European Journal of Agronomy最新文献

{"title":"A novel framework to study the evolution of crop rotation diversity reveals changes towards regional crop type specialisation in Sweden","authors":"Pierre Chopin ,&nbsp;Suzanne Hermouet ,&nbsp;Christine Watson ,&nbsp;Ingrid Öborn ,&nbsp;Göran Bergkvist","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127848","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127848","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diversification of cropping systems can help decrease the negative environmental impacts of agriculture while increasing ecosystem service benefits to crop production. The crop diversification measure introduced by the 2013 CAP reform aimed to trigger the diversification of cropping systems. There is currently no framework to show how policies that aim to trigger diversification of cropping systems, affect crop rotation diversity at the field scale. In this study, we propose a framework to study the evolution of cropping system diversity, which comprises (1) building crop sequences for two periods using the Geo-spatial Application (GSA) database of the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS), (2) calculating two indicators of diversity of crop sequences, (3) creating a typology of crop sequences, and (4) determining the significance of change and highlighting drivers of change by using mixed models. Our framework was tested on 1100,760 ha in Sweden, focusing on the periods 2005–2010 and 2011–2016, with four ways of categorizing crops (i.e., crop species, crop types, winter crops vs spring crops, botanical family) in five homogeneous production regions. Using different crop categorization is a way of expressing the robustness of the trends in diversity which account for various relationships among crops. We showed that the value of all diversity indicators in all regions decreased significantly between the two periods, except for the estimated agronomic quality of the crop sequence in the most productive regions where it increased. This general decrease could be explained by longer duration of rotational perennial leys and reduced cultivation of minor cereals, such as rye and oats in the later period. Overall, there was an 8 % increase in ley area, which was particularly evident in regions with less productive land, where the high proportion of ley often became permanent grassland. We found that the trend towards longer duration leys was strong in livestock farms, while regions with productive land favoured the inclusion of more annual cash crops in the rotation, especially oilseed rape, which contributed to the agronomic quality of the sequences. The framework could be widely adopted across Europe using the GSA database of the IACS to track diversification changes at a country and regional level and design appropriate policies to increase the diversity of crop rotations using the potential local drivers highlighted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127848"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266854","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":"Strategies for enhancing and stabilizing summer maize yield in the North China Plain: Optimizing cultivar deployment and sowing window modulation","authors":"Hao Ren ,&nbsp;Hongzhang Wang ,&nbsp;Yuee Liu ,&nbsp;Qijin He ,&nbsp;Lihua Zhang ,&nbsp;Yali Zhao ,&nbsp;Qinglong Yang ,&nbsp;Minglei Liang ,&nbsp;Jiwang Zhang ,&nbsp;Bin Zhao ,&nbsp;Baizhao Ren ,&nbsp;Peng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127873","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127873","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The North China Plain (NCP) is a summer maize production region in China. Due to the large span of longitude and latitude in this region, the climate varies greatly, resulting in unstable summer maize yields. Accordingly, we conducted a three-year experiment at 13 experimental sites in the NCP, testing several management practices, including three sowing dates, three cultivars, and two planting densities. Combined with the GGE biplot model, we analyzed high-yielding and stable practices suitable for different climatic regions. The research results indicate that an appropriate combination of sowing date, cultivars, and planting density can enhance yield and ensure stable production performance. The southern part of the NCP is more suitable for planting cultivars with long growth periods, such as Zhengdan 958 (ZD958), while the northern region is more suitable for sowing short-growing-period cultivars like Huamei 1 (HM1). As the sowing date was postponed, the cultivars with the strongest regional stability were successively ZD958, Denghai 605 (DH605), and HM1. The research findings indicate that the formation of yield is significantly positively correlated with the maximum leaf area index (LAI_max), the post-silking biomass accumulation, and the proportion of this accumulation to the total biomass. Therefore, after delaying the sowing date, choosing the combination of the above three factors that are higher within the narrower growth window is an important way to increase the yield and stability of maize. In conclusion, it is suggested that in the southern regions with abundant heat resources, early sowing of long-growing-period cultivars (ZD958) and high-density planting should be