Field Crops Research最新文献

{"title":"Rotation, tillage and irrigation influence agronomic and environmental performance of maize-based bioenergy systems in a dynamic long-term experiment in NE Germany","authors":"Genís Simon-Miquel ,&nbsp;John Kirkegaard ,&nbsp;Moritz Reckling","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109866","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109866","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context and objectives</h3><div>Cropland use for biogas production has sparked debate due to its competition with food production and potential environmental trade-offs derived from maize-based systems. Furthermore, climate change influenced cropping conditions, generating the need to adapt productive and sustainable systems. This work aimed to optimise crop production and sustainability in the face of these challenges by exploring alternatives to existing crop sequence, tillage and irrigation strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>Within a long-term field experiment conducted in Müncheberg (NE Germany), specific cropping systems were assessed from 2008 to 2015, with two alternative crop sequences (continuous maize vs. 4-year crop rotation), tillage practices (plough/no-till), and irrigation (irrigated/rainfed). Productivity indicators, water and N use efficiency, and soil fertility indicators were evaluated at the cropping system level.</div></div><div><h3>Results and discussion</h3><div>Continuous maize systems achieved the highest energy and methane yield levels, while the diverse crop rotation achieved the highest protein yields. Irrigation showed variable yield increases (8–125 %) at rainfall levels &lt; 400 mm pa. The tillage reduction showed a trend to lower yield but higher soil C in the later experimental years. Overall, the systems with the highest productivity also showed high levels of resource use efficiency.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>We observed a trade-off between productivity and sustainability when diversifying continuous maize systems. Higher productivity came with evidence of soil quality decline over time. A maize and perennial legume forage-based system coupled with a target water supply for maize of 400 mm pa and the adoption of strategic tillage could maintain high productivity and sustainability in the long term.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109866"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685007","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":"Can rhizotron tube studies predict deep rooting in the field? A comparison of root phenotyping methods","authors":"Arnesta Odone,&nbsp;Kristian Thorup-Kristensen","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109867","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109867","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or problem</h3><div>Roots have been neglected in crop research, and in particular deep roots which are more difficult to access. Yet they play a crucial role in water stress tolerance, especially in later developmental stages. Methods for phenotyping roots are needed in order to breed for deeper rooting. While field phenotyping methods are costly and laborious, smaller scale methods are often cheaper and more easily replicated, but do not necessarily represent field conditions. Existing studies have not found strong relationships between small-scale and field grown roots, especially in later developmental stages.</div></div><div><h3>Objective or research question</h3><div>This study aimed to investigate whether similar genotypic differences can be seen in deep rooting of winter wheat in field soil and in tube studies, and if tubes could therefore be used to predict deep rooting in the field.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used root imaging to compare deep rooting characteristics of eight modern Danish winter wheat cultivars using three different methods: field experiments assessing roots with minirhizotron tubes; the semi-field facility, RadiMax; and 1.5 m tall rhizotron tubes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>While deep rooting genotypes showed mostly positive correlations across all methods, significant correlations between methods were observed only in one year, specifically between the tubes and semi-field. Furthermore, deep rooting exhibited significant correlations across years and months within the RadiMax method, suggesting consistent deep rooting patterns over time. The increase in variability as experiments became more field-like highlights the complexity of soil-root interactions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>While this study suggests that under certain conditions, small-scale phenotyping methods can indicate deep rooting genotypes, the correlations were not consistent enough to be used to predict deep rooting in the field. This underscores the challenge of using small-scale experiments to extrapolate root measurements to the field.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>This study demonstrates the need for caution when interpreting small-scale root experiments, and underlines the need for continued developments in root research generally. Further studies are needed to improve the quality of methods, to evaluate the effects of different soil types and environmental conditions on root growth, and to relate these to field-grown roots.