity under different tillage patterns and seeding rates.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;A two-year field experiment with a split-plot experimental design was carried out at three representative sites in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) of China: WuHan, YiChang, and XiangYang. Three planting modes, namely CK (tillage with manual sowing, general mode), N (no-tillage with UAV-sowing, potential mode), and T (tillage with UAV-sowing) were set as the main treatments, and three seeding rates S1 (3.75 kg h m&lt;sup&gt;−2&lt;/sup&gt;), S2 (5.25 kg h m&lt;sup&gt;−2&lt;/sup&gt;), and S3 (6.75 kg h m&lt;sup&gt;−2&lt;/sup&gt;) served as the sub-treatments in WuHan, while only N-S3 and CK-S3 were established in Yichang and Xiangyang. The seedling rate, population density, dry matter accumulation dynamics, photosynthetic and physiological indexes, yield, and economic benefits of rapeseed under different cropping patterns were measured and compared.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;From all sites and years, we found that: (1) The highest yield was achieved at the seeding rate of S3 in all modes. As the seeding rate increased from S1 to S3, the yield gap between the N mode and CK as well as T gradually decreased. Moreover, the yield of N-S3 could surpass that of CK-S2 by 5.2–7.5 %, reaching a high-yield level. (2) The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) was notably higher in the N mode than in CK by 19.5 % and in T by 11.6 %. (3) The highest seedling number was observed in T-S3, but the highest seedling rate was observed in T-S1. Compared with T-S1, the seedling number in T-S2 and T-S3 increased by 7.2 % and 13.3 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the seedling rate decreased by 14.3 % and 29.5 %, respectively, while the harvest density increased by 46.4 % and 143.1 %, respectively. (4) Through the comparison of various indexes measured in different modes, it was revealed that reasonably dense planting is capable of balancing the conflict between individuals and population and maximizing the greater group productivity. (5) The economic benefits analysis and correlation network analysis indicated that the yield and planting benefits within the high-yield and high-efficiency system showed a significant positive correlation with population density as well as radiation use efficiency (RUE).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions and significance&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mode N combined with a large seeding rate (S3) effectively reduced planting c","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109887"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143783582","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":"Fifty-four years of ryegrass ear phenology reveals climate change responses","authors":"Trevor J. Gilliland ,&nbsp;Lisa Black ,&nbsp;Sally Watson ,&nbsp;Jeremy Widdowson ,&nbsp;Adam Gauley","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109893","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109893","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>New perennial ryegrass (<em>Lolium perenne</em> L.) cultivars undergo field tests that compare them to all protected cultivars, registering those that are novel and rejecting facsimiles. This involves over-wintering in short-days/low-temperatures to prime plants to initiate reproductive growth when cultivar specific Spring photoperiods are inductive, with subsequent timing of seed-head emergence recorded. Comparing emergence dates over 54 years (1969–2023), on nine indicator groups spanning earliest to latest maturing cultivars, revealed a progressive drift towards earlier emergence, with more compressed distributions in recent years. Analysis of cultivars with 10 + concurrent years confirmed a phenological dependency on incident growing conditions between initiation and emergence, independent of cultivar genotype. Quantifying climatic accumulations between initiation and emergence, revealed that earlier ear emergence was positively and significantly correlated with daily temperature and irradiation trends, but weakly associated with highly variable rainfall. This phenological timing is also annually recorded on a wide diversity of agricultural, amenity, ornamental and vegetable species, at internationally dispersed test centres. Therefore, this study identifies hitherto unrecognised opportunities to interrogate precise and standardised plant responses to changing climatic conditions. As Climate Change impacts vary regionally, such a novel biological indicator network could monitor plant phenology responses to mitigation measures, and globally compare regional impacts on both farmed and natural plant systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109893"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776706","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":"Evaluate the sensitivity of rapeseed lodging under low light：A field study on the biomechanics of stem and root lodging in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)","authors":"Yue Hu ,&nbsp;Hafiz Hassan Javed ,&nbsp;Li Liu ,&nbsp;Nadiyah M. Alabdallah ,&nbsp;Kamran Ghaffor ,&nbsp;Ya-long Liu ,&nbsp;Yu-qin Luo ,&nbsp;Faiza Gulzar ,&nbsp;Xiao Peng ,&nbsp;Yong-cheng Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109881","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109881","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar dimming has been increasing and threatening crop production in rapidly developing regions (China). The low light stress caused by reduced radiation affects rapeseed production. Lodging is one of the main causes of yield loss and quality decline in rapeseed. However, few studies have been conducted so far on the mechanisms of shade effects on rapeseed lodging. This study aims to investigate the effects of low light on the lodging resistance, structural and biomechanical characteristics of four rapeseed genotypes and determine which lodging type (stem and root lodging) is more common under low light stress based on actual lodging conditions in the field. Shading net was used to investigate the bending strength of stems and root-related parameters. The results showed that low light significantly reduced stem and root lodging resistance, manifested as a decrease in stem bending strength and root anchoring strength, respectively. low light significantly reduced stem diameter (12.6 %) and second moment of area (37 %). low light also reduced stem anatomical parameters, especially cortical thickness (5.4 %) and lignin area (24.9 %). The significant reduction in root length, root diameter, root depth, root bending strength, and root tip strength leads to a shallower root layer, thereby affecting the root anchoring strength. Differences in root plane coverage area and root-soil cone volume exist between genotypes. low light reduced the safety factor of stem and root, but the decrease in root safety factor was higher. Besides that, lodging ratio data showed that, root lodging is more likely to occur under low light treatment as compared to stem lodging. The results of this study indicate that under low light stress, especially in low light areas, rapeseed genotypes with strong roots and high anchoring strength should be selected to improve lodging resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109881"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767513","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":"Integrating UAV and satellite LAI data into a modified DSSAT-rapeseed model to improve yield predictions","authors":"Chufeng Wang ,&nbsp;Lin Ling ,&nbsp;Jie Kuai ,&nbsp;Jing Xie ,&nbsp;Ni Ma ,&nbsp;Liangzhi You ,&nbsp;William D. Batchelor ,&nbsp;Jian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109883","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109883","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Yield estimation in the fall is crucial for effective pre-winter management of winter rapeseed. Integrating remotely sensed leaf area index (LAI) with crop models has great potential for improving simulations of crop yields.