Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from furrows and hills in a cotton-wheat-fallow rotation, Narrabri, Australia","authors":"B.C.T. Macdonald ,&nbsp;Y.F. Chang ,&nbsp;A. Nadelko ,&nbsp;I. Rochester ,&nbsp;D.L. Antille ,&nbsp;S. Karunaratne ,&nbsp;K. Gordon","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the emissions of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), from different soil positions (hill, skip furrow, irrigation furrow) in a cotton-wheat-fallow rotation system under irrigation in Narrabri, Australia. The research spans a two-year period and aims to understand the spatial variability of emissions and their relation to soil and atmospheric conditions. Nitrous oxide emissions during the cotton season averaged 2.07 ± 0.13 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹, representing 0.86 % of applied inorganic N fertiliser nitrogen, with emissions occurring in hills and furrows due to nitrogen transport. Methane was consistently absorbed by the soil and contributed a small amount to the overall greenhouse gas budget. Carbon dioxide emissions were higher from furrows, while hills functioned as carbon sinks during cropping seasons. The rotation exhibited a net soil carbon loss of approximately 4.1 ± 0.5 t C ha⁻¹, indicating a need for management strategies to increase carbon inputs during fallow periods. Further, greenhouse gas measurements are required from all different soil positions (hill, skip furrow, irrigation furrow) as well as biophysical parameters. This is not only due to differences between each measurement location but also between the chamber and field measurement locations. Longer term measurements are required to improve the accuracy of emissions and carbon balance estimates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110187"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077136","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":"Microbial metabolism regulates the stabilization of rhizodeposition-derived carbon in soil aggregates and mineral fractions under long-term tillage","authors":"Wen-Sheng Liu ,&nbsp;Ben-Shun Liu ,&nbsp;Zi-Ang Wang ,&nbsp;Yong-Qiang Xu ,&nbsp;Xin Zhao ,&nbsp;Yash Pal Dang ,&nbsp;Hai-Lin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sequestering soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for climate change mitigation and long-term food security. Rhizodeposition represents a major carbon (C) input to SOC in agroecosystems, yet the microbial processes governing its stabilization within soil aggregate and mineral fractions remain poorly understood. Here, we combined ¹³C stable isotope tracing with high-throughput sequencing in a long-term tillage experiment comprising no-tillage (NTS), plow tillage (CTS), and rotary tillage (RTS). We quantify rhizodeposition-derived C flows into SOC fractions and evaluated how microbial functional traits mediate C stabilization under contrasting tillage regimes. No-tillage increased the proportion of newly formed mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) by 13 % and 11 % compared to CTS and RTS, respectively, during the maize season, indicating enhanced turnover stabilization efficiency. Rotary tillage promoted greater incorporation of rhizodeposition-derived ¹³C into macroaggregate with values 34 % and 56 % higher than CTS in wheat and maize seasons, respectively. Aggregate-scale C dynamics exhibited distinct seasonal patterns, with rhizodeposition-derived C declining with increasing aggregate size in wheat but peaked in microaggregates during maize. Tillage system and crop season strongly shaped microbial functional composition and nutrient limitations. Notably, NTS enriched C-cycling bacterial taxa that mediated the transfer of wheat rhizodeposition C into microaggregates. Overall, our results demonstrate that long-term tillage practices regulate rhizodeposition-derived C stabilization by altering microbial community structure and metabolic activity, thereby directing C into distinct SOC pools with contrasting persistence. These findings highlight the central role of microbial metabolism in linking tillage management to SOC sequestration and climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110306"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171722","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":"Long-term organic amendments for plant-available water capacity in a temperate no-till system","authors":"Md Nayem Hasan Munna,&nbsp;Rattan Lal","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-available water capacity (PAWC) is a key indicator of soil physical quality and water delivery. Yet, research data on these parameters from long-term field studies are scant. This study evaluated the legacy effects of organic amendments and cover cropping on PAWC and pore structure in an Alfisol under a 27-year no-till (NT) system in central Ohio, USA. Four treatments were examined: weedy fallow (no input), cover crop (annual and perennial ryegrass, red fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass), compost (15.3 Mg/ha/yr), and cow manure (23.3 Mg/ha/yr), arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Soil samples were collected in 2024 from four replicated plots per treatment at 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm depths. Volumetric water content was determined at eight matric suctions using tension tables and pressure plate extractors, with three cores per plot analyzed separately and averaged for plot-level analyses (n = 4 per treatment and depth). PAWC was calculated as the difference between water content at field capacity (pF 2.5) and permanent wilting point (pF 4.2). Manure-treated soils exhibited the highest PAWC in the 0–20 cm layer (5.14 ± 1.31 cm), while fallow had the highest in 20–40 cm (5.88 ± 1.04 cm). Water content at pF 1.8 ranged from 44.4 ± 0.8 % (manure) to 35.8 ± 2.0 % (cover crop) in surface soil. Fallow showed the steepest dθ/dpF curves (R² = 0.97–0.98, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), indicating rapid drainage, while manure-treated soil had broader curves suggesting sustained delivery. Compost-treated soils had weaker model fits (R² = 0.32–0.54, <em>p</em> &gt; 0.05), suggesting occluded mesoporosity. PAWC was strongly correlated with storage pores (R² = 0.94–0.92, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Structural equation modeling showed that storage pores mediate the effects of soil physical properties on PAWC, with bulk density acting as the primary constraint on water availability in surface soil. These findings highlight the legacy effects of organic inputs, particularly manure, on mesoporosity, PAWC, and soil hydrologic function under long-term NT management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110296"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170977","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":"Increasing grassland productivity and reducing environmental N losses – Multiple benefits of advanced cattle slurry separation","authors":"Jincheng Han ,&nbsp;Rainer Gasche ,&nbsp;Benjamin Wolf ,&nbsp;Steffen Schweizer ,&nbsp;Noelia Garcia-Franco ,&nbsp;Martin Wiesmeier ,&nbsp;Ralf Kiese ,&nbsp;Ulrike Ostler ,&nbsp;Diana Andrade ,&nbsp;Michael Schloter ,&nbsp;Marcus Schlingmann ,&nbsp;Heinz Rennenberg ,&nbsp;Michael Dannenmann","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reducing the high nitrogen (N) losses during fertilization with cattle slurry is key to reduce environmental impacts of grassland farming. We tested the hitherto unknown potential of separated versus regular unseparated slurry (control) to mitigate total N losses in a three-year experiment using ¹⁵N-labelled slurry. Slurry separation was enhanced using starch, clay minerals, and centrifugation, yielding an organic-rich solid fraction and a liquid fraction with low dry-matter content and ca 70 % ammonium-N. The use of separated slurry significantly increased plant productivity (+12 %), plant N uptake (+21 %), and total biomass harvest N export (+20 %) compared to the control. Additionally, fertilizer N retention in topsoil organic N (SON) increased by 8 %. Due to higher plant uptake, and higher soil storage of fertilizer N, total gaseous N losses from separated slurry were lower (33.5 % of added N) than from regular slurry (57.6 %). Leaching of fertilizer N remained negligible in both treatments. However, this did not apply for N₂O emissions, which were of low relevance for N balance considerations, but tripled after the addition of the liquid phase of separated slurry in summer. This undesired effect however might be prevented if the solid phase is applied in summer and the liquid phase in spring when soil microbial activity is still low. In summary, separated slurry reduced N losses, increased productivity, fodder quality, and fertilizer N retention, thereby mitigating N deficits and soil N mining. Thus, with appropriate application timing, use of separated slurry can enhance both ecological and economic soil functions and ecosystem services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110275"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146095818","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":"Unveiling the dominant role of soil pH in shaping nitrogen cycling microbial gene abundances: Insights from 65-years of chemical fertilizer selection in an acidic grassland meadow","authors":"Akari Mitsuta ,&nbsp;Késia Silva Lourenço ,&nbsp;Mart Ros ,&nbsp;Yoshitaka Uchida ,&nbsp;Eiko Eurya Kuramae","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the microbial processes driving the nitrogen (N) cycle is crucial for enhancing plant productivity and mitigating environmental pollution. The long-term application of synthetic fertilizers induces significant alterations in the microbial community and functions. However, there is still limited research on how long-term application of N, P and K fertilizers over 60 years, either individually or in combination, especially in acidic grasslands, influences the abundance of microbial N-cycling genes and N₂O emissions. Therefore, our study was conducted on an acidic semi-natural grassland, where the soil was subjected to chemical fertilizer: P (superphosphate), K (potassium sulfate), PK, N (ammonium nitrate), NPK, PK+N (PK applied in spring and N applied once in summer) over 65 years. Gene abundances associated with the N-cycle (<em>nifH</em>, <em>amoA</em>, <em>nirK</em>, <em>nirS</em>, <em>nosZ</em>, and <em>nrfA</em>) were quantified at seven different time points throughout the year considering the temporal effect caused by fertilizer application. Our findings reveal that soil pH emerged as the predominant factor influencing the gene abundance related to N-fixation and denitrification outweighing the effect of the temporal nutrient increases induced by fertilizer application. N₂O emissions were significantly positively correlated with ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) abundance, while no correlation was found with denitrifiers and nitrate ammonifiers. This suggests that further investigation into the mechanisms of N₂O production by AOA in acidic grasslands is warranted. Our study highlights that the microbial community involved in N-cycling is shaped by the difference in soil pH resulting from long-term chemical fertilizer application rather than by the direct and temporal impact of fertilizer application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110301"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171723","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":"Photodegradation and microbial decomposition of soybean and maize crop residues before and after harvest","authors":"Felipe Cabrera ,&nbsp;Patricia Inés Araujo ,&nbsp;Lucía Vivanco","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of sunlight and its interaction with microorganisms in crop residue decomposition is largely unknown in agroecosystems. We evaluated soybean and maize residue decomposition before harvest, when plants were senescent and standing, and after harvest, during winter fallow, when residues remained on the soil surface. We hypothesized that (1) sunlight dominates decomposition before harvest, whereas microbes become more relevant after harvest, and (2) soybean residues decompose faster than maize due to higher susceptibility to sunlight-driven decay before harvest and greater nutrient content, enhancing microbial decomposition after harvest. We conducted a field experiment in the Argentine Pampas, manipulating sunlight and microbes with filters and a biocide, respectively. Contrary to our expectation, decomposition before harvest was significantly accelerated by both sunlight and microbes additively, resulting in carbon losses of approximately 141 kg C ha⁻¹ in maize and 108 kg C ha⁻¹ in soybean leaf residues. Sunlight alone accounted for 15–24 % of total leaf mass loss, while microbes contributed 30–54 %. The results indicated that sunlight acted through photodegradation rather than photofacilitation of microbial decomposition. Before harvest, decomposition was twice as fast as after harvest, with no effect of sunlight or microbes. Soybean residues decomposed faster than maize due to greater susceptibility to sunlight (canopy structure and lignin) and enhanced microbial activity before harvest, and lower mechanical resistance after harvest. These findings highlight that both sunlight and microbes substantially contribute to residue turnover, particularly of standing dead crops before harvest, a critical yet often overlooked stage in cropland carbon dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110293"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134419","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":"Optimizing phosphorus input and straw return enhances soil health: Insights into microbial functional gene indicators in Solanum lycopersicum","authors":"Xiaoyan Tang ,&nbsp;Sijie Lan ,&nbsp;Juan Ma ,&nbsp;Kuilin Wu ,&nbsp;Edith le Cadre ,&nbsp;Yanyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuanxue Chen ,&nbsp;Deshan Zhang ,&nbsp;Kaiwei Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110276","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive phosphorus (P) fertilization in intensive vegetable systems has led to soil degradation, nutrient imbalance, and heightened risks of soil-borne diseases, highlighting the need for sustainable management. In a long-term <em>S. lycopersicum</em> greenhouse system, we evaluated four P-input levels (100 %, 80 %, 50 %, 0 %) with or without rice straw return, focusing on soil fertility, microbial functional genes, soil quality index (SQI), multifunctionality, crop yield, and economic return. Moderate P reduction (80 % of the conventional rate) significantly increased soil organic carbon by 14.6 % and enhanced SQI by 25 % without compromising yield. Straw incorporation under moderate P input further improved available P by 37.9 %, enriched nutrient-cycling genes (<em>phoD</em>, <em>pqqC</em>, <em>nirS</em>), stimulated beneficial Pseudomonas abundance, and achieved the highest SQI (0.74) and a 10.6 % yield increase. However, straw addition also enhanced the abundance of the pathogen <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em> f. sp. <em>lycopersici</em> (<em>Fol</em>), highlighting a treatment-specific trade-off between enhanced soil health and potential pathogen risks. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that management-driven shifts in microbial functional gene abundance were significantly associated with improvements in soil fertility, multifunctionality, and crop productivity. Overall, this study provides a mechanistic framework for optimizing P-input and organic amendments to support soil health and yield, offering practical guidance for the sustainable intensification of high-input horticultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110276"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110600","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":"Over a decade of minimum tillage: Impacts on soil organic carbon stocks to 70 cm depth in selected East Danish farmer fields","authors":"Henrik Hauggaard-Nielsen ,&nbsp;Nikolaj F.Z. Brandt ,&nbsp;Esbern Holmes ,&nbsp;Andreas Aagaard Christensen","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Minimum tillage (MT) practices have gained increasing attention for their potential role in climate change mitigation. However, in temperate regions, studies examining the full soil profile have shown limited or no significant soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation with MT practices. This study collected soil samples from fields managed by some of Denmark's most experienced MT practitioners and paired them with adjacent conventional tillage (CT) fields. Each MT/CT pair was located within the same geophysical conditions and under similar crop rotations, minimising the risk of confounding variables unrelated to tillage. The results show a strong positive linear correlation (R² = 0.73) between the duration of MT management and the SOC stock difference between paired MT and CT fields across the full 0–70 cm soil depth, suggesting that long-term MT practices may enhance SOC sequestration over time. A more sequential data analysis supported other published works that SOC accumulation in MT fields was primarily