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109867"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685004","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":"Soil greenhouse gas emissions, yield, and water-use efficiency affected by maize-soybean intercropping under long-term nitrogen fertilization","authors":"Md Raseduzzaman ,&nbsp;Md Razzab Ali ,&nbsp;Wenxu Dong ,&nbsp;Stephen Okoth Aluoch ,&nbsp;Xiaoxin Li ,&nbsp;Gokul Gaudel ,&nbsp;Yuming Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunsheng Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109861","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109861","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Intercropping is widely practiced in many parts of the world due to its high resource-use efficiency, increased productivity, and numerous other agronomic benefits compared to monoculture. However, the interactions between intercropping and varied nitrogen (N) levels under long-term fertilization, particularly concerning soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water-use efficiency (WUE), are not well understood in the semi-arid North China Plain region.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to quantify the effects of maize-soybean intercropping and varying N levels under long-term N fertilization on soil GHG emissions, crop productivity, and WUE.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-year field experiment was conducted using three cropping systems: maize monocrop, soybean monocrop, and maize-soybean intercrop, combined with four N levels: 0 (control, N0), 100 (N100), 150 (N150), and 200 (N200) kg N ha⁻¹ per growing season. All crops were managed using recommended practices.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Maize monocropping consistently emitted higher levels of N₂O and CO₂ than soybean monocropping and maize-soybean intercropping systems. Intercropping reduced cumulative N₂O and CO₂ emissions by 28 % and 15 %, respectively, compared to maize monocropping. Increasing N rates led to higher GHG emissions, with N200 treatment emitting 127 % and 71 % more N₂O and 10.7 % and 4.1 % more CO₂ than N100 and N150, respectively. Intercropped maize increased grain yield and above-ground biomass by 42 % and 21 % than monoculture maize in 2018 and by 39 % and 22 % in 2019, respectively. Although intercropped soybean yielded less biomass and grain, the total LER ranged from 1.11 to 1.37, suggesting that the overall productivity in intercropping was consistently higher than in monocropping. While nitrogen application significantly boosted biomass and grain yield, no difference was found between N150 and N200 treatments, suggesting that a higher N dose beyond N150 offered no additional benefit. Intercropping increased grain WUE by 47 % than maize monocropping. The water equivalent ratio (WER) ranged from 1.13 to 1.41, and the relative water-saving index ranged from −16.5 % to −28.8 %, suggesting that intercropping used water more efficiently, particularly at N150, where the highest WER for grain yield (1.41) and water savings (-28.8 %) were observed among the N rate treatments.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Maize-soybean intercropping, combined with moderate N rate (150 kg N ha⁻¹), offers a sustainable approach to reducing GHG emissions, enhancing crop productivity, and improving water use efficiency in the semi-arid region of northern China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109861"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685501","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":"Pea-oats intercropping: Agronomy and the benefits of including oats as a companion crop","authors":"Rebecca Oiza Enesi ,&nbsp;Vengai Mbanyele ,&nbsp;Lana Shaw ,&nbsp;Chris Holzapfel ,&nbsp;Bryan Nybo ,&nbsp;Linda Yuya Gorim","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109863","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109863","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Intercropping field pea (<em>Pisum sativum</em> L.) and oat (<em>Avena sativa</em> L.) can offer some benefits over monocropping to conventional grain and forage producers. Most studies have been conducted in organic systems with little information for conventional producers prompting a 2-year field study conducted at three Saskatchewan, Canada sites (SERF, IHARF, WCA).</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to assess pea-oat intercropping with oats sown at different seeding rates under conventional systems. Also, it investigates the profitability of pea-oat intercropping.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Treatments included monoculture pea (with and without weed control) and oats seeded at recommended rates; pea-oat intercrop with oats seeded at five seeding rates thus: Pea-oat (PO) intercrop with oats seeding rates targeted at 25 plant m⁻² (PO₂₅), 50 plants m⁻² (PO₅₀), 75 plants m⁻² (PO₇₅), 100 plants m⁻² (PO₁₀₀), and 125 plants m⁻² (PO₁₂₅).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In pea-oat intercropping, increased oat seeding rates reduced pea plant height, pea dry matter and total dry matter compared with monoculture. The highest Pea-oat seeding rate (PO₁₂₅₎ decreased weeds by ∼ 50 % compared to pea monocrop at one site-year. Pea-oat intercropping, especially at high oat seeding rates reduced lodging. Oat grain yield showed a quadratic relationship with increasing seeding rate (r = 0.69; P &lt; 0.020), and maximum oat grain yield was predicted at 163.7 plants m⁻². The Partial land equivalent ratios (PLER) for peas for grains and biomass was &gt; 0.5 mostly at lower densities (PO₂₅ and PO₅₀) while for oat it was &gt; 0.5 at higher densities (PO₇₅, PO₁₀₀ and PO₁₂₅). Land equivalent ratio (LER) differed with site-year with only 2 out of 5 site-years having LER &gt; 1. Net revenue generated for grain yields were higher in Pm while intercropping reduced net revenue gains. Forage revenue did not differ between pea-oat intercropping seeding rates and was comparable to monocrops.