The widespread adoption of returning crop residue to regulate soil properties and improve yields has been well-established. However, the long-term effects of residue return on soil organic carbon (SOC) and yield in film-mulched farmland, especially under future climate conditions, are still unclear. To address this issue, we utilized the SPACSYS model, which was calibrated with 5-year (2016–2020) field

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa Duch.) is the most economically important soft fruit worldwide. While self- and wind-pollination is possible for strawberry, without biotic pollination (animal pollinators, including artificial pollination by humans) rate of strawberry flowers rarely exceeds 60% and thus fruit production is decreased. At a time of widely recognized decline of pollinators and increasing

To mitigate the effects of habitat loss on bee conservation and crop pollination, farmers are encouraged to plant flowers along the edges of crop fields. However, it is unclear where and to what degree these flower plantings are effective. Recent studies suggest that flower plantings may be less effective if they are established in landscapes with either very low or very high amounts of non-crop habitat

Herbivore grazing has long-lasting effects on the structure and functions of grassland ecosystems, even after the grazing pressure has ceased. These lasting effects are known as grazing legacy effects and significantly affect plant productivity and biodiversity, with the magnitude increased with grazing intensity and further led to grassland degradation. Fencing is a common approach used for restoring

Cropping system sustainability is dependent on the conservation of soil hydraulic and physical quality over time. This study examined the effects of crop rotations on soil hydraulic and physical quality on the Canadian prairies, emphasizing choices of crop species and sequence to preserve or improve soil quality under no-till management. Field experiments were initiated in spring 2018 at three sites:

Southeast Asia (SEA) is a key producer and exporter of rice, accounting for around 28% of rice produced globally. To effectively mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in SEA rice systems, field methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions have been intensively studied. However, an integrated assessment of system-level GHG emissions which includes other carbon (C) balance components, such as soil

The Mediterranean region is predicted to experience more intense rainfall events separated by severe droughts due to climate change. In agrosystems, the intensification of rainfall on dry bare soils will lead to an increase in runoff and erosion rates, especially on slopes. A common method to reduce erosion is to cover the soil with vegetation. To save costs, this vegetation could be provided by the

Sustainable intensification practices suitable for smallholders in southern Africa will be needed to counteract the impact of future climate change and soil fertility decline in the region. Diversification of maize-based farming systems with grain legumes could play a key role. Here, we compared the performance of different maize-legume diversification strategies (single-row intercropping, strip cropping

Agroecosystem diversification is often implemented to diminish herbivory and reduce yield losses. However, increasing plant richness does not always reduce herbivory levels, so there is a need for better understanding which polyculture characteristics are effective in deterring herbivores. Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that functional and phylogenetic distances between intercropped species reduce

Seaweed farming contributes substantial amounts of organic carbon to the ocean, part of which can be locked for a long term in the ocean and perform the function of ocean carbon sequestration, and the other part can be converted into inorganic carbon through microbial mineralization and aerobic respiration, affecting the pCO2, pHT and dissolved oxygen of seawater. It is generally believed that seaweed

Argentina is widely recognized as a key player in the production and consumption of beef, occupying a prominent position in the global context. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on the environmental consequences of beef production, particularly concerning wetlands and aquatic biodiversity. We aim to assess the effects of cattle management practices (grazing types and stocking density)

A data-driven model is commonly employed for partitioning eddy covariance (EC) CO2 fluxes (NEE) into ecosystem respiration (ER) and gross primary productivity (GPP) fluxes. However, current data-driven solely utilizing one sub-neural network to estimate above-ground respiration (ERa) and below-ground respiration (ERb), leading to substantial uncertainty. To address this issue, this research introduces

Fusarium wilt disease of bananas, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, threatens banana production. Intercropping, cultivation of more than one crop simultaneously on the same field, has emerged as efficient and sustainable land management for suppressing Fusarium wilt disease. Although previous studies have proven the changes in soil microbial communities including bacteria and fungi

We studied changes in vascular plant species occurring in Central European (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Hungary, Northern Italy, Slovenia and Croatia) arable fields and their edges from 1930 to 2019. To correct for bias in the data, we used occupancy modeling to analyze changes in the occupancy, i.e., distribution ranges sizes, of the 359 most common species

Nitrification and denitrification processes are major pathways for nitrogen (N) losses in agricultural soils, and highly depend on soil properties. Improved understanding of soil nitrification and denitrification processes is essential for better N management in agroecosystems. However, the effects of geochemical properties on nitrification and denitrification potentials remain largely uncertain, especially

