Single biochar application has remarkable potential to improve soil ecosystem multifunctionality (SEMF) and crop yield because of its legacy effect or residual effect. However, the legacy effect (i.e., duration and magnitude) of single biochar application, especially for acidic soil is far from thoroughly understood. A field experiment with the single factor randomized block design in an acidic paddy

Promoting root growth is essential for improving crop yields and the efficient use of soil nutrients, especially in dryland areas of the Loess Plateau in China where water resources are scarce and nitrogen utilization is low. Adding biochar is a potential strategy to enhance root growth and consequently increase crop productivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of adding biochar at 0.0 t

Context or problem Several agricultural producers around the world are adopting hairy vetch (HV) (Vicia villosa Roth) inclusion in the crop sequence before maize (Zea mays L.). To date, it is not clear which factors control maize yield response to HV and to nitrogen (N) fertilization in HV-maize sequences. Objective or research question We aimed to i) explore the variability of maize grain yield response

Context or problem Agricultural production in the world has drastically increased to meet future food demand. Yield gap assessment provides important information on how production can be increased on existing cropland. Also, boosting food production by reducing the yield gap has fewer environmental consequences than increasing the food production area. Methods For this purpose, the SSM-Legume model

Context or problem While crop breeding represents a key factor in terms of effectiveness and affordability in the adaptation of agriculture to stress conditions, phenotyping is perceived as a major bottleneck to achieving genetic advance. Crops in the field experience the simultaneous occurrence of multiple stresses, which vary depending on the location, year and management conditions. Even under the

Context Crop residue retention is a main practice for agricultural resource recycling and conservation tillage in China. Cotton production is limited by many factors such as soil properties, resource utilization efficiency, and growth coordination among various organs. These factors will change under long-term residue retention. Objective The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of long-term

Context Leaf area index (LAI) is a vital indicator to identify the crop growth condition and to infer crop yield and water consumption. The generality of empirical models for estimating LAI based on vegetation indices (VI) is often questioned due to their reduced sensitivity in dense vegetation cover or the influence of external disturbances. Objective We aimed to investigate the potential of multi-source

Context Under climate change and local and global food security pressures conversion to agricultural lands on Podzols developed under boreal forests is accelerating across the global north. After conversion Podzols, acid and sandy, are infertile requiring significant management to allow economic production. Biochar, while less useful on fertile soils, may accelerate fertility gains on such marginal

Context Cotton is a crucial economic crop and textile raw material, and the fiber qualities of cotton, especially fiber length, are sensitive to phosphorus. However, few studies focus on phosphate fertilization regulating fiber length formation. Objective The research target was to assess the effects of phosphate fertilization on fiber elongation development and fiber length formation. Methods A 3-year

Context Mechanical monoseeding has been widely adopted in cotton planting; however, it can result in either double seedlings per hole or a decrease in seedling density due to missed seeding or seedling mortality. The impact of these conditions on cotton yield remains uncertain. In this study, we hypothesized that neither double seedlings per hole nor a reduction in seedling density would negatively

Context or problem A range of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid maturities are planted across the US Corn Belt, yet, studies that concurrently evaluate genetic gain for grain yield and associated kernel growth traits are rare and this limits our ability to understand physiological mechanisms of yield formation by hybrid maturity. Objective or research question Our objective was to explore the genetic gain

In the context of the European protein deficit and the need for climate change mitigation by agriculture, soybean (Glycine max L. Merr) is of major interest to farmers and breeders. Expanding the crop to new cultivation areas requires understanding and control of the Genotype by Environment Interactions (GEI) that impede the genetic gain. New envirotyping methods, including the Target Population of

Context Most short-term in vitro studies conducted in a single season and location have highlighted the suppressive effect of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on insect pests. However, little is known about AMF and EPF response to sugarcane-peanut intercropping and how sugarcane-peanut intercropping suppressive effects mitigate pathogenic fungi and promote crop productivity

Context or problem Conservation agriculture is a sustainable farming system designed to enhance agroecosystem productivity, adaptability, and the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, while reducing production costs. In the context of northern Benin, understanding the role of cover crops in biomass production and soil improvement is crucial for promoting and adopting conservation agriculture

Context China is the largest producer of sweetpotato in the world. The unreasonable application of fertilizer in actual production has led to the imbalance of sweetpotato source and sink. Reasonable use of fertilizer requires proper proportion of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) to balance nutrients of shoots and roots to achieve optimal growth. Objective The changes of critical N dilution curves of

