Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Ryegrass intercropping with residue incorporation enhances apple yield and reduces nitrogen loss despite minimal water–nitrogen competition on the Loess Plateau, China","authors":"Qing Liang ,&nbsp;Tibin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuxin Kuang ,&nbsp;Yiti Jiliu ,&nbsp;Yu Cheng ,&nbsp;Weiqiang Gao ,&nbsp;Hao Feng ,&nbsp;Kadambot H.M. Siddique","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cover crops are widely intercropped in apple orchards on the Loess Plateau, Northwest China. Generally, there can be important benefits for soil water and nitrogen conditions, while these benefits depend upon how the farmers manage the cover crops, such as the type of cover crops, the method used to terminate their growth, and residue management practices employed. Through a two-year field experiment (2022–2023), this study assessed the effects of different cover crop intercropping systems combined with residue returning on soil water and nitrogen dynamics and apple tree growth. Three intercropping systems, i.e., apple–ryegrass (AR), apple–oilseed rape (AO), and apple–alfalfa (AA) were conducted against clean tillage as a control. In terms of soil water dynamics, three intercropping systems led to an average increase in evapotranspiration of 3.5 % (AR), 3.4 % (AO), and 2.2 % (AA) respectively. Moreover, among three intercropping systems, the frequency of occurrence where the soil water difference ratio was negative and significantly differed from the control was once (AR), twice (AO), and three times (AA) respectively. The contributions of soil water from different depths to ryegrass growth were 41 % (0–20 cm), 37.1 % (20–60 cm), 21.9 % (60–100 cm), and the corresponding values were 34.4 %, 16 %, and 49.7 % for apple trees. Regarding soil nitrogen dynamics, three intercropping systems promoted apple trees ¹⁵N use efficiency (¹⁵NUE) by 40.9 % (AR), 16.1 % (AO), and 14.1 % (AA), respectively. The AR exhibited the lowest cover crop ¹⁵NUE (19.7 %), while AA had the highest (39.4 %). All intercropping systems significantly reduced ¹⁵N loss ratio (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), with total nitrogen in 0–60 cm soil layer increasing by 16.9 % (AR), 9.4 % (AO), and 7.7 % (AA). As for apple tree growth, the AR increased apple yield and crop water productivity (WP_c) by 11.7 % and 5.4 % in 2022, and by 9.8 % and 9.1 % in 2023 respectively; while the AO increased apple yield and WP_c by 5.7 % and 0.5 % in 2022, it reduced them by 2.4 % and 3.6 % in 2023; and the AA decreased them in both years. Thus, ryegrass intercropping with residue returning is recommended for apple orchard management on the Loess Plateau due to its negligible water–nitrogen competition, decreased soil nitrogen loss, and enhanced fruit yield.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109700"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143854958","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":"Harnessing functional diversity in the Vigna genus for crop diversification under future climates","authors":"Marwa El Graoui ,&nbsp;Michel Edmond Ghanem ,&nbsp;Denis Vile ,&nbsp;Aziza Zerrouk ,&nbsp;Moez Amri ,&nbsp;Hélène Marrou","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Crop diversification is a key driver towards improved farm resilience and reduced risk in the face of climatic and economic events. Grain legumes have been gaining increasing attention and interest in the past few decades. However, farmers and advisers need references and tools to select the crop species and varieties adapted to specific environments. In this study, we explored the untapped diversity within the <em>Vigna</em> genus that offers numerous diversification possibilities for tropical and sub-tropical agriculture production systems. A field trial was conducted in Morocco, using 368 accessions representing seven cultivated and 30 wild <em>Vigna</em> species. Data of 16 phenological, morpho-physiological and agronomical traits, were collected and used within a functional trait-based analysis to identify functional strategies among genotypes and to relate trait patterns to adaptations to climate of origin. The studied species were categorized into one of the three Grime’s functional groups: competitive (C), stress-tolerant (S) and ruderal (R) species, and the potential role of domestication in shaping traits in these functional groups was examined. Results indicated that trait profiles were shaped by species’ environmental origin, where the most populated biomes were the tropical forest/savanna, in particular for the wild accessions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109658"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143854957","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":"Early spring-flowering winter cover crop (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) increases insect flower visits in Wisconsin (USA)","authors":"Eliza J. Pessereau ,&nbsp;José G. Franco ,&nbsp;Alison J. Duff ,&nbsp;Claudio Gratton","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The expansion and intensification of agriculture in the last century has reduced floral resources for wild insect pollinators, contributing to their decline and potentially lowering pollination services for crop production. Flowering cover crops that can overwinter in harsh