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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Land Use Dynamics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1426956
This article is part of the Research Topic The Sustainable Management of Land Systems View all 11 articles

Advancing Sustainable Agriculture: The Role of Integrated Soil-Crop Management in Maize Production

Provisionally accepted
Zhan Wang Zhan Wang *Xiaoxiao Zhao Xiaoxiao Zhao *Yongfeng Sun Yongfeng Sun *Wei Liu Wei Liu *Guoqiang Zhao Guoqiang Zhao Chaohui Dang Chaohui Dang *
  • Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Integrated Soil-Crop System Management (ISSM) and provide technical support for sustainable high yield and efficiency in regional agriculture.The study compared the effects of no fertilization (Control), conventional farmer practices (FP), high-yield management (HY), and ISSM on maize yield and plant nutrient uptake.Measurements included grain yield, plant biomass, plant nutrient absorption, and soil nutrient content across different management strategies.Results: Over the 12-year experimental period, a significant decline in grain yield was observed under the Control treatment, with a slight decrease in the FP treatment. In contrast, consistent yield increases were noted for the HY and ISSM treatments. The ISSM approach significantly enhanced the average yield and plant uptake of P and K by 26%, 24%, and 32%, respectively, approaching 98%, 91%, and 85% of the levels achieved in the HY treatment. Furthermore, the average use efficiency of P and K fertilizers in the ISSM treatment exceeded those in the FP treatment by 18.7% and 1.2%, respectively, and those in the HY treatment by 17.4% and 24.8%, respectively. The adoption of ISSM led to a significant increase in total and available P and K content within the 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers and enhanced the available P and K content across all aggregate size fractions within the 0-20 cm soil layer.ISSM is capable of achieving long-term high and stable yields for spring maize, enhancing the uptake and utilization of P and K in plants, and bolstering the soil's capacity to supply these nutrients, thereby fostering the sustainable development of the entire soil-crop system.

    Keywords: integrated management, Maize production, nutrient uptake, soil fertility, sustainable agriculture

    Received: 02 May 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Zhao, Sun, Liu, Zhao and Dang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhan Wang, Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China
    Xiaoxiao Zhao, Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China
    Yongfeng Sun, Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China
    Wei Liu, Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China
    Chaohui Dang, Shaanxi Provincial Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd., Xi’an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.