Search Results (2,108)

Understanding the long-term dynamics of cropland water use efficiency (WUE) and its underlying environmental drivers is essential for ensuring food and water security, particularly for regions facing intensified climate change. Here, we investigated the spatial patterns and long-term trends of gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and WUE in cropland ecosystems across Northeast China during the past two decades as the nation’s primary commodity grain base using the time-series Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS) products. Subsequently, the ridge regression method was used to quantitatively disentangle the relative contributions of key climatic variables to the observed WUE trends of cropland. Our results revealed a pronounced decreasing gradient in both GPP and ET along the southeast–northwest direction. A significant increase in GPP was observed over the 20-year period (p < 0.01), with 95.94% of the cropland area showing positive trends. ET showed a slight, non-significant increase (p > 0.05), though 82.77% of pixels exhibited positive trends, particularly in the northwest. Consequently, WUE showed a widespread and significant enhancement (p < 0.01), with approximately 98% of cropland pixels exhibiting increasing trends. Attribution analysis identified air temperature as the dominant environmental variable, accounting for 92.4% of the observed WUE increase, while solar radiation and precipitation contributed modestly (3.4% and 3.2%, respectively). Our findings underscore the predominant role of thermal conditions in shaping the carbon–water coupling efficiency of agroecosystems in semi-arid to semi-humid transition zones. This study provides quantitative evidence that warming climate, rather than changes in water availability or radiation, has been the primary climatic factor driving the improved cropland WUE over the past two decades. These insights have important implications for developing adaptive water management strategies to enhance agricultural climate resilience in Northeast China and similar regions worldwide. Full article

The synergistic effects of soil acidification and heavy metal pollution present major challenges for global agroecosystems. To systematically trace the evolution of research and identify key topics in this field, this study employed CiteSpace to visualize and analyze 691 records from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and 6747 highly relevant articles or reviews from the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection database from 2005 to 2025. The results indicate a steady to rapid rise in global publications, with China contributing the largest share, at 2468 publications. This has produced a research cluster centered around the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); however, the centrality of its international cooperation remains limited. Studies in the CNKI database are driven by agricultural needs, focusing on national food security, rice yield stability, improvement of arable land, and heavy metal passivation and remediation, with a concentration on basic agricultural science. By contrast, research in the WOS database emphasizes fundamental mechanisms and interdisciplinary integration, addressing aluminum toxicity, microbial communities, the nitrogen cycle, and global climate change, intersecting fields such as environmental science, soil science, ecology, and microbiology. The evolution of research hotspots shows a clear trajectory: from acidity regulation and chemical speciation analysis of heavy metals (2005–2013), to heavy metal passivation, remediation, and phytoremediation (2014–2018), and then to biochar materials, microbiome analysis, and the synergistic role of carbon sequestration (2019–2025). This study argues that future research should move beyond single remediation measures and adopt integrated strategic management to jointly improve bioremediation efficiency, promote soil carbon sequestration and soil health, and enhance microbial adaptation to global climate change. Full article

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a multifunctional legume of growing importance in sustainable cropping systems. This study presents an integrative assessment of a forage pea variety across multiple agronomic functions under temperate continental conditions. Results from three environmentally comparable field trials were synthesized to evaluate (i) grain yield and protein traits, (ii) biomass production and nutrient accumulation in cover cropping systems, and (iii) effects on soil nitrate dynamics and maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Compared with vegetable- and dry-seed-type genotypes, the forage-type cultivar exhibited greater plant height and lodging tendency, moderate grain yield, and elevated protein content (28.8%), characterized by a legumin-dominated protein profile. As a winter cover crop grown in mixture with oat (Avena sativa L.), pea produced lower total biomass than rye (Secale cereale L.) but showed substantially higher nitrogen concentrations (2.93–3.01%), indicating enhanced nitrogen input potential. In crop rotation, pea-based treatments significantly affected soil nitrate distribution and maize productivity. Complementary resource use in pea-based systems enhanced biomass production, supporting forage and green manure functions while contributing to soil fertility and system stability. Its morphological and physiological adaptability enables integration into diverse production models, from intensive to regenerative systems. Overall, pea should be regarded not merely as a single crop, but as a strategic component of diversified farming systems aimed at increasing protein yield, optimizing inputs, improving soil quality, and strengthening the long-term sustainability of agroecosystems. Full article

