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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2025, Vol. 24 Issue (8): 2940-2953    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.08.010
Special Focus: Innovative Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Production Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Long-term integrated agronomic optimization maximizes soil quality and synergistically improves wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency

Xinhu Guo1, 2, Jinpeng Chu1, 3, Yifan Hua1, 2, Yuanjie Dong4, Feina Zheng1, Mingrong He1, Xinglong Dai1#

1 National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement/College of AgronomyShandong Agricultural UniversityTai’an 271018China

2 College of AgricultureNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjing 210095China

3 Taishan PolytechnicTai’an 271000China

4 College of Resources and EnvironmentShandong Agricultural UniversityTai’an 271018China

 Highlights 
Integrated agronomic optimization (IAO) improved aggregate stability by increasing the soil pH and C:N ratio.
IAO improved both the quantity and quality of soil organic matter.
IAO synergistically increases grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in winter wheat and maximized soil quality.
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摘要  

根据当地生态条件,在常规农户管理措施基础上通过优化播期、种植密度和肥水管理方案而设计的综合农艺管理模式(IAO),可以实现作物产量和资源利用率的协同提高。然而,在长期集约化生产和高氮素利用效率(NUE)条件下,IAO对土壤质量影响的强度和幅度需要进一步明确。基于在中国山东泰安市大汶口镇开展的13年定位试验,于2020-2022年研究了4种综合栽培模式对冬小麦籽粒产量、氮素利用效率、土壤团聚体结构、有机质(SOM)含量和土壤综合肥力指数(IFI)的影响。4种栽培模式分别为当地农户模式(T1)、农户基础上的改良模式(T2)、不计生产成本的高产更高产模式(T3)和土壤-作物系统综合管理模式(T4)。综合农艺优化采用适宜的作物品种、和先进的养分管理,根据当地环境重新设计整个生产系统,与T1和T3相比,作为IAO模式的T2和T4均分别具有增加种植密度、推迟播种日期和减少氮肥投入等特点。在本长期试验中, IAO模式能够维持麦田土壤团聚体稳定性,通过增加轻组有机质(LF)和颗粒有机质(POM)中的有机碳和全氮)进而提高SOM含量,并通过提高LF和POM在SOM中的比例以及有机碳与全氮的比值来改善SOM的质量。与T1相比,T2、T3和T4在0-20和20-40 cm土层的IFI分别增加了10.91、23.38、25.55%和17.78、6.41、28.94%。T4的籽粒产量较T1提高22.52%,并达到了T3模式的95.98%。T4的NUE比T1和T3高35.61%。综上,T4模式在长期应用过程中可协同提高冬小麦的籽粒产量和NUE,同时最大限度地提高土壤质量。



Abstract  

Integrated agronomic optimization (IAO) adopts suitable crop varieties, sowing dates, planting density, and advanced nutrient management to redesign the entire production system according to the local environment, and it can achieve synergistic improvements in crop yields and resource utilization.  However, the intensity and magnitude of the impacts of IAO on soil quality under long-term intensive production and high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) require further clarification.  Based on a 13-year field experiment conducted in Dawenkou, Tai’an, Shadong Province, China, we investigated the effects of four cultivation modes on the grain yield, NUE, and soil aggregate structure, as well as the fraction of organic matter (SOM) and soil quality, reflected by the integrated fertility index (IFI), during the winter wheat maturation periods in 2020–2022.  The four cultivation modes were traditional local farming (T1), farmer-based improvement (T2), increased yield regardless of production cost (T3), and integrated soil–crop system management (T4).  As the IAO modes, T2 and T4 were characterized by denser planting, reduced nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates, and delayed sowing compared to T1 and T3, respectively.  In this long-term experiment, IAO was found to maintain aggregate stability, increase SOM content (by increasing organic carbon and total nitrogen of the light fraction (LF) and the particulate organic matter fraction (POM)), and improve SOM quality (by increasing the proportions of LF and POM and the ratio of organic carbon to total nitrogen in SOM).  Compared to T1, the IFI values of T2, T3, and T4 increased by 10.91, 23.38, and 25.55%, and by 17.78, 6.41, and 28.94% in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers, respectively.  The grain yield of T4 was 22.52% higher than that of T1, and reached 95.98% of that in T3.  Furthermore, the NUE of T4 was 35.61% higher than those of T1 and T3.  In conclusion, our results suggest that the IAO mode T4 synergistically increases grain yield and NUE in winter wheat, while maximizing soil quality.

Keywords:  soil aggregates       SOM fraction        soil C:N        soil quality        winter wheat  
Received: 11 March 2024   Online: 20 August 2024   Accepted: 02 July 2024
Fund: 
This research was jointly supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province, China (LJNY202103 and 2023TZXD086), the National Major Agricultural Science and Technology Project, China (NK202218080315), the Project of Central Government Guiding Local Science and Technology Development, China (YDZX2022130), and the Cooperative Promotion Plan of Major Agricultural Technologies of Shandong Province, China (SDNYXTTG-2023-10).
About author:  Xinhu Guo, Tel: +86-538-8244018, E-mail: xinhuguo@163.com; #Correspondence Xinglong Dai, Tel: +86-538-8244018, Fax: +86-538-8242226, E-mail: adaisdny@163.com

Cite this article: 

Xinhu Guo, Jinpeng Chu, Yifan Hua, Yuanjie Dong, Feina Zheng, Mingrong He, Xinglong Dai. 2025. Long-term integrated agronomic optimization maximizes soil quality and synergistically improves wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(8): 2940-2953.

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