adopted, while in the northern regions with lower temperatures, or where the sowing period is postponed due to various reasons in the central and southern regions, short-growing-period cultivars (HM1) and high-density planting should be chosen, which is key to improving stable yield performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127873"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266870","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":"Assessing in-season N response and recovery of maize from mild N stress","authors":"Leonardo Bosche ,&nbsp;Federico Gomez ,&nbsp;Gustavo Maddonni ,&nbsp;Trevor Hefley ,&nbsp;P.V. Vara Prasad ,&nbsp;Bradley Van De Woestyne ,&nbsp;Ignacio Ciampitti","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127876","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127876","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efficient nitrogen (N) management in maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) is critical to achieving high yields. However, N overapplication remains widespread, driven by concerns over potential yield losses. Understanding tolerance of maize to early-season N deficiencies is essential for developing effective in-season strategies. This study evaluated different in-season N fertilization strategies and their effects on crop growth rate (CGR), leaf area index (LAI), and plant N status (via chlorophyll meter) throughout the season. The study also assessed the impact on yield and yield components to determine recovery ability from temporary N deficiencies. Two field trials were conducted in Kansas, United States, during 2023 and 2024 under irrigated conditions. Treatments comprised N rates ranging from 0 to 180 kg ha⁻¹ applied at planting or split between planting (90 kg N ha⁻¹) and V6, V10, or V14 (30–90 kg N ha⁻¹). Nitrogen deficiencies during vegetative growth reduced CGR and kernel number, but plant N status recovered even with N applied as late as V14. Kernel weight was positively associated with CGR during grain filling, highlighting the importance of crop N status to maximize kernel development and yield. The NSI was more responsive than LAI to N fertilization timing. Results showed that maize can tolerate early-season N deficiencies without yield penalties if plant N status is corrected timely, under the tested yield levels. These findings underscore the importance of implementing timely in-season N strategies to mitigate N stress and promote balanced productivity and sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127876"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266852","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":"Agro-environmental profile of potato cultivation under water and nitrogen managements – A case study in Denmark","authors":"Junxiang Peng ,&nbsp;Kiril Manevski ,&nbsp;Kirsten Kørup ,&nbsp;David Parsons ,&nbsp;Mathias Neumann Andersen","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127874","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127874","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Potato field management in Europe is already optimized for high production and tuber quality; however, numerous environmental challenges remain if the industry is to achieve “green economy” targets, such as less resources utilized, and less nitrate leached to the environment. Strategic co-scheduling irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization might increase resource use efficiency while minimizing reactive losses such as nitrate leaching. This study aimed to quantify the combined effect of irrigation and N fertilization on potato production, growth, and resource use efficiencies. A field experiment was conducted from 2017 to 2019 on a coarse sandy soil in Denmark, with a drought event occurring in 2018. Full (I_full, maximized), deficit (I_def, 70–80 % of I_full) and low irrigation treatments (I_low, minimized amount to keep crop survival), each under full (N_full, maximized) and variable (N_var, variable amount according to the crops’ needs) N fertilization were applied. The analyses results show that I_low limited potato growth under a drought-heat event; otherwise, potato growth was comparable between I_full and I_def treatments, with 31–32 % higher irrigation efficiency (<em>IE</em>) under I_def than under I_full. Nitrate leaching was variable and not significantly different among the treatments, being in general 9–13 % lower under I_def in absolute terms than under I_full. Unexpectedly, outcomes from N_var were statistically lower compared to those from N_full. Radiation use efficiencies (<em>RUEs</em>) from I_low and N_var were significantly lower than from I_full and I_def (14–19 %), and from N_full (9–11 %). N use efficiencies (<em>NUE</em>) were comparable between N fertilization treatments but significantly different among different irrigation treatments. Overall, this study confirms that I_def is the best irrigation strategy. Future efforts should focus on developing improved approaches for detecting in-season crop N status and further quantifying N requirements, as well as promoting the co-scheduled management of irrigation and N fertilization. Remote sensing approaches have great potential to assist with this.