In arid and semi-arid regions where soil sandification is widespread, soil drying simultaneously reduces water availability and increases mechanical impedance, yet how rhizosphere carbon inputs regulate this coupling remains unclear. We investigated whether a synthetic root exudate (SRE, glucose) alters the moisture range and time window in which penetrometer resistance (PR) increases during drying across soils with contrasting sand contents. Volumetric water content (θ) and PR were measured concurrently at fixed drying times, from which PR-θ sensitivity metrics and a reference threshold (PR = 2 MPa) were derived. Relative to the control, SRE maintained a higher θ from day 3 onward but also increased PR, shifting the main PR sensitivity window toward wetter conditions and maximum sensitivity was amplified about 3.5-fold at intermediate sand contents. SRE also caused responsive soils to cross the 2 MPa threshold 1.0–1.5 days earlier. Overall, this model system highlights a rhizosphere-driven trade-off: low-molecular-weight carbon inputs can retain moisture while accelerating drying-induced hardening risk toward wetter conditions, with the strongest effects at intermediate sandification levels. These findings provide process-level insight that may inform sustainable soil and water management in arid and semi-arid sandy agroecosystems. Full article

Climate change significantly impacts agricultural ecosystems through rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, increasing atmospheric CO₂ levels, and more frequent extreme weather events. These environmental changes have a pronounced effect on plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs; phylum Nematoda), which cause serious crop losses on a global scale. This review aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of current knowledge on how major climate change drivers influence the biology, population dynamics, host–plant interactions, and geographic distribution of PPNs in agricultural systems. Recent studies show that rising temperatures accelerate nematode development, increasing the number of generations within a production season and facilitating the spread of many economically important species toward higher latitudes and elevations. Changes in precipitation patterns and soil moisture directly affect nematode survival, mobility, and infection success, and these effects often vary depending on regional conditions and nematode species. Elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels modify plant–nematode interactions by increasing root biomass, altering rhizosphere processes, and regulating plant defense pathways (e.g., jasmonic acid and salicylic acid signaling), which may enhance host susceptibility and infection intensity. Furthermore, extreme climate events can disrupt the natural balance in soil ecosystems, weakening natural antagonist–nematode relationships. However, responses of PPNs to climate change are not uniform, and contrasting findings across studies indicate that these responses are strongly shaped by species-specific traits and environmental variability. In addition, future research should focus on long-term and multi-factorial field studies to better capture the combined effects of climate drivers. Overall, climate change is expected to increase PPN prevalence and drive shifts in their geographic distribution, highlighting the need for climate-sensitive and regionally adapted nematode management strategies. Full article

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly recognized as emerging contaminants with potential impacts on agroecosystems. Among these, antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (CPX) persist in wastewater and may enter agricultural soils through irrigation or fertilization practices, yet their effects on crop plants remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the phytotoxic effects of ciprofloxacin on early growth and photosynthetic pigment content in purple maize (Zea mays L.), a variety of nutritional and cultural importance. Seeds were germinated in an agar-based medium (0.5%) and exposed to three concentrations of ciprofloxacin (3, 10, and 30 mg·L⁻¹) for seven days under controlled conditions. Germination percentage, seedling fresh weight, organ length (root, stem, and leaf), and photosynthetic pigment concentrations (chlorophylls a and b, and carotenoids) were determined. Ciprofloxacin exposure resulted in dose-dependent reductions in germination (from 83% at 3 mg·L⁻¹ to 50% at 30 mg·L⁻¹) and root elongation, while stem length remained unaffected. Chlorophyll content decreased with increasing ciprofloxacin concentration, with the lowest values observed at 30 mg·L⁻¹, while carotenoid levels remained stable, with no statistically significant differences observed. Although ciprofloxacin is typically detected in environmental matrices at ng–µg L⁻¹ levels, higher concentrations may occur in localized contamination hotspots; ciprofloxacin affected early developmental and physiological processes in maize under these elevated exposure conditions. These findings highlight the importance of integrating phytotoxicity assessments into agricultural ecopharmacovigilance strategies and contribute to understanding the risks associated with pharmaceutical contamination in crop production systems. Full article

