Agronomy 2026, 16(17), 1620; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16171620 (registering DOI) - 22 Aug 2026
Abstract
Chemical harvest aids facilitate mechanical cotton harvesting, but their potential carryover effects on succeeding wheat remain uncertain. Two independent site-year field experiments were conducted in Beijing during 2021–2022 and in Hejian, Hebei Province, during 2022–2023. Experiment 1 compared a freshwater control with preceding
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Chemical harvest aids facilitate mechanical cotton harvesting, but their potential carryover effects on succeeding wheat remain uncertain. Two independent site-year field experiments were conducted in Beijing during 2021–2022 and in Hejian, Hebei Province, during 2022–2023. Experiment 1 compared a freshwater control with preceding Xinsaili applications at 1500 and 3000 g ha−1, whereas Experiment 2 evaluated five biochar treatments under preceding freshwater or Xinsaili application at 1575 g ha−1. In Experiment 1, Xinsaili reduced early aboveground biomass and soil bacterial, fungal, and actinomycete abundance. At 3000 g ha−1, grain number per spike and grain yield decreased by 12.2% and 24.0%, respectively, relative to the water control. In Experiment 2, Xinsaili reduced mean and maximum grain-filling rates by 3.2% and 4.3%, respectively. For the biochar main effect, maize-straw biochar at 750 and 1500 kg ha−1 and rice-husk biochar at 1500 kg ha−1 increased the initial grain-filling potential from 0.25 mg grain−1 without biochar to 0.38–0.42 mg grain−1, with high-rate maize-straw biochar producing the greatest increase. Although Xinsaili × biochar interactions were significant for both grain-filling rates, no biochar treatment significantly improved either rate under Xinsaili application. The grain-filling responses were not consistent between the two independent experiments, potentially reflecting differences in site, year, wheat cultivar, Xinsaili application rate, and experimental design. Thidiazuron and ethephon residues were not quantified in soil or plant tissues; therefore, the observed responses represent indirect field evidence and do not demonstrate either residue-mediated effects or biochar-mediated remediation. Overall, preceding Xinsaili application was associated with treatment- and site-year-dependent wheat responses, while the capacity of biochar to improve final grain yield was not confirmed.
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(This article belongs to the Section Farming Sustainability)
