Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science最新文献

{"title":"Tracking Sodium Inside the Plant: Hydraulic Adjustments to Deal With Salinity","authors":"Moira R. Sutka,&nbsp;Pablo D. Cáceres,&nbsp;Marina Recchi,&nbsp;Andrea S. Dengis,&nbsp;Milena E. Manzur","doi":"10.1111/jac.70253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70253","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sorghum is a crop that has become more relevant in recent years due to its uses and properties (biofuel, gluten-free flour) as well as its versatility to grow in unfavourable environmental conditions. Salinity is one of the main abiotic stresses affecting crop production and yield worldwide. The aim of this work was to study the response of sorghum seedlings to soil salinity in two genotypes with known performance to cope with water stress. Physiological parameters related to plant water status, as well as the sodium content in the plant, were analysed. We studied the possible role of pricklets and microhairs in the response to salt conditions. Our results showed that both genotypes restored their water status parameters after 24 h of salt stress. However, we observed differential physiological responses to salt concentration: at 200 mM NaCl root hydraulic conductivity dropped, while at 100 and 300 mM NaCl it remained unchanged. There was no evidence of the presence of sodium in the microhairs or on the leaf blade surfaces, but the presence of silicon inside the pricklet at 300 mM NaCl after 24 h was detected, although not in the microhair. The mechanisms involved in those physiological responses and the probable involvement of silicon under high salt concentrations (300 mM) still remain unclear.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70253","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Rice Productivity in Saline–Alkaline Soils: Constraints, Microbiome-Mediated Regulation and Management Strategies","authors":"Xiang Zhang,&nbsp;Jun Li,&nbsp;Yue Jiang,&nbsp;Qingqing Ma,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Geng,&nbsp;Yang Liu,&nbsp;Yinglong Chen,&nbsp;Pinglei Gao,&nbsp;Huanhe Wei,&nbsp;Qigen Dai","doi":"10.1111/jac.70254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70254","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Saline–alkaline soils are widespread and represent a particularly restrictive environment for rice, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. These soils commonly combine elevated salinity with high pH, sodium-related soil constraints and bicarbonate/carbonate accumulation, resulting in severe physicochemical and nutritional limitations. Under field conditions, saline–alkaline stress can substantially reduce rice productivity, although the magnitude of yield loss varies with stress intensity, duration, developmental stage and genotype. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding rice responses to salinity and alkalinity at physiological and molecular levels, these improvements have not consistently translated into yield gains under field conditions. This mismatch reflects the combined effects of root-zone degradation, reproductive-stage sensitivity, nutrient limitations and spatial heterogeneity of stress environments. This review synthesizes current knowledge from four interconnected perspectives: (i) soil physicochemical and nutritional constraints; (ii) rice physiological and developmental responses with emphasis on yield formation; (iii) rhizosphere microbiome-mediated regulation of plant performance; and (iv) agronomic management strategies under saline–alkaline conditions. Available evidence indicates that microbiome–plant–soil interactions may influence nutrient availability, ion homeostasis and soil structural stability, but the magnitude and persistence of these effects depend strongly on soil conditions, rice genotype, and management practices and remain insufficiently validated under field conditions. A key contribution of this review is the development of an integrative framework that links soil constraints to yield-limiting processes through plant and microbiome responses, thereby connecting stress alleviation more explicitly with yield formation. Improving productivity in saline–alkaline rice systems will likely require coordinated strategies that integrate genetic tolerance, nutrient management, water regulation, soil amendments and microbiome-informed approaches according to local field constraints.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70254","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Interactive Effects of Light Quality, Temperature and Rht Genotypes on Coleoptile Elongation in a Winter Wheat Variety","authors":"Zsuzsanna Farkas,&nbsp;Kitti Kulman,&nbsp;Zahra Tahmasebi,&nbsp;Andreas Börner,&nbsp;Péter Borbély,&nbsp;Gábor Galiba,&nbsp;Tamás Pálmai,&nbsp;Mohamed Ahres","doi":"10.1111/jac.70243","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70243","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coleoptile elongation in wheat is influenced by complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors. In this study, we examined the effects of light quality (white, far-red, white + far-red, blue), light intensity (normal and low), temperature (10°C and 20°C) and six different <i>Rht</i> alleles <i>(rht, Rht1, Rht2, Rht3, Rht1 + 2, Rht2 + 3</i>) on coleoptile growth of a winter wheat variety (‘Maris Widgeon’). Effect size analysis identified genotype and light spectrum as the strongest factors influencing coleoptile length, while temperature and light intensity also showed substantial effects. Far-red light and low light intensity promoted elongation, while blue light and <i>Rht</i> mutations reduced it. Notably, the combined effects of temperature, light and genotype indicate that <i>Rht</i>-dependent photomorphogenic responses are influenced by the growth environment. These findings highlight the integrative regulation of early wheat growth by light and thermal environments, mediated by gibberellin sensitivity and photoreceptor signalling.