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion and implications</h3><div>Our findings suggest that pea-oat intercrop significantly reduced grain yields of peas and oats. Furthermore, with oat as a companion crop, intercropping can potentially be beneficial for weed control and lodging especially when oat is sown at higher seeding rates. This study provides an approach in which pea-oat intercropping could be a potential option for increased profitability in forage production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109863"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143666460","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":"Nitrogen fertilizer fate and plant nitrogen uptake characteristics in waxy sorghum-soybean intercropping system","authors":"Can Wang,&nbsp;Fangli Peng,&nbsp;Siyu Chen,&nbsp;Qiang Zhao,&nbsp;Jie Gao,&nbsp;Guobing Zhang,&nbsp;Lingbo Zhou,&nbsp;Mingbo Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109862","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109862","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Waxy sorghum intercropped with soybean is a typical example of cereal-legume intercropping systems, which is widely used in southwest China. However, nitrogen fertilizer fate and plant nitrogen uptake characteristics in waxy sorghum-soybean intercropping system remain unclear.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Objective&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study aimed to evaluate the biological nitrogen fixation efficiency of soybean, plant nitrogen uptake characteristics of waxy sorghum and soybean, and nitrogen fertilizer fate in waxy sorghum-soybean intercropping system.&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 &lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;N labeling micro-plot design was conducted in 2023 and 2024 using a randomized complete block design with three planting patterns and two nitrogen application rates. Planting patterns included sole cropping waxy sorghum (SW), sole cropping soybean (SS), and waxy sorghum intercropped with soybean (WS), and nitrogen application rates included medium nitrogen (N1) and high nitrogen (N2). We investigated the grain yield, land equivalent ratio, and &lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;N abundance of each sample, and then assessed the biological nitrogen fixation efficiency of soybean, plant nitrogen uptake characteristics of waxy sorghum and soybean, and nitrogen fertilizer fate.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Compared with the corresponding sole cropping, intercropping increased the grain yield, plant biomass, plant nitrogen uptake amount, and plant &lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;N abundance of waxy sorghum, while decreased these parameters of soybean. The grain yield, plant biomass, plant nitrogen uptake amount, and plant &lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;N abundance of waxy sorghum and soybean under the N1 treatment were higher than those under the N2 treatment. The nitrogen fixation efficiency of soybean among planting patterns and nitrogen application rates was in the order of WS &gt; SS and N1 &gt; N2, respectively. The WS-N1 treatment had the highest land equivalent ratio, which was 1.41 in 2023 and 1.44 in 2024. The nitrogen fertilizer fate and plant nitrogen uptake characteristics under the WS-N1 treatment were as follows: (1) the plant nitrogen of waxy sorghum was composed of 56.92 % of derived from soil, 22.20 % of derived from nitrogen fertilizer, and 20.88 % of derived from nitrogen transfer; (2) the plant nitrogen of soybean was composed of 52.74 % of derived from nitrogen fixation, 38.04 % of derived from soil, and 9.22 % of derived from nitrogen fertilizer; and (3) the direction of nitrogen fertilizer included 45.88 % of absorbed by soybean plants, 39.48 % of absorbed by waxy sorghum plants, 11.63 % of nitrogen loss, and 3.01 % of soil residue.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Waxy sorghum intercropped with soybean combined with medium nitrogen application (220 kg ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; for waxy sorghum and 18 kg ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; for soybean) obtained a higher agricultural productivity by optimizing plant nitrogen uptake of waxy sorghum and soybean, p","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109862"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143666338","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":"Alfalfa yield estimation using the combination of Sentinel-2 and meteorological data","authors":"Angie L. Gámez ,&nbsp;Joel Segarra ,&nbsp;Thomas Vatter ,&nbsp;Luis G. Santesteban ,&nbsp;Jose L. Araus ,&nbsp;Iker Aranjuelo","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109857","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109857","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa</em> L.) is one of the world's most important forages for livestock feeding. Timely yield estimates could provide information to guide management decisions to improve production. Since alfalfa crops typically undergo multiple harvests in a year and demonstrate rapid regrowth, satellite remote sensing techniques present a promising solution for alfalfa monitoring.