Straw Incorporation Strategy on Cereal Crop Yield in China
Abstract
Straw incorporation (SI) is considered a valid agricultural measure for ameliorating soil quality and sequestrating soil C. This study aimed to quantitatively summarize the response of cereal yield to SI management. Our results showed that compared with straw removal, SI could significantly enhance cereal yield by 7% over all of China across the 9‐yr period. In all regions, SI in coarse‐textured soils increased yields more than in fine‐textured soils. Straw incorporation resulted in greater yield increases for upland crops compared with rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping, and for rotary tillage compared with plowing and no tillage. Overall, SI‐induced cereal yield increases were greater in areas with a lack of soil nutrients and soil water. The SI‐induced increases of 1 t ha−1 of soil organic C (SOC) storage could increase cereal yield by 44 kg ha−1. If half or full amounts of cereal straw is returned across all of China's agricultural regions, cereal yields would increase by an average of 2.84 and 5.07 Tg yr−1, respectively, which would contribute to achieving the increasing yield requirements of China.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.2135/cropsci2014.09.0599
Entities
People
- Binfeng Sun
- Guo Zhang
- Hong Zhao
- Lu Fei
- Xiaoke Wang
- Zhiyun Ouyang
Organizations
- Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
- Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences