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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2025, Vol. 24 Issue (8): 3264-3281    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.006
Agro-ecosystem & Environment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Well-facilitated farmland improves nitrogen use efficiency and reduces environmental impacts in the Huang-Huai-Hai Region, China

Xiaoqing Wang1, 2, Wenjiao Shi1, 3#, Qiangyi Yu4, Xiangzheng Deng1, 3, Lijun Zuo5, Xiaoli Shi6, Minglei Wang1, 3, Jun Li1, 6

1 Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2 School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
3 College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4 Key Laboratory of Agricultural Remote Sensing (AGRIRS), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
5 Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
6 Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Geographical Sciences/Hebei Technology Innovation Center for Remote Sensing Identification of Environmental Change, Geocomputation and Planning Center, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
 Highlights 
● The nitrogen use efficiencies (NUEs) of the three main crops in the Huang-Huai-Hai Region (HHHR) are below 40%.  
● Well-facilitated farmland can potentially reduce N losses and environmental impacts.
● By reducing the N rate of high N input counties in the HHHR, the NUEs will increase by 12.9−19.5%.
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摘要  

高标准农田建设是推动中国集约化农田走向可持续发展的重要战略举措,在推动粮食增产方面发挥关键作用。然而,目前尚不清楚高标准农田是否有效提高氮肥利用效率以及能否缓解农业氮肥对环境的负面影响。鉴于此,本研究对中国粮食主产区黄淮海地区(HHHR)建设的高标准农田项目区(WFFPs)进行大规模抽样调查,获取了502份有效问卷,涉及小麦(n=429)、玉米(n=328) 和水稻(n=122)三种主粮作物。基于多源数据和方法,研究量化了抽样WFFPs和县尺度平均水平之间氮肥利用效率(NUE)和氮损失的差距。结果表明,与县尺度平均水平相比(小麦: 39.1%; 玉米: 33.8%; 水稻: 35.1%),WFFPs管理下的小麦(55.2%)、玉米(52.1%)和水稻(50.2%)的NUE提升显著(P<0.05)。此外,WFFPs在氨气(NH3) 挥发(9.9-12.2 kg N ha-1)、氮淋溶(6.5-16.9 kg N ha-1)和氧化亚氮(N2O)排放(1.2-1.6 kg N ha-1) 方面也均显著低于县尺度平均水平(P<0.05)。通过情景假设,当对HHHR高氮投入县分别减少10、15和20%氮投入时,小麦、玉米和水稻NUE可分别提高2.9-6.3、2.4-5.2和2.6-5.7%。如果县尺度氮投入量能够达到WFFPs水平,三种作物的NUE可提升12.9-19.5%,在氮淋溶(48.9-56.2%)、NH3挥发(37.4-42.9%)及N2O排放(46.0-66.5%)方面将产生不同程度的缓解。本研究揭示了高标准农田对未来农业氮肥管理的重要性,以及在缓解农业氮肥环境影响方面的巨大潜力。



Abstract  

The well-facilitated farmland projects (WFFPs) involve the typical sustainable intensification of farmland use and play a key role in raising food production in China.  However, whether such WFFPs can enhance the nitrogen (N) use efficiency and reduce environmental impacts is still unclear.  Here, we examined the data from 502 valid questionnaires collected from WFFPs in the major grain-producing area, the Huang-Huai-Hai Region (HHHR) in China, with 429 samples for wheat, 328 for maize, and 122 for rice.  We identified gaps in N use efficiency (NUE) and N losses from the production of the three crops between the sampled WFFPs and counties based on the statistical data.  The results showed that compared to the county-level (wheat, 39.1%; maize, 33.8%; rice, 35.1%), the NUEs for wheat (55.2%), maize (52.1%), and rice (50.2%) in the WFFPs were significantly improved (P<0.05).  In addition, the intensities of ammonia (NH3) volatilization (9.9−12.2 kg N ha–1), N leaching (6.5−16.9 kg N ha–1), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions (1.2−1.6 kg N ha–1) from crop production in the sampled WFFPs were significantly lower than the county averages (P<0.05).  Simulations showed that if the N rates are reduced by 10.0, 15.0, and 20.0% for the counties, the NUEs of wheat, maize, and rice in the HHHR will increase by 2.9−6.3, 2.4−5.2, and 2.6−5.7%, respectively.  If the N rate is reduced to the WFFP level in each county, the NUEs of the three crops will increase by 12.9−19.5%, and the N leaching, NH3, and N2O emissions will be reduced by 48.9−56.2, 37.4−42.9, and 46.0−66.5%, respectively.  Our findings highlight that efficient N management practices in sustainable intensive farmland have considerable potential for reducing environmental impacts.

Keywords:  Huang-Huai-Hai Region       well-facilitated farmland projects       nitrogen use efficiency       environmental impacts        gap quantification       scenario hypothesis  
Received: 14 September 2024   Accepted: 18 December 2024 Online: 10 February 2025  
Fund: 

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFB3903505), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72221002).

About author:  Xiaoqing Wang, E-mail: wxq@lreis.ac.cn; #Correspondence Wenjiao Shi, E-mail: shiwj@lreis.ac.cn

Cite this article: 

Xiaoqing Wang, Wenjiao Shi, Qiangyi Yu, Xiangzheng Deng, Lijun Zuo, Xiaoli Shi, Minglei Wang, Jun Li. 2025. Well-facilitated farmland improves nitrogen use efficiency and reduces environmental impacts in the Huang-Huai-Hai Region, China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(8): 3264-3281.

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