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To generate alfalfa yield estimation models at three phenological stages (early vegetative, late vegetative, and budding stages) using vegetation indices (VIs) derived from satellite Sentinel-2 images and their combination with meteorological data.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed fields located in Navarre (northern Spain) over two consecutive seasons (2020 and 2021). To generate the yield estimation models, we applied a conventional multilinear regression and two machine learning algorithms (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator - LASSO and Random Forest - RF).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Regardless of the statistical approach, the three phenological stages were not optimal when either VIs or meteorological data were used singularly as the predictor. However, the combination of VIs and meteorological data significantly improved the yield estimations, and in the case of LASSO model reached percentages of variance explained (<em>R</em>^<em>2</em>) and normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) of <em>R</em>^<em>2</em>= 0.61, nRMSE= 0.16 at the budding stage, but RF reached a <em>R</em>^<em>2</em>= 0.44, nRMSE= 0.22 at the late vegetative stage, and <em>R</em>^<em>2</em>= 0.36, nRMSE= 0.24 at the early vegetative stage. The most suitable variables identified were the minimum temperature, accumulated precipitation, the renormalized difference vegetation index (RDVI) and the normalized difference water index (NDWI). The RF model achieved more accurate yield estimations in early and late vegetative stages, but LASSO at bud stage.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These models could be used for alfalfa yield estimations at the three phenological stages prior to harvest. The results provide an approach to remotely monitor alfalfa fields and can guide effective management strategies from the early development stages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109857"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643529","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":"Adaptive sowing window strategy for improving grain filling and water loss characteristics of film-mulched maize in Northwest China","authors":"Xudong Zhang ,&nbsp;Haixiang Xiong ,&nbsp;Rui Wang ,&nbsp;Junjie Li ,&nbsp;Zhaoyun Dong ,&nbsp;Zhikuan Jia ,&nbsp;Qingfang Han","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109855","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109855","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>High yield and mechanization are essential goals in modern crop production. However, sowing strategies that maximize yield and mechanical harvesting efficiency in film-mulched maize remain understudied.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to optimize the sowing window to create better water and temperature conditions, improve grain filling and water loss characteristics, and ultimately achieve mechanically harvestable high yields in film-mulched maize.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-factor field experiment was conducted over two consecutive years (2021–2022) in Northwest China, incorporating two planting methods (film-mulch vs. no-mulch) and four sowing dates (April 10 to May 16).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Film-mulch planting increased soil temperature, accelerating maize phenological development and shortening the growth period compared with no-mulch planting. Notably, it increased the growing degree days (GDD) by 32.4–173.5 °C d but reduced plant available water (PAW) by 25.2–39.9 % during grain filling period. These changes increased grain filling rate (GFR) by 27.7–45.5 % and water loss rate (GWLR) by 2.2–15.1 %, ultimately promoting grain yield by 153.9–199.6 % and advancing mechanical harvesting date by 24–33 days. Early sowing maximized yield and harvest efficiency in water-sufficient year, while delaying sowing window to April 22–May 6 for film-mulched maize (compared with April 18–28 for no-mulch) can mitigate drought stress risks from accelerated development, thereby ensuring both yield stability and mechanical grain harvesting.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A one-week sowing delay is recommended for film-mulched maize compared with no-mulched pattern. This adaptive sowing window strategy can balance yield improvement and mechanical harvesting compatibility in semi-arid regions with limited and variable precipitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109855"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637085","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":"Increased spike density and enhanced vegetative growth as primary contributors to improvement of dryland wheat yield via surface mulching","authors":"Yuwei Chai ,&nbsp;Yawei Li ,&nbsp;Rui Li ,&nbsp;Lei Chang ,&nbsp;Hongbo Cheng ,&nbsp;Jiantao Ma ,&nbsp;Yuqing Qin ,&nbsp;Fanxiang Han ,&nbsp;Changgang Yang ,&nbsp;Yuzhang Chen ,&nbsp;Qian Chen ,&nbsp;Yao Zhang ,&nbsp;Caixia Huang ,&nbsp;Shouxi Chai","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109853","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109853","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context or Problem</h3><div>Plastic film mulching and straw mulching are the primary cropping practices for increasing wheat yield and water use efficiency in water-deficient regions. Nevertheless, there remains a deficit in comprehensive and clear understanding of how mulching-induced alterations in yield components contribute to increased grain yield of wheat.