Earthworms are ecosystem engineers that are sensitive to land-use intensification and edaphic conditions, yet their ecology remains poorly understood in transformed semi-arid landscapes. We hypothesized that, in recently colonized agroecosystems, land-use intensity and physicochemical soil conditions jointly filter the earthworm assembly. In the recently irrigated Lower Valley of the Negro River, Patagonia, Argentina, we sampled earthworms and soils across five land uses—riparian reference sites, fruit orchards, pastures, cereal crops, and horticulture plots—in landscapes dominated by Natrargid Ustolls and Fluventic Haplocambids. We found five species, all of which were exotic Lumbricidae, including the first Argentine record for Murchieona minuscula, indicating a recent colonization following human-mediated niche construction that created an ecological island. The earthworm abundance and biomass were highest in permanent and semi-permanent uses and were driven primarily by soil moisture, pH, and particulate organic matter. Crucially, our results reveal that land-use intensity filters communities by restricting the initial colonization rather than through local extinctions. These findings confirm that soil properties mediate the impact of land use on earthworm assemblages. The inclusion of pastures and fruit orchards in the rotations favors the earthworm populations that, despite low diversity, enhance soil functioning and contribute to agricultural sustainability in semi-arid irrigated agroecosystems. Full article

Continuous monocropping and inappropriate fertilization have contributed to nutrient depletion and soil degradation, limiting peanut productivity in subtropical red soil agroecosystems. Although diversified cropping may help alleviate these constraints, the reasons why it improves peanut productivity remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a long-term field experiment in Jiangxi, China, to compare four cropping systems, assess soil nutrients, peanut productivity, and bacterial communities, and further evaluate the role of key taxa through inoculation assays and structural equation modeling. Results showed that diversified cropping improved peanut growth and yield, with the green manure integrated system performing best overall. Diversified cropping also increased soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus, while reshaping bacterial communities. Several taxa, including Bradyrhizobium, Mycobacterium, Dormibacter, and Ardenticatena, were positively associated with soil nutrients. Inoculation assays further showed that a synthetic consortium assembled from representative strains affiliated with key taxa produced stronger effects on plant growth than a single-strain inoculation. Structural equation modeling identified key taxa as the factor most strongly associated with crop productivity. These findings suggest that higher peanut productivity under diversified cropping was closely associated with concurrent improvements in soil fertility and the enrichment of key taxa. Full article

The montane water vole, Arvicola scherman, is a fossorial rodent that lives underground in grasslands, pastures and meadows in the mountain ranges of southwestern and central Europe. It feeds mainly on grasses, roots, and bulbs, causing considerable economic damage to agriculture. Consequently, it is recognised as one of the most important pest vole species in European agroecosystems. The dynamics of these pest populations may be affected by interactions with their parasites. For this reason, an helminthoecological study was carried out in Asturias (NW Spain), analysing a total of 815 montane water voles, 464 (56.9%) of which were parasitised by at least one of the six helminth species detected: Hydatigera taeniaeformis s.l. larvae (9%), Aonchotheca wioletti (0.1%), Eucoleus bacillatus (0.4%), Trichuris arvicolae (7%), Carolinensis minutus (30%) and Syphacia nigeriana (12%). The helminth community found was compared with that reported from A. scherman analysed in other locations of the Iberian Peninsula. This study also analyses the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the prevalence and abundance of the helminth component species, with host age and body condition being the most influential determinants. H. taeniaeformis s.l. and T. arvicolae are postulated as potential regulators of the analysed population, a pest in crops from NW Spain. Full article

