Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi mediate soil N dynamics, mitigating NO emissions and N-leaching while promoting crop N uptake in green manure systems.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as symbionts of the plant root system, play a pivotal ecological role in soil nutrient dynamics. However, the mechanisms by which AMF mediates nitrogen (N) transformation at the soil-crop interface, particularly under green manure management, remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates these mechanisms through a long-term field experiment, employing four green manure management practices during the flowering stage of common vetch: tillage with total green manure incorporation (TG), no-tillage with total green manure mulching (NTG), aboveground biomass removal with root incorporation (T), and aboveground biomass removal with no-tillage (NT), alongside a conventional tillage control without green manure (CT).

Blue light regulated lignin and cellulose content of soybean petioles and stems under low light intensity.

To improve light harvest and plant structural support under low light intensity, it is useful to investigate the effects of different ratios of blue light on petiole and stem growth. Two true leaves of soybean seedlings were exposed to a total light intensity of 200μmolm-2 s-1 , presented as either white light or three levels of blue light (40μmolm-2 s-1 , 67μmolm-2 s-1 and 100μmolm-2 s-1 ) for 15days. Soybean petioles under the low blue light treatment upregulated expression of genes relating to lignin metabolism, enhancing lignin content compared with the white light treatment.

Drive soil nitrogen transformation and improve crop nitrogen absorption and utilization - a review of green manure applications.

Green manure application presents a valuable strategy for enhancing soil fertility and promoting ecological sustainability. By leveraging green manures for effective nitrogen management in agricultural fields can significantly reduce the dependency of primary crops on chemical nitrogen fertilizers, thereby fostering resource efficiency. This review examines the current advancements in the green manure industry, focusing on the modulation of nitrogen transformation in soil and how crops absorb and utilize nitrogen after green manure application.

No-till and nitrogen fertilizer reduction improve nitrogen translocation and productivity of spring wheat ( L.) promotion of plant transpiration.

Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizer has threatened the survivability and sustainability of agriculture. Improving N productivity is promising to address the above issue. Therefore, the field experiment, which investigated the effect of no-till and N fertilizer reduction on water use and N productivity of spring wheat ( L.

Energy budgeting, carbon budgeting, and carbon footprints of straw and plastic film management for environmentally clean of wheat-maize intercropping system in northwestern China.

Modern agricultural production is an energy- and carbon-intensive system. Enhancing energy and carbon efficiencies and reducing carbon footprints are important issues of sustainable development in modern agriculture. This study aimed to comprehensively assess energy and carbon budgeting and carbon footprints in wheat-maize intercropping, monoculture maize, and monoculture wheat with straw and plastic film management approaches, as based on a field experiment conducted in northwestern China.

Photosynthetic Physiological Characteristics of Water and Nitrogen Coupling for Enhanced High-Density Tolerance and Increased Yield of Maize in Arid Irrigation Regions.

To some extent, the photosynthetic traits of developing leaves of maize are regulated systemically by water and nitrogen. However, it remains unclear whether photosynthesis is systematically regulated water and nitrogen when maize crops are grown under close (high density) planting conditions. To address this, a field experiment that had a split-split plot arrangement of treatments was designed.

Integrated farming with intercropping increases food production while reducing environmental footprint.

Food security has been a significant issue for the livelihood of smallholder family farms in highly populated regions and countries. Industrialized farming in more developed countries has increased global food supply to meet the demand, but the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has negative environmental impacts. Finding sustainable ways to grow more food with a smaller environmental footprint is critical.

Improving wheat grain yield via promotion of water and nitrogen utilization in arid areas.

Crop yield is limited by water and nitrogen (N) availability. However, in Hexi Corridor of northwestern China, water scarcity and excessive fertilizer N in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production causes serious conflicts between water and N supply and crop demand.

No Tillage With Plastic Re-mulching Maintains High Maize Productivity Regulating Hydrothermal Effects in an Arid Region.

Plastic is a valuable mulching measure for increasing crop productivity in arid environments; however, little is known about the main mechanism by which this valuable technology actuates spatial-temporal changes in soil hydrothermal effect. So a 3-year field experiment was conducted to optimize soil hydrothermal effect of maize field with three plastic mulched management treatments: (1) no tillage with plastic re-mulching (NM), (2) reduced tillage with plastic mulching (RM), and (3) conventional tillage with annual new plastic mulching (CM). The results showed that NM treatment increased soil water content by 6.

Strip width ratio expansion with lowered N fertilizer rate enhances N complementary use between intercropped pea and maize.

Maize (Zea mays L.)/pea (Pisum sativum L.) strip intercropping is considered a promising cropping system to boost crop productivity.

[Ecosystem service function of green manure and its application in dryland agriculture of China].

Dryland agriculture, with wide distribution and high yield potential, plays an important role in ensuring food security in China. It is currently limited by water scarcity, soil depletion, water and soil loss, and low non-renewable resource-use efficiency. Green manure has the potential to improve growth environment of crops and promote sustainable high-yield crops by increasing soil quality, balancing soil nutrients, and enhancing soil water-storage capacity.

Synchrony of nitrogen supply and crop demand are driven via high maize density in maize/pea strip intercropping.

Cereal density may influence the balance between nitrogen (N) supply and crop N demand in cereal/legume intercrop systems. The effect of maize (Zea mays L.) plant density on N utilization and N fertilizer supply in maize/pea (Pisum sativum L.

Source-to-Sink Translocation of Carbon and Nitrogen Is Regulated by Fertilization and Plant Population in Maize-Pea Intercropping.

Translocation of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) from vegetative tissues to the grain sinks is critical for grain yield (GY). However, it is unclear how these processes respond to crop management practices when two crops are planted in relay-planting system. In this study, we characterized the C and N accumulation and translocation and their effects on yield formation in a pea ( L.

Innovation in alternate mulch with straw and plastic management bolsters yield and water use efficiency in wheat-maize intercropping in arid conditions.

In arid regions, higher irrigation quota for conventional farming causes substantial conflict between water supply and demand for crop production. Innovations in cropping systems are needed to alleviate this issue. A field experiment was conducted in northwestern China to assess whether straw and plastic managements in wheat/maize intercropping could alleviate these issues.

Low N Fertilizer Application and Intercropping Increases N Concentration in Pea ( L.) Grains.

Sustainable intensification of pulses needs reduced input of nitrogen (N) fertilizer with enhanced crop nutritional quality and yield. Therefore, increasing N harvest in grains (sink organs) by improving N remobilization is of key importance. Previous research has shown that a lower dose of N fertilizer effectively increases the rate of N remobilization, while intercropping improves the grain N concentration in pea ( L.

Wheat-Maize Intercropping With Reduced Tillage and Straw Retention: A Step Towards Enhancing Economic and Environmental Benefits in Arid Areas.

Intercropping is considered a promising system for boosting crop productivity. However, intercropping usually requires higher inputs of resources that emit more CO. It is unclear whether an improved agricultural pattern could relieve this issue and enhance agricultural sustainability in an arid irrigation area.

Enhancing the systems productivity and water use efficiency through coordinated soil water sharing and compensation in strip-intercropping.

In arid areas, water shortage is threating agricultural sustainability, and strip-intercropping may serve as a strategy to alleviate the challenge. Here we show that strip-intercropping enhances the spatial distributions of soil water across the 0-110 cm rooting zones, improves the coordination of soil water sharing during the co-growth period, and provides compensatory effect for available soil water. In a three-year (2009-2011) experiment, shorter-season pea (Pisum sativum L.

Interspecies Interactions in Relation to Root Distribution Across the Rooting Profile in Wheat-Maize Intercropping Under Different Plant Densities.

In wheat-maize intercropping systems, the maize is often disadvantageous over the wheat during the co-growth period. It is unknown whether the impaired growth of maize can be recovered through the enhancement of the belowground interspecies interactions. In this study, we (i) determined the mechanism of the belowground interaction in relation to root growth and distribution under different maize plant densities, and (ii) quantified the "recovery effect" of maize after wheat harvest.

Integrated double mulching practices optimizes soil temperature and improves soil water utilization in arid environments.

Water shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, we developed a "double mulching" system, i.

[Effects of different conservation tillage measures on winter wheat water use in Wuwei oasis irrigated area].

Field experiments were conducted in 2006-2008 to study the effects different conservation tillage measures, including conventional tillage with stubble incorporating (TS), no-tillage without stubble retention (NT), no-tillage with stubble standing (NTSS), no-tillage with stubble retention (NTS), on the soil moisture profile, soil water storage, water use efficiency (WUE), and grain yield of winter wheat in Wuwei oasis irrigated area. Comparing with conventional tillage, NTS and NTSS could significantly increase the water storage in 0-30 cm soil layer from returning green to jointing stage, and increase this storage in 30-150 cm soil layer from returning green till maturity. NTS, NTSS, and NT increased the water storage in whole soil profile (0-150 cm) by 29.