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to dissect the causal mechanisms connecting yield increase of wheat with alterations in yield components under mulching.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>From 2012–2020, a total of 56 field experiments of winter wheat with different sites and tested cultivars were conducted in the semiarid rainfed region of Northwest China, using three treatments for each experiment: (1) straw strip mulch (SM), a partial ground mulching; (2) whole-ground plastic film mulching (PM); and (3) no mulching with wheat sown in rows, as a control (CK).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Meta-analysis revealed that PM enhanced grain yield and its components to a greater extent than SM. Compared with CK, on average across the 56 experiments, SM and PM increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) grain yield by 13.4 and 21.2 %, spike density (spikes ha⁻¹) by 7.0 and 12.9 %, thousand-grain weight by 1.8 (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05) and 5.5 %, total grains ha⁻¹ by 10.3 and 16.7 %, straw yield by 15.1 and 29.9 %, biomass by 14.6 and 26.2 %, net income by 774 and 68 <em>¥</em> ha⁻¹, respectively. However, Grains per spike and harvest indices did not differ among treatments (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05). The translocation contribution, translocation amount, translocation efficiency of pre-anthesis assimilate from whole plant to grains in SM and PM were 8.5 and 19.5 %, 24.2 and 72.7 %, 3.6 and 7.1 % higher than those in CK, respectively. A significant positive correlation (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) was observed between grain yield and straw yield, as well as between each of them and spike density, the translocation contribution rate, respectively. Grain yield of SM increased with an increase in mulched area, and the grain yield in SM with 59 % of mulched area was similar to that in PM (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The increased spike density was identified as the first component leading to higher grain yield in SM and PM over CK, while the enhanced vegetative growth (straw yield) provided photosynthetic product support for increasing spike density and transferring more pre-anthesis assimilate to grains. The economics of PM were not as attractive as those of the appropriate SM system despite the higher yield merits.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The findings potentially contribute to innovation, improvement and implementation of mulching practices for wheat cultivation in water-deficient regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109853"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628444","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":"No tillage with straw mulching enhanced radiation use efficiency of wheat via optimizing canopy radiation interception and photosynthetic properties","authors":"Pan Li ,&nbsp;Wen Yin ,&nbsp;Lianhao Zhao ,&nbsp;Pingxing Wan ,&nbsp;Zhilong Fan ,&nbsp;Falong Hu ,&nbsp;Yunyou Nan ,&nbsp;Yali Sun ,&nbsp;Hong Fan ,&nbsp;Wei He ,&nbsp;Qiang Chai","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109854","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109854","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Context</h3><div>Conservation tillage practices are widely used in dryland areas of China to intensify ecological resource use and improve crop yields. However, the response mechanisms of canopy radiation interception and use efficiency for wheat to straw retention remain unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aims to explore the potential mechanisms by which straw retention affects canopy radiation interception characteristics, photosynthetic properties, grain yield, and radiation use efficiency during the growth period of wheat.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a three-year field experiment in Northwest China to study how straw retention affects canopy radiation interception and photosynthetic properties of wheat. The experiment included four treatments: no tillage with straw mulching (NTSM), no tillage with straw standing (NTSS), conventional deep tillage with straw incorporation (CTS), and conventional deep tillage without straw retention (CT, the control).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Straw retention (NTSM, NTSS, and CTS) optimized the dynamics of canopy radiation interception during the wheat growth season. These practices helped maintain higher canopy cover and lower penetration ratio, thereby increasing canopy radiation interception of wheat. NTSM showed the most significant advantage, with 20.8 %, 17.2 %, and 7.2 % increase in canopy radiation interception of wheat over NTSS, CTS, and CT. NTSM also helped to delay the degradation of chlorophyll a, b after the wheat anthesis stage. This delay was particularly notable for chlorophyll a, resulting in a 9.2 % increase in chlorophyll a/b compared to CT. Straw retention also optimized photosynthetic mechanisms, promoted carbon assimilation, and enhanced photosynthetic production during wheat grain filling. The net photosynthetic rate of wheat at 45 d after emergence was increased by 16.4 % and 11.5 % with NTSM and NTSS over CT, and enhanced by 12.7 % and 8.0 % over CTS. This was because NTSM increased key photosynthetic enzyme activities (Rubisco, GAPDH, and FBA) by 38.1 %, 13.5 %, and 40.2 % compared to CT, with corresponding gene expression levels rising by 11.8 %, 28.1 %, and 11.7 %. The content of D1 and D2 proteins in PSII with NTSM increased by 21.7 % and 11.1 % over CT. As a result, NTSM had higher grain yield and canopy radiation use efficiency of wheat, increasing by 20.5 % and 9.1 % compared to CT.