Effects of Agronomic Measures on Decomposition Characteristics of Wheat and Maize Straw in China

Xinyue Min, Degang Song, Maoting Ma, Hongwei Li, Shunjiang Li, Guoyuan Zou, Lianfeng Du () and Jing Liu ()
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Xinyue Min: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Degang Song: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Maoting Ma: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Hongwei Li: Daxing Agricultural Service Center, Beijing 102600, China
Shunjiang Li: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Guoyuan Zou: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Lianfeng Du: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
Jing Liu: Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources and Environment, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: The utilization of crop straw resources has been highly emphasized by governments and academia in recent decades. The growing importance of straw decomposition in the wheat-maize rotation system and the remarkable diversity of accumulated information on this topic inspired us to quantitatively explore variations in the outcomes of individual studies. We conducted a data analysis of 46 experimental studies reporting the effects of agronomic measures on the straw decomposition rates of wheat (14 studies) and maize (38 studies). Statistical results showed that maize straw crushed and buried in soil with turn-over or rotary tillage can significantly increase straw decomposition rates. Further, with the increase in nitrogen input and straw burial depth in the soil, the maize straw decomposition rate increased significantly, while the amount of straw return showed the opposite trend. Among all agronomic measures in this research, burial depth has demonstrated a significant positive effect on the wheat straw decomposition rate. The random forest analysis identified decomposition time as the most important predictor of straw decomposition rates for wheat and maize. In addition, some agronomic measures and straw decomposition time jointly affect the decomposition rate of straw. In general, agronomic measures are effective factors in controlling straw decomposition in a wheat-maize rotation system.

Keywords: straw decomposition rate; straw return; wheat-maize cropping rotation; straw burial depth; tillage methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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