climates, such as winter camelina (Camelina sativa [L.] Crantz), can provide key resources for spring-emerging insects and fit into forage cropping systems in the Upper Midwest region of the United States where corn silage production is an important source of dairy forage. However, the amount of floral cover and length of time that cover is available, as well as the practicality of integrating camelina in annual forage cropping systems, depends on fall planting time and cover crop mix. We performed a plot-scale, randomized block experiment to measure spring floral cover and insect flower visitation of winter camelina and uncultivated flowers. This experiment occurred across 2 years in 3 cover crop mixes: 1) camelina monoculture, 2) camelina, triticale, hairy vetch mix, and 3) camelina, cereal rye, hairy vetch mix. In the second year, 3 camelina monocultures were planted at three different fall planting times, which constituted additional treatments: 4) early, 5) mid, and 6) late plantings. We included an unseeded fallow treatment, i.e., no cover crop, for comparison. Cover crop mixes and camelina in monoculture planted simultaneously (all mid-fall plantings) provided equal amounts of floral cover and supported comparable insect visitation rates the following spring. For monocultures, camelina planted earlier in the fall had the highest spring floral cover, and the latest planting time provided virtually no flower cover. Despite the large proportion of total floral cover attributed to dandelion in many plots, flower visitation exclusively increased with increasing camelina floral cover. However, there was an upper asymptote at which adding more camelina did not further increase visitation. Our study demonstrates that winter camelina can provide resources for insects in early spring when planted in a monoculture or mix the previous September as compared to winter fallow, though the period of flowering is short. We also show that although dandelion may provide floral cover early in the growing season, camelina may be more attractive to insects and provides an important spring floral resource.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109689"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851373","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 health and ecological resilience of no-till, organic, and mixed-crop livestock systems in eastern Washington State","authors":"Alexandra.G. Davis ,&nbsp;Lynne Carpenter-Boggs ,&nbsp;Katherine L. Smith ,&nbsp;Jonathan M. Wachter ,&nbsp;Garett Heineck ,&nbsp;David R. Huggins ,&nbsp;John P. Reganold","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Combining concepts of soil health and ecological resilience provides a useful framework for assessing and identifying sustainable soil management strategies. Major soil health concerns globally and in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State include erosion, organic matter (SOM) loss, and acidification. Alternative cropping systems have the potential to improve these areas of soil health through practices such as no-tillage, diversified rotations, and reduced chemical inputs. Here, we report on a 9-year study (2012–2020) examining four alternative farming systems in the Palouse and their impacts on soil health and ecological resilience, accounting for soil erosion, SOM depletion, acidification, and financial performance. The four systems included (i) a no-till system (NT) using a typical 3-year spring pea-winter wheat-spring wheat rotation with conventional herbicide and fertilizer use; (ii) a mixed crop-livestock system (MIX) using a 3-year pea-winter wheat-spring wheat rotation with livestock integration and reduced herbicide and fertilizer use; (iii) an organic system that integrates sheep and intercropping with three years of alfalfa/grass hay and six years of grain cereals and legumes (ORG_crop); and (iv) an organic system that integrates sheep into an eight-year rotation with six years of alfalfa/grass hay and two years of grain cereals and legumes (ORG_hay). All four farming systems were above the maximum ecological resilience threshold for soil erosion, below the minimum threshold for soil organic carbon (SOC) content, above the minimum threshold for acidification, and above the minimum threshold for economic performance. In terms of erosion control, NT performed the best, followed by ORG_hay, MIX, and then ORG_crop. In terms of carbon stock, ORG_hay performed the best as it was the only system to not decrease in surface (0–15 cm) SOC. With acidification, ORG_crop and ORG_hay performed better than NT and MIX at the surface (0–7.5 cm), but all farming systems were similar when considering 0–30 cm. With economics, ORG_hay had the highest average net returns across the nine growing seasons, followed by ORG_crop, MIX, and then NT, with all four systems hypothetically outperforming a typical conventional tillage farm in the area. ORG_hay had no major tradeoffs and overall performed best, having similar or improved ecological resilience in all areas measured compared to the other cropping systems. The data from this study suggests that Palouse farmers may benefit in converting a small percentage of their fields to organic alfalfa/hay mixtures. However, farmers may need to be incentivized to implement this due to the risk involved.