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70243","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149033095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Additive Maize-Mung Bean Intercropping With Rice Husk Mulch Enhances Productivity, Physiological Performance, and Soil Biological Activity Under Deficit Irrigation","authors":"Zahra Sayadi,&nbsp;Yaser Alizadeh,&nbsp;Ehsan Zeidali,&nbsp;Hamzeh Ali Alizadeh,&nbsp;Ekhlas Amini","doi":"10.1111/jac.70245","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70245","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Managing water scarcity requires stacking multiple agronomic practices, yet how deficit irrigation, mulching, and intercropping interact to shape crop physiology and soil biology is still unclear. This two-year field study (2024–2025) evaluated how applying rice husk mulch to a maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)–mung bean (<i>Vigna radiata</i> L.) intercropping system alters yield, physiological responses, and soil biological properties across different irrigation regimes. A split-split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications structured the trial, with irrigation regimes (50%, 75%, and 100% field capacity) as main plots, mulch application (with/without) as subplots, and cropping patterns (sole cropping, additive, and replacement intercropping) as sub-subplots. Severe water limitation (50% field capacity) triggered sharp increases in oxidative stress markers, specifically catalase, proline, total flavonoids, and malondialdehyde (MDA), while depressing soil alkaline phosphatase, urease, and microbial respiration. Applying rice husk mulch reversed both the physiological and soil biological declines. Furthermore, additive intercropping pushed the land equivalent ratio above one, confirming a clear yield advantage over monocultures. Stacking additive maize–mung bean intercropping with rice husk mulch protects both plant physiology and soil biology under deficit irrigation, presenting a viable strategy for sustainable water management.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70245","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149019893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Divergent Response of Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth to Two Consecutive Winter–Spring Droughts and the Underlying Mechanisms in Southwest China","authors":"Jiamin Yang,&nbsp;Xu Xue,&nbsp;Tianjiao Ma,&nbsp;Yingqing Cen,&nbsp;Zhengxun Luo,&nbsp;Yingzhang Chen","doi":"10.1111/jac.70248","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70248","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Amid the increasing frequency of extreme climate events globally, drought poses a serious threat to food security in Southwest China, where consecutive winter–spring droughts frequently affect maize growth. However, research on the specific processes and mechanisms underlying maize's response to prolonged seasonal drought remains relatively limited. By using multi-source meteorological data and satellite-derived vegetation indices and taking the monthly means for 2003–2013 (excluding drought months) as the baseline, this study systematically investigated the divergent responses of maize to two consecutive winter–spring droughts (2009–2010 and 2012–2013) at three pivotal phenological stages in Southwest China. Results indicated that during the 2009–2010 drought, maize growth was significantly suppressed between the three-leaf and heading stages, with maximum reductions of 5.99%, 12.7% and 11.97% observed in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Leaf Area Index (LAI), respectively. In contrast, after the 2012–2013 drought, maize showed significant enhancement in vegetation greenness and productivity during critical growth stages. These differential responses of maize were likely associated with variations in hydrothermal conditions during and after the drought. The timely recovery of precipitation and favourable light and heat conditions following the 2012–2013 drought facilitated early maize growth. In contrast, the 2009–2010 drought caused severe soil moisture deficits, which further restricted photosynthesis and delayed physiological recovery in maize. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the impacts and mechanisms of consecutive winter–spring droughts on maize growth in Southwest China, laying a scientific foundation for the development of adaptive agricultural management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70248","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149009761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Irrigation Level Effects on Herbage Yield and Nutritive Quality of Forage Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.): A Multivariate and Predictive Modelling Approach for Water-Limited Environments","authors":"Emre Akkaya,&nbsp;Ihsan Serkan Varol,&nbsp;Adem Kamalak,&nbsp;Mevlut Akcura,&nbsp;Beyza Ciftci,&nbsp;Mahmut Kaplan","doi":"10.1111/jac.70244","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70244","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study was conducted to determine the effects of five irrigation levels, corresponding to 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 125% of the weekly irrigation amount required to replenish the effective root zone to field capacity (IT₂₅–IT₁₂₅), on the herbage yield and quality of forage soybean (<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.) over