Drunken horse grass (Achnatherum inebrians) plays a vital role in ecological restoration and grassland sustainability in Northwest China, but its ecological functions are increasingly threatened by emerging fungal diseases. In 2024, a leaf spot disease characterized by brown lesions with yellow halos was observed on drunken horse grass in Gansu Province, China. The causal pathogens were identified as Alternaria alternata and Alternaria infectoria based on morphological characterization, pathogenicity tests, and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis (ITS, TEF, GPD, RPB2, Alt a 1, endoPG, and OPA10-2). Preliminary fungicide sensitivity assays revealed that tetramycin and difenoconazole had the strongest inhibitory effects against mycelial growth in vitro. The EC₅₀ values for tetramycin were 0.0755 mg/L (A. alternata) and 0.2175 mg/L (A. infectoria), while for difenoconazole, they were 0.1023 mg/L (A. alternata) and 0.0599 mg/L (A. infectoria). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Alternaria species infecting the host plant, drunken horse grass, providing an essential basis for the effective management of this disease and the protection of grassland ecosystems. Full article

Improving energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint of crop production are critical for sustainable agriculture, particularly in semi-arid regions where resource use efficiency is essential. This study evaluated the effects of different fertilization strategies on energy use efficiency and carbon footprint in maize production. A field experiment was conducted during the 2023 growing season in Konya Province, Türkiye, using a randomized block design with three treatments and three replications. The treatments included an unfertilized control (U1), inorganic fertilizer application (U2), and liquid animal manure application (U3). The results showed that the highest grain yield was obtained in the liquid manure treatment, which was 2.08 times higher than the unfertilized treatment and 1.18 times higher than the inorganic fertilizer treatment. The highest total energy input was recorded in the inorganic fertilizer treatment (26,235.12 MJ ha⁻¹), while the highest total energy output was observed in the liquid manure treatment (203,154 MJ ha⁻¹). The liquid manure treatment also showed higher net energy efficiency, output–input ratio, carbon efficiency, and carbon sustainability index, while producing the lowest carbon footprint per unit of product. These findings indicate that liquid animal manure can improve maize productivity while enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in semi-arid agroecosystems. Full article

Inadequate drainage and the application of salty irrigation waterinduced salinity stress, poses a major constraint to agricultural productivity, especially in saline–arid regions. Shallow subsurface drainage has emerged as a potential technique for salinity management; however, its implications for crop physiological and biochemical responses remain unclear. Therefore, a two-year lysimetric study was undertaken in a split-split plot design investigating cut-soiler-based preferential shallow subsurface drainage (PSSD), soil type (saline sandy loam and normal silty clay loam), and irrigation water salinity levels (4, 8 and 12 dS m⁻¹) to evaluate the effectiveness of rice-residue-filled cut-soiler PSSD in mitigating salinity stress in pearl millet and mustard crops. The cut-soiler PSSD reduced root-zone salinity to around 60.0% by the end of experimentation. Lower root-zone salinity under cut-soiler PSSD alleviated osmotic and ionic stress by reducing hydrogen peroxide (11.0–14.6%), membrane injury (22.7–40.8%), lipid peroxidation (20.0–25.0%), proline accumulation (26.0–37.0%) and improving the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio (44.0%). Antioxidant enzyme activities were also significantly moderated under the cut-soiler PSSD. These physiological and biochemical improvements resulted in significant increases in grain and seed yield of pearl millet (23.5%) and mustard (31.4%), respectively. The findings of this study indicate that cut-soiler PSSD is an effective strategy to mitigate salinity stress at the physiological and biochemical level and offers sustainable management strategies for salt-affected agro-ecosystems. Full article

