棉花的脱叶催熟技术在机械收获中必不可少，尤其是在华北平原，由于热量资源不足，导致收获时残留绿叶和未开裂棉铃的比例较大，棉花机械收获受到限制。确定棉花脱叶催熟剂最佳用量，同时最大程度地减少产量和品质的损失至关重要。本文主要研究一种新型脱叶催熟剂-欣噻利（XSL，10%噻苯隆和40%乙烯利的复配剂）对棉花叶片和棉铃的空间分布，以及产量和品质的影响。本试验共设置了四个处理：不同的XSL剂量（1800和2700 mL ha^-1），应用两次（分为两次应用，每次1350 mL ha^-1）和无XSL（清水）对照。该大田试验于2016-2017年在中国河北进行。结果表明：与清水对照相比，所有脱叶催熟处理均未显著影响棉花的产量和纤维品质。两年数据显示，2700 mL ha^-1 XSL一次性喷施的棉花吐絮率比清水对照高13.5％，而其他两个处理均未达到显著水平。三个XSL处理的脱叶率之间没有显著差异，但平均比清水对照高42.2％。年份对XSL应用效果较为显著，表明气候因素会影响XSL的应用。我们得出的结论是，在黄河流域棉区使用XSL的最佳剂量为2700 mL ha^-1，而且无需分成两次应用。我们的结果将促进棉花机械化收获并降低棉花生产的人工成本。

The rapidly growing demand for food, feed and fuel requires further improvements of land and water management, crop productivity and resource-use efficiencies. Combined field experimentation and crop growth modelling during the past five decades made a great leap forward in the understanding of factors that determine actual and potential yields of monocrops. The research field of production ecology developed concepts to integrate biological and biophysical processes with the aim to explore crop growth potential in contrasting environments. To understand the potential of more complex systems (multi-cropping and intercropping) we need an agro-ecosystem approach that integrates knowledge derived from various disciplines: agronomy, crop physiology, crop ecology, and environmental sciences (soil, water and climate). Adaptation of cropping systems to climate change and a better tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses by genetic improvement and by managing diverse cropping systems in a sustainable way will be of key importance in food security. To accelerate sustainable intensification of agricultural production, it is required to develop intercropping systems that are highly productive and stable under conditions with abiotic constraints (water, nutrients and weather). Strategies to achieve sustainable intensification include developing tools to evaluate crop growth potential under more extreme climatic conditions and introducing new crops and cropping systems that are more productive and robust under conditions with abiotic stress. This paper presents some examples of sustainable intensification management of intercropping systems that proved to be tolerant to extreme climate conditions.