Addressing the global problem of eutrophication will require better management of inorganic nitrogen (N) on the agricultural landscape. This study investigates the impacts of no-tillage (NT), no tillage with winter cereal rye (NTr), and conventional tillage with rye (CTr), and a perennial (P) in comparison to a control system of conventional tillage without a cover crop (CT). All plots are individually

Grass-legume leys combine multiple agronomic benefits, several of which are associated with symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation. However, the best combinations of legume abundance and N fertilisation to achieve high productivity at low nitrate leaching are not yet established. Nitrate leaching risk of pure grass swards (Grs), grass-legume mixtures (Mix) and pure legume swards (Leg) at a fertiliser level

The Farm to Fork strategy of the European Union aims to reduce pesticide use. In weed control, chemical measures are to be replaced mainly by mechanical ones. However, a comprehensive evaluation of mechanical methods with respect to ecological and economic parameters is not yet available. The aim of the study was to quantify relevant ecological and economic parameters of mechanical, mechanical-chemical

Global models of biodiversity and ecosystem services base their calculations on land use classifications, where agricultural land is only divided into a few categories of management intensity. These land use classifications were not developed to underpin biodiversity models. This is why crop diversity and the presence of non-crop plants or livestock in agricultural land are not considered in these

Considerable advances have been made in the assessment and mapping of soil organic carbon stocks, but rates of change in carbon stocks remain to be quantified for many soils and ecosystems. We sampled 145 sandy soils (mostly Psamments) under permanent cultivation and forest. We used aerial imagery to determine the period of cultivation and to calculate changes in soil organic carbon stocks. Topsoil

Cover crops (CCs) are a recognized best management practice to reduce surface water runoff and nutrient loss from agroecosystems. This 4-yr study was conducted in a tile-terraced field to assess the effects of CCs on nutrient loss compared to without CC (no CC) in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation. The 3xCCmix (wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp.

Rice demand in Latin America is increasing rapidly, but few studies have identified management practices to reduce water demand and soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for irrigated rice systems in this region. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation could maintain crop yields while mitigating global warming potential (GWP) compared to a conventional system

The application of biochar to soils, either alone or combined with other amendments, represents a management practice aimed at storing carbon (C) while enhancing soil fertility. However, the long-term effects of biochar application on soil organic C protection against microbial decomposition are uncertain. This study investigated, in a 9-year-long-term field experiment, the protection of organic C

While wheat domestication is reported to influence the soil microbial community, few studies have evaluated the influence of cultivar replacement in modern breeding on both bacterial and fungal communities. Especially, few studies reported the bacterial-fungal interkingdom association by analysis of taxa co-occurrence or co-exclusion between different wheat growth stages. In this study, we selected

Integrated nitrogen (N) management has been adopted for the cultivation of ‘super’ rice to achieve high yield while minimizing environmental risks. How soil microbial communities respond to integrated N management in ‘super’ rice production remains unclear. Five years of field experiment was conducted under a wheat–rice system, with four treatments: conventional farming practices (300 kg ha–1 N), reduced

The decline of farmland bird populations is a well-documented phenomenon that has primarily been attributed to agricultural intensification. However, the specific mechanisms that make intensively used farmland unsuitable for breeding birds have not yet been satisfactorily elucidated, particularly for insectivorous ground-nesting species. To bridge this knowledge gap, we studied the breeding abundance

Forest ecosystem is a complex community, and its soil microbes play a vital role in global matter cycling. However, the patterns of rhizosphere soil microbial characteristics among tree-shrub-grass and their responses to nitrogen (N) deposition are still unclear. This study evaluated the microbial biomasses, processes (gas fluxes), and enzyme activities in the rhizosphere soils of tree (Pinus tabuliformis)

Arable plant diversity has been dramatically declining due to agriculture intensification, with several arable species currently included in national Red Lists. This is particularly relevant in the case of plant communities of the traditional Mediterranean agricultural systems. Despite the current knowledge about the factors affecting this diversity, it is not clear how these communities, which have

Double-cropping is increasingly embraced for its economic advantages in irrigated crops within the Ebro Valley region. However, the implications of this practice for soil carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions remain poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the impact of legume-maize double-cropping on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions and to identify optimal tillage systems and nitrogen fertilization

Broadcast spraying of antibiotics in crops is widely used for controlling bacterial plant pathogens. The effects of antibiotics on non-target (and especially beneficial) organisms in cropping systems, however, are not well studied. Pollinators are of particular concern because in pear and apple crops, antibiotics for controlling fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) are sprayed during bloom, likely exposing