Social wasps are frequently associated with fruit injuries in agroecosystems, but the diversity of species involved and the ecological context of these interactions remain poorly synthesized in Brazil. This study aimed to compile and analyze records of social wasp interactions with fruits in Brazil, combining opportunistic field observations, iNaturalist records, and published studies. In total, 19 field observations, 87 iNaturalist records, and 11 published studies were incorporated into the dataset, resulting in 2443 records involving 51 social wasp species in 10 genera and 36 plant species. Most records involved fruits still attached to the plant (1853; 75.8%), whereas 590 records (24.2%) were associated with fallen fruits. Large-bodied wasps were disproportionately associated with fruits on the plant, while small- and medium-sized species were more frequent on fallen fruits, and this association was significant (χ² = 554.71; p < 0.001). Records also varied significantly throughout the year (χ² = 5693.28; p < 0.001), with peaks in February, March, and July. The interactions were strongly concentrated in a few genera, especially Polybia, Polistes, and Agelaia, and in a few fruit species, particularly Psidium guajava, Anacardium occidentale, and Mangifera indica. Overall, the compiled evidence indicates that fruit exploitation by social wasps in Brazil is structured by body size, resource accessibility, and seasonality. However, because the study compiles heterogeneous records rather than directly measuring economic losses, the agricultural significance of these interactions remains context-dependent and requires further evaluation. Full article

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in cacao agroecosystems are characterized by accumulating large amounts. They depend on the balance between organic matter inputs (plant residues, roots) and losses (decomposition, erosion), being closely related to climatic conditions, soil nature, vegetation type, topography, and land management practices. The objective of this study was to quantify SOC stocks (0–30 cm) and assess key soil fertility indicators across 107 georeferenced sampling locations in cacao production systems of Guamal (Meta, Colombian Llanos Piedmont). Soil pH varies between extremely acidic and moderately acidic (3.8–6.0; mean 4.57), while available P (Bray II) and exchangeable bases showed low concentrations. Organic carbon concentration averaged 1.18% and bulk density averaged 1.17 g cm⁻³. SOC stocks averaged 41.10 Mg C ha⁻¹, ranging from 7.49 to 81.55 Mg C ha⁻¹, evidencing marked spatial contrasts in carbon storage. Spearman correlations highlighted coupled soil chemical controls, including positive associations of pH with Ca²⁺ and P availability and strong negative associations of pH and P with exchangeable Al³⁺, consistent with acidity-driven fertility constraints. Principal component analysis (PCA) further identified a dominant fertility gradient structured by pH, P availability, and Ca²⁺, and a second axis related to organic carbon and cation retention. Spatial modeling using inverse distance weighting (IDW) in ArcGIS supported the visualization of SOC stock variability across the study area. Overall, the results indicate that SOC stocks in these predominantly sandy soils are strongly influenced by acidity-related constraints and heterogeneous nutrient status, underscoring the need for site-specific management to jointly enhance soil fertility and climate-mitigation potential in cacao systems. Therefore, it would be advisable in the future to address the study of differential variations in soil C storage related to chemical fertilizer application rates, especially in the long term. Full article

Heilongjiang Province is China’s largest commercial grain-producing base, meaning that understanding the stability and climatic sensitivity of its major crops are essential for national food security. Using statistical and meteorological data from 2004 to 2023, this study systematically examines the impacts of climate change on cropping structure, yield dynamics, and production stability. The results show that over two decades the total grain crops-sown area and the yield per unit area increased by 79.4% and 38.4%, respectively. The cropping pattern shifted from a diversified structure to a maize-soybean-rice dominated pattern, while the wheat area declined by 92.2%. Additionally, mean and extreme yield fluctuations decreased by 52.3% and 42%, respectively. Rice exhibited the highest yield stability, whereas maize and soybeans experienced marked reductions in interannual variability. Spatial analysis identified Harbin and Daqing as hotspots for yield stability risk, characterized by higher yield standard deviations relative to other cities in the province. Climate elasticity analysis revealed that soybeans and rice were sensitive to warming, while wheat responded positively to increased rainfall. Overall, Heilongjiang’s grain production system has expanded and become more stable at the provincial scale, but it remains vulnerable to emerging climatic risks. Strengthening climate adaptation through crop-specific management, varietal improvement, and field water regulation is vital for enhancing system resilience and sustaining food production in cold-region agroecosystems. Full article