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>No tillage with straw mulching enhanced radiation use efficiency of wheat by optimizing canopy radiation interception and photosynthetic properties.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>Our research reveals the mechanisms for improving the canopy radiation use efficiency of wheat and its response to no tillage with straw mulching, offering valuable insights for long-term wheat production in irrigated arid areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109854"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620307","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":"Foliar fertilization with potassium silicate enhances water productivity and drought resilience in sugar beet","authors":"Ahmed Shaaban ,&nbsp;Nasr M. Abdou ,&nbsp;Taia A. Abd El‑Mageed ,&nbsp;Wael M. Semida ,&nbsp;Ahmed R. Abd El Tawwab ,&nbsp;Gamal F. Mohamed ,&nbsp;Mohamed S. Mohamed ,&nbsp;Mohamed T. El‑Saadony ,&nbsp;Khaled A. El-Tarabily ,&nbsp;Synan F. AbuQamar ,&nbsp;Khaulood A. Hemida","doi":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109840","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109840","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Context&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Sugar beet (&lt;em&gt;Beta vulgaris&lt;/em&gt; L.) is an essential industrial crop valued for its sugar production, especially in regions with limited water resources. Due to its lower water demands, sugar beet is favored over sugarcane in Egypt. We hypothesized that foliar application of potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) would enhance sugar beet's physiological responses, yield, and water productivity under drought and saline conditions, offering an eco-friendly solution to optimize crop performance in semi-arid regions.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Objectives&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study aimed to (i) investigate the impact of foliar-applied K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;SiO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; on the physiological, biochemical, and anatomical traits of sugar beet under drought stress in saline soils, (ii) evaluate the effects of K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;SiO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; on agronomic traits, root and sugar yields, and water productivity under different irrigation regimes, and (iii) assess K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;SiO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; to mitigate the adverse effects of drought and salinity, enhancing sugar beet resilience and productivity.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Field experiments were conducted over two winter seasons at Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt, to assess the impact of three irrigation regimes (DIR&lt;sub&gt;0%&lt;/sub&gt;, DIR&lt;sub&gt;25%&lt;/sub&gt;, DIR&lt;sub&gt;50%&lt;/sub&gt;) and three foliar K₂SiO₃ concentrations (0, 10, 20 mmol L&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;) on sugar beet (cv. Baraca) in a split-plot arrangement based on a randomized complete block design (in triplicates). Physiological parameters, such as leaf water content, membrane stability, chlorophyll fluorescence, osmolyte accumulation, and antioxidant enzyme activities, were measured. Agronomic traits, including root yield, white sugar yield, and crop water productivity (WPc), were also evaluated.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In general, drought stress negatively impacted physio-biochemical and anatomical traits, nutrient uptake, growth, sugar yield, and quality of sugar beet. This was evidenced by the significantly (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt;&lt;0.05) increased levels of osmolytes and antioxidants (enzymatic and non-enzymatic), which indicated the plant’s defensive/adaptive responses to drought stress. However, K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;SiO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; effectively alleviated the adverse effects of deficit irrigation. Notably, the interaction of DIR&lt;sub&gt;0%&lt;/sub&gt; × KSi-20 resulted in the highest root yield (88.97 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;) and sugar yield (14.43 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;), while the highest WPc (24.48 kg m&lt;sup&gt;−3&lt;/sup&gt;) was achieved in the DIR&lt;sub&gt;50%&lt;/sub&gt; × KSi-20 treatment.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Foliar application of K₂SiO₃ effectively alleviates drought and salinity stress in sugar beet by improving physiological and biochemical traits. The treatment enhances photosynthetic efficiency, osmolyte accumulation, antioxidant activity, and nutrient uptake, leading to improved crop yield and quality.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Implications&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study highlights K₂SiO₃ as ","PeriodicalId":12143,"journal":{"name":"Field Crops Research","volume":"326 ","pages":"Article 109840"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620306","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}