In agricultural landscapes, bipartite networks formed by pollinators and the flowers they forage on, are characterised by the presence of honeybees (Apis mellifera) or crop plants. These managed species can affect the structural properties of these networks because of spatial and temporal variation in the availability of resources, and competition for these resources; for example, crop plants such

Legume-based intercropping is widely used by smallholder farmers; however, there is scarce information governing the long-term effects of interspecific interactions on the crop growth performance. Here, we present data of 5 years field experimentation on a rotational strip peanut/cotton intercropping system to uncover its beneficial effects on crop production and decipher the underlying mechanisms

In a long term study 2009–2018 at ICAR-IISWC, Dehradun, the uniqueness of minor millets based agroforestry systems (AFSs) for effective soil water conservation and biomass production in foot hills of Himalayas were evaluated. The Morus alba (Ma) based AFS was found to be the most productive and profitable system producing 1.1 and 1.8 t ha−1yr−1 of finger millet and wheat grain, respectively besides

Abstract not available

Since the Green Revolution, world agriculture has relied heavily on agrochemical inputs (synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) in cereal- and oilseed-dominated monoculture systems, which has had long-lasting effects on soil health. Significant efforts have been undertaken to suppress these adverse impacts and resolve the conflict between producing sufficient agri-food to address world hunger and m

Agricultural landscapes are some of the most heavily modified systems globally, with populations of many species in these areas experiencing major declines. To arrest these declines, and to support agricultural sustainability, revegetation and other interventions that conserve and enhance natural assets on farms are increasingly common. To ensure the efficacy of management interventions, it is critical

Crop rotation is one strategy for adapting agroecosystems to a framework that balances ecological diversity, sustainability, and food production. The Sacramento Valley, one of the most productive rice growing regions in the US, faces sustainability challenges including increasing herbicide resistant weed pressure and water use restrictions. Increasing crop diversity may help address these challenges

Green manure is a widely applied to increase grain yield, while it also attributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agriculture ecosystems. Combining green manure with inorganic fertilizer inputs is a common practice that can influence soil GHG emissions and grain yield, however, its impacts on grain yield and global warming potential (GWP) under different initial soil conditions before rotating

Agricultural intensification has caused a rapid loss of singular landscape elements worldwide, such as farmland ponds, hedgerows and field margins, leading to a steep decline in farmland bird populations. Farmland ponds and traditional small waterbodies (SWB) have been recently reported to support species-rich bird communities at landscape scale in several agroecosystems. However, a comprehensive assessment

Seed dispersal by frugivores is a key ecological process underpinning the functionality of woodland patches and their capacity to maintain biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Resident and migratory avian frugivores differ in temporal span of their local occurrence, as well as in mobility and territoriality. However, whether landscape homogenization by agriculture affects seed dispersal by avian

Spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) oviposits in a wide range of soft and stone fruit, which can result in a reduction of fruit quality and yield. An invasive, polyphagous species, D. suzukii targets ripe fruit, such as raspberries, which are commonly grown in polytunnels. With increasing restriction on the use of agrochemicals, effective alternative approaches to D. suzukii are needed. We

Meeting global food demand while reducing biodiversity loss will require strategies that quantify and minimize conservation and production tradeoffs in agroecosystems. Ecological refugia (non-crop habitat patches) were identified in three dryland grain production systems in the Northern Great Plains and assessed for their capacity to enhance biodiversity, crop yield, and crop quality. A radial design

Increasing crop diversity via cover cropping is considered a powerful strategy to improve soil health; thus, a better understanding of the impacts on soil is crucial. In northern semi-arid regions, cover cropping can be agronomically challenging due to growing condition limitations, and the paucity of cover crop data only exacerbates this challenge. Still, farmers are interested in adopting cover crops

Habitat destruction and land use intensification are major causes of arthropod decline in agroecosystems. Arthropods are key organisms that are linked to many ecosystem functions and sustainability of agriculture. Using 37 vineyards in Southern France as a model system, we analysed which characteristics of spontaneous inter-row vegetation positively influence beneficial arthropods and pest insect predation

Rocky regolith layer can restrain plant root growth, which may affect soil water unitization of deep-rooted fruit trees in rocky mountain areas. However, how and to what magnitude the rocky regolith layer shapes root features and thus changes trees’ water consumption, remains unclear. Here, we investigated the root features and water uptake strategies of apple trees in three apple orchards with the