two growing seasons (2024 and 2025) in Kayseri, Türkiye, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The site has a semi-arid climate, and both growing seasons were warmer and drier than the long-term average. Irrigation was applied through a drip system; crop water consumption, water-use efficiencies and the yield response factor (ky) were calculated, and biochemical composition, macro- and micro-mineral contents, in vitro gas and methane production, metabolizable energy and organic matter digestibility were determined. Green herbage, dry herbage and crude protein yields increased markedly from IT₂₅ to IT₁₀₀ (9.01 to 34.07 t ha⁻¹, 3.27 to 9.14 t ha⁻¹ and 0.79 to 1.85 t ha⁻¹, respectively) and declined at IT₁₂₅. Water productivity depended on the basis used: green-herbage crop water productivity was highest at IT₁₀₀, whereas dry-herbage crop water productivity and irrigation-water productivity were greatest under severe deficit (IT₂₅). Cell-wall fractions increased up to IT₁₀₀ while crude protein concentration declined, and several mineral and in vitro fermentation traits reached their highest or near-highest values around IT₁₀₀. Leakage-controlled partial least squares (PLS) models fitted without year or irrigation level as predictors showed higher repeated nested cross-validated performance for the three yield traits (<i>R</i>² = 0.784–0.834) than for metabolizable energy (ME; <i>R</i>² = 0.696) and organic matter digestibility (OMD; <i>R</i>² = 0.718), with empirical Y-randomization <i>p</i> = 0.001 for all targets. PCA and CDA further showed a strong irrigation-related multivariate gradient together with a distinct contribution of between-year variation. Overall, IT100 was the best-performing treatment under the conditions evaluated, providing a practical experimental reference for balancing forage yield, water-use efficiency and herbage quality in comparable semi-arid environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70244","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149009760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 Fertility-Dependent Critical Nitrogen Dilution Curves in Winter Wheat: Evaluating Cumulative Evapotranspiration as an Auxiliary Growth Indicator","authors":"Chuanliang Li,&nbsp;Yu Shi,&nbsp;Juan Zhang,&nbsp;Zhenwen Yu,&nbsp;Yongli Zhang,&nbsp;Zhen Zhang","doi":"10.1111/jac.70246","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70246","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Critical nitrogen (<i>N</i>) dilution curves are widely used to diagnose crop <i>N</i> status, but their parameters may be affected by indigenous soil <i>N</i> supply, and conventional curves require repeated biomass sampling. This study developed fertility-specific critical <i>N</i> concentration (<i>N</i>_c) curves for irrigated winter wheat using aboveground dry matter (DM) and cumulative evapotranspiration (ET), and evaluated ET as an auxiliary growth indicator for <i>N</i> diagnosis. A 2 year field experiment was conducted under medium- and low-fertility conditions with seven <i>N</i> rates, ranging from 0 to 270 kg N ha⁻¹. DM-based and ET-based <i>N</i>_c curves were fitted separately by fertility level. The nitrogen nutrition index (NNI), accumulated <i>N</i> deficit (<i>N</i>_and), and their relationships with relative grain yield were analysed using method-specific plateau-linear thresholds. Soil fertility clearly altered crop growth, yield response, and <i>N</i> dilution. DM-based curves were <i>N</i>_c = 5.53 × DM^−0.47 for medium fertility and <i>N</i>_c = 4.43 × DM^−0.45 for low fertility, while ET-based curves were <i>N</i>_c = 458.00 × ET^−0.98 and <i>N</i>_c = 205.94 × ET^−0.86, respectively. Cumulative ET was strongly associated with DM and produced NNI and <i>N</i>_and dynamics broadly consistent with DM-based diagnosis. However, ET-based NNI thresholds, ranging from 0.826 to 0.847, were lower than DM-based thresholds, ranging from 0.926 to 0.966, indicating that ET-derived diagnosis requires method-specific calibration rather than direct use of the conventional NNI = 1 criterion. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of accounting for soil fertility in critical <i>N</i> dilution modelling and demonstrate the potential of cumulative ET as a complementary growth-related indicator for developing calibrated in-season <i>N</i> diagnostic strategies in irrigated winter wheat.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70246","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148973303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Integrated Mechanisms of Soil–Plant System Resilience to Drought–Flood Abrupt Alternation in Maize","authors":"Yun Gao,&nbsp;Zhijuan Zhao,&nbsp;Ping Li,&nbsp;Qinlin Niu,&nbsp;Han Du,&nbsp;Jinpeng Cheng,&nbsp;Rui Zhu","doi":"10.1111/jac.70247","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.70247","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Drought–flood abrupt alternation is a frequent compound stress under climate change, threatening crop production. However, how crops integrate soil, root and leaf signals for systemic adaptation remains unclear. Maize was subjected to different drought intensities (mild, moderate and severe) followed by flooding durations (3 and 6 days), with three biological replicates per treatment. Soil properties, enzyme activities, rhizosphere microbiomes, root metabolites, leaf hormones and organ C/N were measured and integrated using multivariate analyses. The stress significantly inhibited aboveground biomass, with drought and flooding exhibiting strong interactions. At the soil level, moderate drought pretreatment buffered nitrate depletion and redox decline, whereas prolonged flooding promoted ammonium