The increase in wheat yield in modern cultivars compared with landraces previously grown by dryland farmers in northwest China is associated with a decrease in aboveground vegetative growth. It is not clear whether the reduction in aboveground growth is associated with increased or decreased root growth and carbon allocation. Using genotypes of wheat released over the last 125 years, we evaluated the

Context Systematic research on the long-term effects of integrated nutrient management (INM) on soil quality and crop productivity, particularly in semi-arid climates, is limited. However, such research is essential, particularly for smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions, to address the triple challenges of sustainable agriculture, food and fiber security, and environmental degradation. Objectives

Context The intercropping system has shown great advantages in adverse environments due to balanced use of diverse resources and promotion of sustainable productivity. However, identifying an optimal intercropping practice is still urgently needed in resources-limited areas, i.e., some perennial legume crop and annual cereal crop intercropping in arid areas. Objective This study tested a hypothesis

Context Variability in biomass production poses a challenge for growers when using cover crops for weed control. However, most methods for assessing cover crop biomass are laborious and impractical on a field scale. Objective The goal of the present study was to determine the feasibility of using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to estimate biomass in cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) and winter

Context or problem The low soil moisture availability in post rainy season is a major constraint for double cropping in rainfed agro-ecosystems. There are also trade-offs for use of crop residue as fodder and mulching material. Objective or research question The objective of the study to assess the crop productivity, profitability, forage quality and energy use in Sesbania alley based food-fodder systems

Context Intercropping has gained widespread adoption among farmers due to its ability to yield higher outputs. The primary reasons behind the yield advantage of intercropping systems are the border effects. Among various factors influencing the inter-species relationship, nitrogen (N) plays a crucial role. However, yield and border effects of wheat/maize intercropping at different N levels have been

Context: The Argentinian national cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) breeding program has demonstrated a 3.24 kg ha−1 y−1 genetic progress in lint yield from 1965 to date. Although previous studies have examined different trends in cotton lint yield, lint quality parameters, and other agronomic traits of cultivars over time, there have been no investigations in Argentina analyzing the genetic progress

How to plan crop planting under global warming is a key issue in the context of an emerging global food crisis. Although previous studies have utilized crop potential distribution for crop planting strategies, they overlooked the high and stable crop-yielding areas within the potential distribution zone, which hinders the optimal utilization of these areas. Taking China as a case, this study proposed

Context Understanding grain weight determination and its limitations is relevant for increasing grain yield in crops. Reasons behind variations in grain weight could be related to its potential or to competition among grains for insufficient source. Previous studies in old genotypes showed that wheat grain weight was not source limited during grain filling, while no clear pattern was determined for

Context Understanding the shoot-root characteristics and their interaction of maize is essential to break the constraints of the densification process and improve grain yield. Objective The objective of the work was to study the interaction between the above-ground canopy and below-ground root system in morphology and its relationship to grain yield in dense planting with different hybrids. Methods

Short species in intercropping likely suffer from yield losses due to shading, but this can be mitigated through morphological changes and nitrogen (N) fertilization. However, little is known of the role of morphological responses to N supply and intercropping in peanut pod development. A two-year field experiment compared maize/peanut intercropping with single species cultivation at five N rates.

Context Optimising the management of water and fertilizer, and fully exploiting the positive effects of the coupling of water and fertilizer, are important ways of achieving high crop yields and promoting the sustainable development of water-efficient agriculture. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the coupling effects of different irrigation levels and different mixing ratios

Canopy water content (CWC) is an important indicator of crop growth. Currently, the hybrid approach, which combines the physical model and machine learning (ML) method, is commonly used for inversing CWC at the regional scale via optical imagery. Although this approach has good inversion accuracy, it suffers from ill-posed issues from the physical model due to the difference between actual and simulated

Community arrangement plays a critical role in maintaining forage community production and stability. To explore reasonable management for efficient community production in alpine regions, three monoculture communities composed of Elymus nutans, Cross row (S_C), Double row (S_D), and Single Row (S_R), and three mixed communities consisting of Elymus nutans and Onobrychis viciifolia, Broadcast(M_B)

Context The current pace of yield increase for major crops is not fast enough to meet future demand. Crop breeding programmes are under increasing pressure to improve existing crops further. Quantifying the contribution of these programmes to observed yield increases is important for evaluating their success and identifying if crop improvement goals are likely to be met. Objective In this paper we

The synthesis of protein and starch in grain is crucial for regulating rice (Oryza sativa L.) chalkiness. However, little is known about how to coordinate them in the grain to improve the appearance quality of fragrant rice under nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. In the present study, both pot and field experiments were conducted to study the effects of N fertilization on chalkiness, starch and

Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) – a warm-season perennial grass – is one of the most important forage species for livestock production in the southeastern United States. Bahiagrass pastures are often managed extensively, without the data and tools necessary for complex management. Crop simulation models have been previously developed for warm-season grasses, enabling forecast of physiological

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the main staple crop worldwide. Understanding the genotype × management × environment (G × M × E) interaction is critical for breeding, yield, grain quality estimation and to develop sustainable production systems that meet food and feed demand. Many studies have explored grain yield changes and yield stability over time, as well as G × M × E (i.e., the effect of breeding

Context Cotton has a complex branching pattern including sympodial and vegetative branching. Traditionally managed cotton mainly depends on sympodial branching for formation of yield-contributing fruit. Whether seedcotton yield based solely on vegetative branching is comparable with that based solely on sympodial or both types of branching is unclear. Objective The study determined how terminal removal

Context Green stem disorder (GSD) in soybeans is a condition wherein delayed leaf and stem maturation at harvest negatively affects harvest efficiency and seed quality. Biotic and abiotic stresses promote GSD, which is mediated by sink limitations at the flowering and pod setting stages. Previous studies have suggested that high-temperature stress promotes GSD. However, the critical growth period and

Context Brackish water irrigation poses a threat to the sustainability of irrigated dryland crop systems, making it essential to identify effective water and nutrient management regimes to mitigate salt impact on agriculture. Objective This project is focused on determining the optimal combination of brackish irrigation water and nitrogen application in the mulched drip irrigation cultivation system

Context Fertilizer recommendations for rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Asia often split a predetermined amount of N into several applications to match N supply with anticipated crop demand for N. Within-season deviations from anticipated N demand could necessitate mid-season adjustments in N applications to ensure closure of exploitable yield gaps. Objective We hypothesized that application of additional

Context or problem Identifying traits conferring high yield in target environments has become a main concern of wheat breeders. This is particularly relevant for the current Mediterranean conditions as well as for the expected scenarios driven by climate change for central and northern Europe. Objective or research question The objective of this study was to identify breeding traits conferring adaption

Context Barley is one of the most relevant crops worldwide and an essential component of agriculture in Europe in general, and in the Mediterranean region in particular. As cropping areas will hardly rise in the future, yield must be improved to enhance global crop production. Naturally, understanding how yield is affected by environmental and genetic factors in two- and six-rowed barley can help us

Context Soybean plays an important role in agricultural production in three northeastern provinces of China; furthermore, climate change, particularly temperature and rainfall changes, can significantly regulate soybean phenological periods. Research Question Current research on the spatial and temporal characteristics of soybean phenology and its relationship with climate change in the three northeastern

Low or variable cover crop (CC) biomass production could limit CC benefits. Longer CC growing periods via late termination could increase CC benefits, especially under limited crop residue return. We studied whether early (2–3 wk before planting)- or late (at planting)-terminated winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC maintains soil properties, crop yields, and farm income under 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%

Context The rice-wheat cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of South Asia has been shown to have higher productivity. However, this benefit is offset by the unsustainable over-drafting of groundwater resources. Given the growing scarcity of water, it is imperative to investigate alternative crop establishment and irrigation methods that do not rely on the conventional puddled transplanting

Context or problem There is limited information on the accumulation of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in grains of ratoon rice and how to regulate them through water management. Objective or research question This study aimed to determine the accumulation and transfer characteristics of Cd and As in main crop (MC) and ratoon crop (RC) under different water management practices, and to clarify the potential

Wheat is a critical crop for global food security, but its production is often limited by both various abiotic stress forms- and events. The frequency of extreme events is increasing due to climate change. To address this challenge, it is crucial to develop effective strategies to enhance crop resilience. Drought priming is a promising approach to increase crop tolerance to abiotic stresses and to

Context The low precipitation and low soil fertility in the Loess Plateau region of China limit the sustainable development of farmland. No-tillage, straw mulching, or planting green manure can improve soil water storage or soil quality. However, further research is needed to optimize these soil and fertilizer management strategies to maximize yield and effectively utilize resources. Objective The

Flowering time of photoperiod sensitive varieties is an important determinant of grain yield of rainfed lowland rice, and is affected by the growing environment. The present study aimed to quantify variety specific flowering time response to photoperiod under irrigated conditions and demonstrate the usefulness of delay in flowering observed in rainfed lowland fields as an index of severity of water

Problem Water scarcity has become a limiting factor for increasing crop production. Yield losses due to drought stress can best be resolved by breeding new, drought-tolerant cultivars, however, the genetic gains in drought resistance of different maize cultivars especially under precise water control conditions were not systematically studied. The objectives of this study were to assess 1) the change