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127874"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145267066","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":"Soil-crop feedbacks within contrasted cropping systems influence crop resistance to extreme climate events","authors":"Mathieu Delandmeter ,&nbsp;Caroline De Clerck ,&nbsp;Jérôme Bindelle ,&nbsp;Benjamin Dumont","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127875","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127875","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The management of agroecosystems – such as crop residue handling and rotation practices – significantly influences soil conditions, which in turn affect crop yields. However, soil-crop feedbacks remain insufficiently accounted for in climate change impact assessments. Using long-term simulations with the soil-crop model STICS, this study investigates how extreme climate events affect crop yields, and how soil-crop feedbacks influence crop resistance to these events – defined as the ability of the system to keep yields close to normal levels during a climate event. The main crops analyzed are winter wheat, rapeseed and pea, under different climate change scenarios in Belgium, in 2040–2070 and 2070–2100 with RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. To investigate contrasted soil-crop feedbacks, we compare crop yields across three different crop rotations – business-as-usual, vegan and integrated crop-livestock – which vary in their composition, the management of crop residues and the use of manure. Results indicate that climate change impacts crop yields through both an average shift – either gain or loss – and increased crop stresses resulting from more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The resistance to such events contrasts between crop rotations, and is inferior in the system which does not benefit from the restitution of livestock manure and which exhibits the lowest soil organic carbon levels. In the opposite, integrating livestock into cropping systems – externally through straw-manure exchanges or at the farm level with temporary grasslands – increases such resistance. This illustrates how soil-crop models can help assess crop resistance to extreme climate conditions and how management affects it through soil-crop feedbacks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127875"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266853","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":"Blended urea application improves spring maize productivity and soil quality, especially under ridge-furrow plastic film mulching planting","authors":"Fan Zhang,&nbsp;Mengru Chen,&nbsp;Yingying Xing,&nbsp;Xiukang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127877","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127877","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ridge-furrow planting method (RFPM) has been widely proven to be effective in improving crop yields and conserving water, especially in rain-fed agriculture. However, research on the coupled effects with blended urea (controlled release urea blended with conventional urea) on spring maize growth characteristics and soil quality in the Loess Plateau of China as well as the potential mechanisms of yield formation remains scarce. A three-year field experiment of spring maize was conducted using a randomized block design to investigate the coupled effects of two planting methods (flat planting method (FPPM) and RFPM) and four urea types (no urea, conventional urea, controlled-release urea, and blended urea) on growth characteristics, yield, water-nitrogen use efficiency, and soil physicochemical properties of spring maize. Relative to FPPM, the average yield, net income, water productivity, nitrogen uptake, and soil quality index under RFPM were increased by 19.7 %, 31.0 %, 18.8 %, 15.3 %, and 46.9 %, respectively. Growth characteristics, yield, evapotranspiration, water productivity, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, and soil quality index were optimized under blended urea. Soil properties were closely related to growth characteristics, among which soil nitrate nitrogen, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, sucrase activity, and actinomycete quantity were considered as the key soil factors for promoting yield increases. Blended urea application under RFPM improved water and nitrogen use efficiency by optimizing soil quality index, thereby increasing yield. Blended urea application under RFPM could simultaneously optimize spring maize growth characteristics and soil quality, which could be regarded as an ideal field management practice for spring maize cultivation in the region. This study has important reference value for promoting the coordinated improvement of spring maize productivity and soil environmental benefits in rain-fed agriculture of the Loess Plateau of China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127877"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physiological mechanisms underlying nitrogen remobilization in the vegetative organs of maize in response to sink strength","authors":"Jiuzhou Li ,&nbsp;Ji Li ,&nbsp;Quan Yu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Sun ,&nbsp;Hongguang Cai ,&nbsp;Guohua Mi ,&nbsp;Yanling Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127863","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127863","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While