accumulation. Under moderate drought followed by prolonged flooding, soil organic carbon and acid phosphatase were synergistically enhanced. At the plant level, short-term flooding after mild drought activated root fermentation. Carbon and nitrogen allocation decoupled, with prolonged flooding after moderate drought producing “root high-C/low-N” versus “leaf high-N” patterns. Hormone responses formed stress-specific codes: prolonged flooding activated salicylic acid, whereas mild drought followed by prolonged flooding induced abscisic acid. At the system level, network and path analyses identified leaf-derived anthranilic acid as a node linking soil redox status with leaf carbon metabolism. Rhizosphere communities underwent selection by prior drought, exhibiting succession from aerobic decomposers to anaerobic respirers and stress-tolerant actinomycetes. Crop responses constitute a multi-level coupled process initiated by soil conditions, modulated by rhizosphere microbiota, and integrated through plant metabolic and signalling networks. This study suggests several potential regulatory targets—moderate drought priming, microbial legacy effects, organ-specific C/N allocation and anthranilic acid-mediated signalling—providing a hypothesis-generating framework for further investigation into optimizing irrigation scheduling and designing water management strategies to enhance crop resilience under climate fluctuations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70247","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148942898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Celebrating 30 Years of Prof. Dr. Jörg-Michael Greef as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","authors":"Jörg Michael Greef","doi":"10.1111/jac.70250","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70250","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148922846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous AsA Coordinates Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism and Enhances Drought Tolerance in Upland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) by Activating the AsA–GSH Cycle","authors":"Honghui Yu,&nbsp;Jinying Li,&nbsp;Zhiyun Yang,&nbsp;Xuerui Song,&nbsp;Yiao Meng,&nbsp;Bin Qin,&nbsp;Ting Chen","doi":"10.1111/jac.70242","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jac.70242","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Prolonged drought leads to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species, damage to photosystems and an imbalance in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, thereby limiting the reproductive growth and yield potential of drought-stressed rice (&lt;i&gt;Oryza sativa L&lt;/i&gt;.). The Ascorbate–Glutathione Cycle is a key metabolic pathway for maintaining redox homeostasis in plant cells; however, there remains a lack of evidence from long-term field trials to demonstrate whether exogenous ascorbate can, by activating this cycle, translate antioxidant responses at the cellular level into yield-stabilising effects at the field level. The aim of this study was to elucidate the physiological mechanisms by which exogenous AsA regulates drought adaptation and yield formation in upland rice. Using the upland rice variety ‘Hengfengyou Jinsimiao’ as the experimental material, a 3-year consecutive field trial was conducted from 2023 to 2025. Four treatments were established: normal irrigation combined with clear water spraying (CK), normal irrigation combined with AsA foliar spraying (CK + A), drought stress combined with clear water spraying (D) and drought stress combined with AsA foliar spraying (D + A). Systematic measurements were taken of leaf reactive oxygen species (ROS) and membrane lipid peroxidation levels, components of the AsA–GSH cycle and related enzyme activities, expression of antioxidant-related genes, endogenous hormones, osmotic regulators, photosynthetic characteristics, carbon and nitrogen metabolic enzyme activities, as well as grain yield and yield components. Drought treatment significantly promoted the accumulation of H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; and malondialdehyde, inhibited photosystem II activity, gas exchange and carbon and nitrogen metabolism and reduced grain yield by 18.75%, 19.60% and 19.09% in 2023–2025, respectively. Exogenous AsA did not exert its primary effect by continuously enhancing traditional antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, POD and CAT; rather, it expanded the AsA and GSH antioxidant pools, increased the AsA/DHA ratio and enhanced the activity of APX, MDHAR, DHAR, GR, GPX and γ-ECS, whilst simultaneously upregulating genes associated with AsA biosynthesis and regeneration, thereby accelerating the AsA–GSH cycle and reducing ROS and membrane lipid peroxidation levels. The restoration of redox homeostasis further maintained Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo and net photosynthetic rate, alleviated the drought-induced inhibition of GS, GOGAT, GDH, NR and sucrose metabolic enzyme activities and promoted the accumulation of soluble proteins and proline. Exogenous AsA also selectively restored leaf GA levels and reduced the drought-induced accumulation of ABA. Ultimately, the D + A treatment increased grain yield in 2023–2025 by 12.93%, 14.19% and 15.35%, respectively, compared with the D treatment, primarily by increasing the number of grains per ear and the grain-setting rate. Exogenous AsA enhances the adaptability of upland","PeriodicalId":14864,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science","volume":"212 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jac.70242","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148877359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}