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"388 ","pages":"Article 109639"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855214","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":"Ground cover promotes enhanced bat activity in high-value insular vineyards","authors":"Luca Cistrone ,&nbsp;Henry Schofield ,&nbsp;Danilo Russo","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vineyards represent a significant portion of global agricultural land. However, their conventional management, which relies on synthetic inputs and intensive cultivation, often reduces habitat complexity, impacting biodiversity and reducing ecosystem services such as pest control. Inter-row grass cover has been proposed as a management strategy to enhance biodiversity, but its effects on insectivorous bats – key providers of pest suppression – remain unexplored. We investigated the influence of inter-row grass cover on bat activity in the vineyards of Pantelleria (Italy), a Mediterranean island where agriculture must balance productivity with environmental sustainability. We conducted acoustic surveys across 18 vineyards, comparing bat activity between grass-covered and cleared inter-rows. We recorded 3240 bat passes from seven species, with <em>Pipistrellus kuhlii</em> being the most frequently detected. Our results indicate that inter-row grass cover significantly increases <em>P. kuhlii</em> activity, likely due to enhanced habitat complexity and prey availability. <em>Plecotus gaisleri</em> activity increased with vineyard area, suggesting better foraging conditions in larger vineyards<em>.</em> Species richness and the remaining bat species were unaffected by inter-row management. Maintaining inter-row grass cover can benefit <em>P. kuhlii</em>, the species most frequently hunting in Pantelleria vineyards, offering a potential win-win strategy for biodiversity and agricultural sustainability. To promote inter-row grass cover while minimising competition affecting vine growth and productivity, we recommend restricting mowing, weed removal, and hoeing to the vine base and planting basin while maintaining grass cover between rows. Rotational mowing, selecting native plants, and preserving hedgerows can enhance bat habitat. Mowing outside peak insect activity and engaging vineyard owners may further support biodiversity and productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109698"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843573","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":"Land-use effects on aphid-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid food web structure and function","authors":"Zhaoke Dong ,&nbsp;Xiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiong Wu ,&nbsp;Vesna Gagic ,&nbsp;Zeljko Tomanovic ,&nbsp;Zhaozhi Lu ,&nbsp;Myron P. Zalucki","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the impact of land-use intensity on aphid-parasitoid food web structure and biological control services is crucial for managing landscapes in a way that supports natural pest regulation. However, few studies have directly linked the structure of these food webs to actual pest control outcomes. In this study, we analyzed how the structure of aphid-parasitoid food webs and the ecosystem services they provide varied across a land-use intensity gradient in 24 alfalfa fields during three years in China. Beta diversity result indicates that the regional species pools play a key role in local food web assembly. Species in plain regions (intensive agricultural areas) were subsets of those found in mountainous region (more diverse landscapes), indicating that land-use intensity filtered out species from the broader regional pool rather than creating unique local assemblages. Land-use intensity, particularly mowing and insecticide application, negatively impacted both primary parasitoid and hyperparasitoid richness and abundance. Conversely, noncrop areas positively influenced primary parasitoid richness. Food web structures varied across regions and sampling dates. Hyperparasitism was significantly correlated with food web structural metrics, showing a negative relationship with modularity and a positive relationship with nestedness in primary-hyperparasitoid food webs. It suggests that hyperparasitoids may be more effective in suppressing primary parasitoids and thereby aphid biocontrol in less modular and more interconnected food webs. These findings highlight the importance of food web structure in shaping parasitoid dynamics and emphasize the need for landscape management strategies that promote biodiversity and ecosystem functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109699"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143842820","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":"Medium molecular weight carbon fractions of DOM: Driving soil microbial community differentiation and soil organic carbon sequestration","authors":"Jinkang Yang ,&nbsp;Yanan Ren ,&nbsp;Shaomin Huang ,&nbsp;Liping Weng ,&nbsp;Yongtao Li ,&nbsp;Hongen Liu ,&nbsp;Peng Zhao ,&nbsp;Long Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaolei Jie","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) is vital for energy and nutrient dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems and significantly influences soil microbial diversity and community structure. However, the impact of long-term organic substitutes (straw and manure) on the molecular composition of DOM and