Maize residues, soil quality, and wheat growth in China. A review

Abstract

Crop residue retention is a key component of sustainable cropping systems. In recent years, retention of crop residue is a means of improving soil quality and nutrient capacity and reducing the adverse effects of residue burning. Maize-wheat rotation is a major double-cropping system practiced on more than one fifth of agricultural lands worldwide. Currently, more than 50 % of maize residues are retained immediately after harvesting. In China, this practice has beneficial effects on soil properties and productivity of the succeeding wheat crop. However, increasing the retention of maize residues without proper soil management has also led to a series of concerns, such as short-term nitrogen immobilization, rapid moisture loss, and high susceptibility to freezing during winter as a result of increased soil porosity. Therefore, other practices for maize residue retention are needed to promote wheat growth and the release of nutrients. This article reviews recent developments in China concerning the consequences of maize residue retention on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil quality and the growth, productivity, and quality of wheat. Major patterns of maize residue retention are discussed. In particular, this review provides three complementary approaches for maize residue management.

Potassium and Residue Management Options to Enhance Productivity and Soil Quality in Zero Till Maize–Wheat Rotation

“…An increase in protein content, protein yield, and amino acids like lysine, methionine (MTN), and tryptophan, might be due to the fact that crop residue retention improved microbial activity as envisaged by an increase in potassium‐solubilizing bacterial population, soil enzyme activities, and soil microbial biomass that resulted in augmenting the availability of N, P, K, and other micronutrient concentration in soil and also thereby increased absorption and assimilation of N by plants that might have encouraged the translocation of N from vegetative parts to grain which indirectly improved amino acid and protein content. [ 37,44 ] This is in consonance with the earlier findings of Kong, [ 3 ] who reported that nitrate assimilation by wheat increased protein and amino acid profile. Among different K levels, 50% RDK+KSB produced significantly higher protein content, protein yield, and amino acid content over No K and it was statistically nonsignificant with 100 and 150% RDK (Tables 6 and 7), and is in accordance with earlier findings of improved rhizosphere soil quality parameters coupled with increased nutrient mobilization with significant improvement in nutrient assimilation and grain quality by addition of K fertilizers along with microbial inoculation.…”

“…Similar results of increased microbial activity and concomitant increase in nutrient mobilization and assimilation and thereby improved crop productivity and quality with CR retention, K application, and microbial inoculation were reported earlier. [ 3,45,46 ]…”

“…[ 1 ] Potassium (K) is the third most important primary nutrient, which plays crucial roles in osmo‐regulation, cation–anion balance, transport of assimilates, and water balance in plants and enhances growth, yield, and quality aspects of various crops. [ 2,3 ] Currently, K fertilizer consumption in India accounts up to 2.77 million tons (mt), which is 11.5% higher than in previous years. [ 4 ] However, K fertilizer application in cereal–cereals rotation ranged from 0.4–8.3 kg ha −1 , [ 5 ] in Indo‐Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India.…”

“…Under such cases, many of the efficient microbes have a key role in solubilizing the unavailable form of K as well as other essential nutrients to stimulate crop growth and yield. [ 3,12 ] Meena et al. [ 13 ] reported that application of efficient K solubilizers enhanced K availability in agricultural soils.…”

Soil microbial inoculation increases corn yield and insect attack

“…One of the major challenges for a global society in the coming decades is to continue to exceed agricultural market pressures while reducing negative impacts on ecosystems and human health (Foley et al 2011). To meet this challenge, a growing number of farmers are implementing "sustainable agriculture" techniques, characterised by employing biofertilisers and crop rotations, as well as reducing degradation of biodiversity, water quality and soil health (Altieri 1995;Kong 2014).…”