N remobilization is well-studied, the mechanisms by which grain sink strength feeds back on presilking-accumulated N remobilization, storage, and assimilation remain less well understood. This study aimed to determine how grain sink strength influences the presilking-accumulated N remobilization and the regulation of amino acid transport and nitrate assimilation, by examining two sink strength treatments (normal pollination, 3/4 grain removal), using two high-yield maize hybrids (ZD958 and XY335), over 3 years. Presilking-accumulated N remobilization dynamics in vegetative organs and grain N accumulation were assessed using ¹⁵N field-tracer labeling, along with measurements of N components and enzyme activities. The use of a ¹⁵N double-labeling assay revealed that reduced sink strength greatly decreased presilking-accumulated N remobilization in the leaves, stem, husk, cob and roots. Sink strength did not regulate protein decomposition in the leaves, stem, or leaf sheath but mainly regulated the import and export of amino acids (which come from the leaves) in the stem post-silking. When the sink strength is full, excess N in the form of amino acids is stored in the stem, and some amino acids synthesize proteins in the cob for cob growth. Nitrates absorbed post-silking might be assimilated, mainly in the stem and cob, regulated by the GS/GOGAT pathway. The negative feedback by reducing sink strength regulates the GS/GOGAT activity in the stem and cob, which weakens nitrate assimilation, resulting in nitrate accumulation. These findings suggest that sink strength does not directly regulate N decomposition in vegetative organs but only regulates the import and export balance of N in the buffer sinks (stem and cob). However, sink strength can directly regulate the GS/GOGAT-mediated nitrate assimilation process in stem and cob, which affects the total amino acid capacity of the buffer sink and might provide feedback on postsilking N uptake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127863"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220381","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":"The profiled parameter estimation method for dynamic systems applied to the calibration of dynamic crop growth models","authors":"Irineo L. López-Cruz ,&nbsp;José Olaf Valencia-Islas ,&nbsp;Agustín Ruiz-García ,&nbsp;Carlos Enrique Álvarez-Moreno","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127871","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127871","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parameter estimation, model calibration, or curve fitting is a crucial stage of the development process of dynamic models that account for crop growth and development. It consists of using measured data collected from a system or process to fit model predictions. Up to now, the frequentist and the Bayesian methods have been mostly applied to the calibration of crop growth dynamic models. A new approach named profiled estimation has been developed to try to overcome the limitations of the classical parameter estimation approaches. But crop growth modelers have not applied this method yet. Thus, the objectives of this work were: i) to show that the profiled estimation procedure (PEP) can be applied to the parameter estimation of crop growth models that use ordinary differential equations and ii) to compare the performance of PEP against a frequentist parameter estimation method that used a differential evolution (DE) algorithm. As both approaches were applied to a simple maize model with three state variables and seven parameters, the PEP method performed better than the frequentist method according to RMSE, MAE, and modeling efficiency statistics. Also, a dynamic model for the growth of a lettuce greenhouse crop with three state variables and twelve model parameters was calibrated by PEP and DE. In this case, the PEP performed poorly for the calibration of more influential model parameters but acceptably in the case of the estimation of all the parameters. Still, the results from this research show that crop growth modelers should consider the PEP in the calibration of their models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127871"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220394","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":"Automatic calibration of DSSAT and APEX models for maize yield simulation and economic optimum nitrogen rate determination","authors":"Xiaoxing Zhen ,&nbsp;Yuxin Miao ,&nbsp;Yanbo Huang ,&nbsp;Zhengwei Yang ,&nbsp;Gary Feng ,&nbsp;Fabián G. Fernández ,&nbsp;Curtis J. Ransom ,&nbsp;Pang-Wei Liu ,&nbsp;Rajat Bindlish ,&nbsp;Jessica Erlingis ,&nbsp;Meijian Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127870","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127870","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple crop growth models are being used to simulate the impact of different factors on crop yield and support farmers for optimizing crop management. However, accurate and efficient calibration of these models is a challenging and critical step in their practical applications. The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate an automatic model calibration strategy; and 2) compare the performance of DSSAT and APEX models for