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective of this study was to modify the DSSAT-Rapeseed model and by integrating LAI adjustments from satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images to improve the accuracy of rapeseed yield predictions at early stages from both experimental plots and actual farm fields.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A new pest definition, called \"target LAI,\" was created in the COGRO048.PST file within the pest module of DSSAT. The DSSAT model was then modified to adjust leaf weight, leaf area, and leaf nitrogen content based on remotely sensed target LAI. Field investigations and UAV-derived LAI data from two years and two experimental stations were used to calibrate model parameters through a trial-and-error method, selecting the parameter set that minimized the error between model outputs (e.g., LAI and crop yield) and observations. The model's performance was tested with yield data from a different year at the same stations, using pre-winter LAI assimilated through the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF). For actual farm fields, dynamic LAI data from Sentinel-2A was integrated with the modified DSSAT model for yield simulation and compared with ground measurements.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>By assimilating LAI into the modified DSSAT model, the mean absolute error (MAE) for yield simulation was reduced from 452 to 234 kg/ha in the experimental plot and from 443 to 259 kg/ha in actual farm fields compared to the original DSSAT model.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Integrating UAV and satellite LAI during pre-winter into the modified DSSAT model using data assimilation (EnKF) improved the rapeseed yield prediction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109883"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143759214","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":"Mild water deficit under reasonable dense planting ensures maize yield and improves water use efficiency by coordinating source-sink relationship","authors":"Yining Ma ,&nbsp;Shengju Yang ,&nbsp;Risheng Ding ,&nbsp;Taisheng Du ,&nbsp;Shaozhong Kang ,&nbsp;Ling Tong","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109888","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109888","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Despite the effectiveness of dense planting and regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) in conserving water and stabilizing yields in arid regions, the underlying mechanisms of yield formation, specifically the source-sink relationship are still inadequately researched.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study seeks to explore the impact of varying planting densities and RDI on maize source-sink characteristics to identify yield-limiting factors. The goal is to finding a suitable maize planting model for water conservation and stable yields in arid regions of northwest China.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-year field experiment was conducted during the maize growing seasons of 2020 and 2021, with two planting density (70,000 plants/ha (D1) and 90,000 plants/ha (D2)) and three water treatments (full irrigation (W1), mild water deficit (W2) and moderate water deficit (W3)).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Under the same degree of water stress, leaf area duration increased with the increase of planting density. The dry matter accumulation at D2 density increased by 10–20 % and 13–20 % under W1 and W2 treatments, respectively, compared to D1. The source-sink differences were positive for most treatments, indicating that total source supply still had a surplus after fulfilling total sink growth. At D2 density, only the D2W2 treatment had a positive source-sink difference in both years, it had the smallest value. The source-sink ratio of D2W2 treatment was 1.08 and 1.02 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Compared to D2W1, the yield per unit area of D2W2 was slightly lower (2–3 %), but water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency increased by 12–14 % and 13–17 % respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and implications</h3><div>Mild water stress (W2) applied at high density (D2) effectively regulated the source-sink balance without altering the limiting effect of insufficient sink capacity on yield. While slightly reducing yield per unit area, the D2W2 treatment significantly improved water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency and effectively served as a form of regulated deficit irrigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 109888"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767512","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":"Improved sustainability of grain production by intercropping and partial organic substitution in the North China Plain","authors":"Bowen Ma ,&nbsp;Zhengyuan Liang ,&nbsp;Wuzhi Hua ,&nbsp;Jeroen C.J. Groot ,&nbsp;Fusuo Zhang ,&nbsp;Wopke van der Werf ,&nbsp;Wen-Feng Cong","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109886","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109886","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Introduction of intercropping with legumes and partial organic nitrogen (N) substitution is thought to benefit the sustainability of grain production systems but there is a need for better evidence on the effectiveness and economic outcomes of these measures.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Here, we assess whether integrating maize/soybean intercropping and partial organic substitution into maize-wheat double cropping can reduce annual N inputs while sustaining high productivity and profitability, and simultaneously lowering N surplus and greenhouse gas emissions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Field experiment was conducted for three cropping systems (maize-wheat, soybean-wheat, and maize/soybean intercrop-wheat) and two fertilizer treatments: 100 % synthetic N and 30 % organic N substitution.</div></div><div><h3>Results and conclusions</h3><div>Over two years, soybean-wheat and intercrop-wheat produced 17.7 % and 14.3 % higher grain protein yields than maize-wheat, but total grain yield was lower by 36.8 % and 9.2 %, respectively. N surpluses were reduced by 40.7 % and 14.9 % in soybean-wheat and intercrop-wheat, respectively. As a result, soil mineral N accumulation was 18.5 % and 12.5 % lower in soybean-wheat and intercrop-wheat, respectively, than in maize-wheat. Correspondingly, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 35.1 % and 26.0 %. Net revenue from intercrop-wheat was 16.4 % higher than that of maize-wheat in the first year. Organic N substitution reduced soil N accumulation and N₂O emissions without affecting other performance indicators.</div></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><div>These results demonstrate that intercropping and partial organic fertilizer substitution can reduce environmental impacts while maintaining economic viability, supporting the adoption of these practices in the North China Plain for more sustainable grain production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109886"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791561","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}