confined to the upper 0–10 cm layer, while CT fields exhibited higher SOC stocks in the 10–30 cm layer. No significant differences in SOC were observed below 30 cm. When averaging these numbers across the 0–70 cm profile, SOC stocks did not differ significantly between the tillage systems. Despite limited availability of fields with more than a decade of MT management history farmers' fields serve as valuable, real-world laboratories for understanding the long-term impacts of tillage on SOC dynamics. A scalable pairing methodology is proposed with larger sample sizes in the range of 30–50 paired fields for achieving statistical robustness across heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110260"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170976","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":"Barley intercropped with undersown species in northern Europe: a modest yet positive impact on carbon dioxide uptake during the shoulder seasons","authors":"Stephanie Gerin ,&nbsp;Liisa Kulmala ,&nbsp;Mika Korkiakoski ,&nbsp;Rashmi Shrestha ,&nbsp;Helena Rautakoski ,&nbsp;Paula Thitz ,&nbsp;Jari Liski ,&nbsp;Jussi Heinonsalo ,&nbsp;Annalea Lohila","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agriculture is an important source of greenhouse gases (GHG) globally. Unlike conventional practices which have contributed to declines in biodiversity, soil health and soil organic carbon, regenerative agriculture has the potential to mitigate and enhance resilience to climate change, support the restoration of soil health and biodiversity, among other advantages. Increasing plant diversity in grasslands has shown multiple environmental benefits, but similar studies in cereal crops are lacking. To study the impact of increased plant diversity on GHG and other agronomical parameters, zero to eight undersown species were intercropped with barley in southern Finland. GHG fluxes were measured with the chamber technique over two years alongside environmental parameters. Results showed higher CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> uptake in barley with undersown species compared to barley monoculture during the shoulder seasons. In 2020–2021, based on gap-filled CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> data and aboveground biomass, treatments with undersown species lost 42% less carbon than barley monoculture. Overall, CH<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> and N<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O fluxes were small, and no differences were observed between treatments except in fall 2020. Soil temperature was modestly but significantly lower in barley with undersown species by 0.36 °C in summer 2020 while no differences were observed in soil moisture. There were no clear trends between one, four or eight undersown species, which suggest that adding one undersown species can already have an impact on CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> fluxes, vegetation and soil parameters. Further studies are needed to more specifically assess how the different functional traits of the undersown species, such as rooting depth and nitrogen-fixing properties, impact GHG emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110265"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077135","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":"Landscape-scale cover of different crop hosts, rather than semi-natural grasslands, predict crop infestation and parasitism of a generalist insect pest in wheat","authors":"Tatyana A. Rand ,&nbsp;Erika S. Peirce","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies examining the importance of landscape complexity for conservation biological control have traditionally focused on the benefits of semi-natural habitats. However, a growing body of recent work demonstrates that spatiotemporal variation in the composition of cropped areas can additionally exert strong influences that are less commonly considered. We carried out a stratified sampling study to investigate the relative influences of different crop and semi-natural resource habitats on <em>Cephus cinctus</em>, a major pest of wheat, and its parasitoids from local to landscape scales. Insects were sampled in a single growing season across 48 sites that spanned a dominant wheat growing region of the northern Great Plains in Montana, United States of America. The pest and its parasitoids were common in semi-natural grasslands (rangeland and set-asides), but densities were significantly (4–7 fold) higher in wheat, and pest densities were significantly (3 fold) higher in winter wheat relative to spring wheat. Neither proximity to, nor landscape cover of, semi-natural grasslands were important predictors of pest infestation or parasitism in wheat. Instead, winter wheat cover in the previous year was the strongest landscape predictor of infestation, while spring wheat cover in the previous year was the strongest predictor of parasitism. The study highlights that the cover of specific host crops can be important landscape drivers, even for habitat generalists, that pests and parasitoids can respond differently to host crop types, and that crop cover from the previous year can be more influential in predicting pest pressure and parasitism than the within-year cover. Thus, carefully dissecting the influences of different crops, in addition to semi-natural habitats, and considering the temporal dimension of shifting host crop resources will be critical to improving the prediction of insect responses to landscape complexity and developing pest suppressive landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"401 ","pages":"Article 110271"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146694","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}