their relationships with organic carbon composition and microbial community structure remain unexplored, particularly in fluvo-aquic soils. This study conducted a systematic investigation utilizing Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), biomarker analyses, microbial high-throughput sequencing, and carbon source metabolism assessments over a 33-year localization experiment. Results showed that long-term organic substitution significantly enhanced the abundance of complex organic molecules (CHONs, CHOSs, and CHONSs) while reducing simple compounds (CHOs). Medium molecular weight carbon fractions (amino sugar, carbohydrate, tannin, and condensed aromatic) increased to an average of 31.1–32.5 %, whereas large (lignin; 6.81–8.10 %) and small (unsaturated hydrocarbon, lipid, and peptide; 1.62–13.0 %) molecular weight carbon fractions decreased. Medium molecular weight carbon fractions showed a significant positive correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC) contents (encompassing particulate, mineral-associated, plant-derived, and bacterial necromass carbon), facilitating SOC sequestration. Furthermore, the modularity of microbial communities (fungi and bacteria) and abundance and diversity of carbon source utilization correlated positively with medium molecular weight carbon fractions, thereby enhancing microbial community stability. Fungal communities exhibited greater sensitivity to these carbon fractions than bacterial communities. The result highlights the critical role of medium molecular weight carbon fractions in shaping microbial community structures and enhancing SOC sequestration, providing a scientific basis for optimizing agricultural management practices and promoting sustainable agricultural development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109688"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143842819","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":"Forage crops boost the productivity and environmental sustainability of dairy farmers in southern Tanzania","authors":"Sylvia S. Nyawira ,&nbsp;Solomon W. Mwendia ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Mwema ,&nbsp;Ricardo Gonzalez-Quintero ,&nbsp;Beatus Nzogela ,&nbsp;Andrew Sila ,&nbsp;Angello Mwilawa ,&nbsp;Jonas Kizima ,&nbsp;Birthe K. Paul ,&nbsp;An Notenbaert","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adoption of cultivated forages is critical for enhancing biomass production, milk yield, and soil health in mixed smallholder dairy farming systems in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Yet most farmers continue to rely on traditional forage varieties such as Guatemala, Rhodes grass, and Napier grass for fodder. This study combines biophysical data from on-farm forage trials with simple environmental calculations to assess biomass production. Using data from six trials across three districts (Mufindi, Njombe, and Rungwe), we conducted a comprehensive analysis, comparing dry matter and crude protein yields of 14 different forage treatments and quantifying changes in SOC over a three-year period. These empirical data were then incorporated in an ex-ante environmental assessment of typical dairy farming. Key findings highlight significant variability in forages’ performance across districts—Rungwe district, with the highest rainfall, exhibiting the highest dry matter yields. Forage grass-legume intercrops outperformed the pure grasses in crude protein yields. Despite minimal changes in SOC over the three-year monitoring period, Mufindi district showed measurable SOC increases. This can be attributed to the initially low SOC content at the two study sitesand slower decomposition due to the colder temperatures in one of the sites compared to Njombe and Rungwe. The environmental analysis reveals large land, soil, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprints associated with current feeding practices across intensive dairy farms. However, replacing crop residues with high-quality forages such as <em>Brachiaria</em> hybrid Cayman and Rhodes grasses could improve milk productivity and result in neutral or positive environmental outcomes. At scale, improved forages increased milk yield by 15 %, reduced water and land footprints by 17 %, and enhanced soil-erosion resistance by 63 %, although GHGs emissions increased by 2 %. Our findings underscore the potential of cultivated forages for enhancing dairy production, improving soil health, and alleviating land- and water-use pressures in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Future long-term experimental studies, complemented by biophysical modeling, would be valuable in identifying the context-specific forage and management options for the dairy sector’s sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109649"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833998","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":"Tensions in tillage: Reduction in tillage intensity associates with lower wheat growth and nutritional grain quality despite enhanced soil biological indicators","authors":"Matthias Waibel ,&nbsp;Jennifer Michel ,&nbsp;Maurine Antoine ,&nbsp;Iñaki Balanzategui-Guijarro ,&nbsp;Da Cao ,&nbsp;Pierre Delaplace ,&nbsp;Jacques Le Gouis ,&nbsp;David Alvarez ,&nbsp;Claire Léon ,&nbsp;Sandy Manfroy ,&nbsp;Jordi Moya-Laraño ,&nbsp;Sibille Perrochon ,&nbsp;Sara Sanchez-Moreno ,&nbsp;Inés