Exploring a Sustainable Cropping System in the North China Plain Using a Modelling Approach

Wang, Huanyuan; Li, Baoguo; Liang, Jin; Hu, Kelin

doi:10.3390/su12114588

Cited by 1 publication

(10 citation statements)

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“…Additionally, the WUE of 2H1Y reached 1.33 kg m −3 , while the WUE amounts of the other systems were around 1 kg m −3 . Wang et al [ 2 ] reported that the WUE under the 1H1Y system was higher than the WUEs of 3H2Y and 2H1Y because this pattern had a lower ET. In this study, 2H1Y_RI had the highest WUE.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The North China Plain (NCP), an area of approximately 32 million ha and 17.98 million ha of agricultural land, is one of the most important grain production regions and one of the main irrigated regions in China. In order to make full use of light and heat resources and achieve a high grain production, the intensive winter wheat–summer maize (WW-SUM) double cropping system with two harvests in one year (2H1Y) has been adopted widely in this region [ 1 , 2 ]. Although this cropping system has significantly enhanced grain production, it has also brought severe issues such as groundwater depletion and environmental pollution [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excessive N fertilizer input aggravates N losses, which are mostly linked to gaseous N emissions (N 2 O and NH 3 ) and nitrate leaching. This leads to a series of environmental problems: for instance, groundwater nitrate contamination, surface water eutrophication, and air pollution [ 2 , 23 , 24 ]. Therefore, it is urgent to pay attention to the sustainable groundwater and N fertilizer use to ensure sustainable crop production in the NCP [ 3 , 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering that the WW-SUM double cropping system relies heavily on groundwater resources and chemical fertilizers, many studies have been conducted to optimize irrigation and N use for the conventional cropping system [ 1 , 25 , 26 ], or to design alternative cropping systems that enhance water and N use efficiencies (WUE and NUE, respectively) and reduce negative environmental impacts while maintaining grain yields in the NCP [ 2 , 20 , 27 ]. Xiao et al [ 26 ] reported that in comparison with the conventional WW-SUM cropping system, with reductions of 43% and 28% in N fertilizer and groundwater inputs, respectively, the recommended farming management for the double cropping system increased the NUE and irrigation water use efficiency by 79.3% and 61.7%, respectively, while maintaining the mean annual grain yield of 16.5 Mg ha −1 in Huantai County, NCP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The water usage of the WW-SUM-SPM pattern was between the other two patterns, and the grain yield in the WW-SUM pattern was higher than that of the other two patterns (SPM and WW-SUM-SPM). Wang et al [ 2 ] indicated that the order of the annual average yields of the three different cropping systems in the NCP was WW-SUM > WW-SUM-SPM > SPM, but the N leaching of WW-SUM was much larger than the other two systems. The WUE and NUE of the SPM were the highest, followed by WW-SUM-SPM and WW-SUM, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improvement of Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiencies by Alternative Cropping Systems Based on a Model Approach

Han

Hou

et al. 2023

Plants

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The conventional double cropping system of winter wheat and summer maize (WW-SUM) in the North China Plain (NCP) consumes a large amount of water and chemical fertilizer, threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in this region. This study was based on a three-year field experiment of different cropping systems (2H1Y—two harvests in one year; 3H2Y—three harvests in two years; and 1H1Y—one harvest in one year). The 2H1Y system had three irrigation–fertilization practices (FP—farmer’s practice; RI—reduced input; and WQ—Wuqiao pattern in Wuqiao County, Hebei Province). A soil–crop system model (WHCNS—soil water heat carbon nitrogen simulator) was used to quantify the effects of different cropping systems on water and nitrogen use efficiencies (WUE and NUE, respectively), and to explore the trade-offs between crop yields and environmental impacts. The results showed that annual yield, water consumption, and the WUE of 2H1Y were higher than those of the 3H2Y and 1H1Y systems. However, local precipitation during the period of crop growth could only meet 65%, 76%, and 91% of total water consumption for the 2H1Y, 3H2Y and 1H1Y systems, respectively. Nearly 65% of irrigation water (groundwater) was used in the period of wheat growth that contributed to almost 40% of the annual yield. Among the three patterns of the 2H1Y system, the order of the WUE was 2H1Y_RI > 2H1Y_WQ > 2H1Y_FP. Compared to 2H1Y_FP, the total fertilizer N application rates in 2H1Y_WQ, 2H1Y_RI, and 3H2Y were reduced by 25%, 65%, and 74%, respectively. The 3H2Y system had the highest NUE of 34.3 kg kg−1, 54% greater than the 2H1Y_FP system (22.2 kg kg−1). Moreover, the 3H2Y system obviously reduced nitrate leaching and gaseous N loss when compared with the other two systems. The order of total N loss of different cropping systems was 2H1Y (261 kg N ha−1) > 1H1Y (78 kg N ha−1) > 3H2Y（70 kg N ha−1). Considering the agronomic and environmental effects as well as economic benefits, the 3H2Y cropping system with optimal irrigation and fertilization would be a promising cropping system in the NCP that could achieve the balance between crop yield and the sustainable use of groundwater and N fertilizer.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%