simulation of maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) growth, plant nitrogen (N) uptake, yield in response to different N application rates and the estimation of the economic optimum N rate (EONR). Detailed data collected from eight site-years of N experiments conducted from 2014 to 2016 in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA were used in this research. Observed and simulated maize yield responses to N rate were fitted with regression models to estimate the EONR. The results indicated that both DSSAT and APEX models performed well at Minnesota sites in maize yield simulation, with manual calibration achieving R² of 0.78–0.95, root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2–1.4 t ha⁻¹ , and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 2 %–17 %. Automatic calibration using a model-independent data assimilation (MIDA) optimizer yielded robust yield prediction results (R² = 0.66–0.95; RMSE of 0.3–1.4 t ha⁻¹, and NRMSE of 3–17 %). In addition, both DSSAT and APEX models performed well in simulating yield at different N rates and EONR for both preplant and split N application scenarios, although high prediction errors were observed at some site-years. The independent test using Wisconsin data further confirmed the high accuracy of yield prediction for both models using the two calibration strategies (R²: 0.79–0.88). While both models overestimated biomass at maturity during manual calibration, automatic calibration using the MIDA optimizer significantly reduced prediction errors, particularly for DSSAT (RMSE: 0.7–3.5 t ha⁻¹; NRMSE: 3 %–17 %). Plant N uptake at maturity was reasonably well simulated using the DSSAT model (R²: 0.66–0.92), but the APEX model exhibited low and variable R² values (0.00–0.91), highlighting the need to improve plant N uptake simulation of the APEX model. Significant inconsistencies were observed between the two models' simulations of biomass and plant N uptake at the tasseling growth stage. It is concluded that MIDA optimizer-based automated model calibration can effectively optimize crop growth model parameters, mitigating the risk of local optima. Both DSSAT and APEX models performed well for simulating maize yield, yield response to N rates and EONR, but improvements are needed for the APEX model for simulating biomass and plant N uptake. More research is needed to further evaluate the automatic calibration tool for calibrating crop growth models under on-farm conditions to support their wider practical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127870"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145228736","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":"The potential of variable-rate technology for sustainable intensification of European arable farming","authors":"Yafei Li ,&nbsp;Jeanine Ammann ,&nbsp;Julian Helfenstein ,&nbsp;Tim G. Williams ,&nbsp;Christian Levers ,&nbsp;Franziska Mohr ,&nbsp;Vasco Diogo ,&nbsp;Rigas Zafeiriou ,&nbsp;Víctor Rolo ,&nbsp;Michael Beckmann ,&nbsp;Józef Hernik ,&nbsp;Thanasis Kizos ,&nbsp;Felix Herzog","doi":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127868","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eja.2025.127868","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable intensification of agriculture calls for reducing inputs while increasing yields. Variable-rate technology (VRT) enables the application of the right amount of resources at the right time and place to meet crop requirements. VRT remains relatively underutilized in European arable farming compared to Americas and Australia. Facilitating VRT adoption and other precision agricultural technologies in European arable farming requires understanding the pressing needs of farmers and proposing location-specific solutions to their problems. To address this gap, we conducted online surveys of experts in agricultural research, service, and primary production across seven European arable farming regions. Experts were asked to estimate the current and future adoption of VRT and to assess the role of relevant factors for adopting VRT in their regions. Furthermore, we asked about the challenges of fertilization, weed/pest control, and water management. Our results show a higher current and future VRT application for fertilization compared to weed/pest control and irrigation across all regions. The biggest barriers against VRT adoption in arable farming are cost, government regulations, and technology complexity. Moreover, our results show that VRT can more efficiently address the challenges of fertilizer application and weed/pest control, but has limited potential in addressing water management challenges, which need to be tackled by crop breeding, irrigation infrastructure, and water withdrawal rights. Our findings suggest that the low adoption of VRT in Europe is related to high cost and complexity of VRT, the substitute measures of VRT, and the limitation of VRT in addressing agroecological and policy-related challenges. Sustainable intensification thus requires a portfolio of technological, social, behavioral, and policy innovations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Agronomy","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 127868"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220398","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}