Santin-Montanya ,&nbsp;José Luis Tenorio ,&nbsp;Cécile Thonar ,&nbsp;Hervé Vanderschuren ,&nbsp;Dominique Van Der Straeten ,&nbsp;Thomas Verlinde ,&nbsp;Markus Weinmann ,&nbsp;Sarah Symanczik","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dryland ecosystems are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of intensive agriculture, with intensive tillage exerting a major impact on soil health and its biotic components. The implementation of less disturbing soil management practices can be essential for preserving the soil environment and maintaining the diverse communities of microorganisms, micro- and mesofauna, which are vital contributors to soil fertility. In this study, we assessed soil chemical properties, soil biodiversity and functionality, and wheat crop growth across a tillage gradient encompassing no-tillage (NT), minimum tillage (MT), and standard tillage (ST). Results showed that reducing tillage intensity increased soil macronutrient levels and the abundance of soil biota. Overall, higher levels of bacterial and fungal marker genes and higher abundance of predatory acari were observed in MT and NT compared to ST. Also, nematode abundance increased by 25 % in MT and 50 % in NT, compared to ST. Similarly, community structure analysis revealed that tillage strongly influenced bacterial, fungal and acari community composition, reflecting a gradient of soil disturbance intensity. Corresponding to the increased abundance of soil biota, reducing tillage intensity increased microbial activity and soil functionality along the disturbance gradient. In addition, evidence of the formation of biocrust as a possible source of carbon input was found. Despite enhanced soil biological indicators in less intensive tillage systems, wheat growth, nitrogen uptake and grain B vitamin contents were higher in ST compared to NT. In addition, we observed a shift in technological grain properties across tillage practices. The higher root:shoot ratio (an indicator of nitrogen deficiency) and median root diameter (hormone-driven lateral expansion) in NT suggest that soil compaction could be a potential cause of reduced wheat performance. These results suggest that despite improved soil biological indicators, other factors such as low rates of N mineralization potential due to drought conditions during the study year and the prevalence of soil compaction may limit wheat performance in NT systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109675"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of conservation agriculture on carbon dynamics across eroded slopes: A global synthesis","authors":"Liangang Xiao,&nbsp;Kebing Zhao,&nbsp;Yudi Wang,&nbsp;Rongqin Zhao,&nbsp;Zhixiang Xie,&nbsp;Qingfeng Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.109696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation agriculture represents an essential management for sustainable development of croplands, and a number of syntheses have been published to investigate its benefits in terms of erosion control and carbon sequestration. However, previous studies usually investigated the two benefits separately, and it currently lacks a comprehensive evaluation of how the application of conservation agriculture impacts on the carbon cycling in the background of erosion. In this study, we systematically investigated the erosion processes and carbon dynamics across eroded slopes after adopting various conservation practices based on the data obtained from field experiments across the globe. The results showed that, compared to conventional tillage, adopting conservation agriculture did not significantly reduce runoff on average (-8.8 %), but it led to a significant reduction of sediment loss (-34.2 %). The application of conservation agriculture resulted in a significant increase of soil organic carbon accumulation in the top layer of 10 cm (+27.7 %), and single erosion event was not able to change the soil organic carbon content in the surface 5 cm. The loss of soil organic carbon was significantly reduced (-31.2 %) under conservation measures, but the soil organic carbon concentration in sediment was significantly increased (+15.2 %). The enrichment ratio of soil organic carbon in sediment did not increase significantly compared to that of conventional tillage (+1.4 %). The impact of conservation agriculture on carbon mineralization was minimal in the soil surface (-0.1 %), but it significantly increased the mineralization rate of carbon in runoff and sediment (+63.7 %), indicating a higher mineralization potential of eroded carbon under conservation agriculture. The results further highlighted the critical contribution of straw mulching in erosion control, soil organic carbon loss reduction, and soil organic carbon accumulation, while reduced tillage represents the least effective measure. Overall, this study quantitively summarizes the basic carbon dynamics across eroded slopes under conservation agriculture, and may provide important evidence for comprehensively understanding the mechanisms of how conservation agriculture influences on carbon accumulation, erosion, and mineralization under the background of erosion from a new perspective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"389 ","pages":"Article 109696"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833999","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}