The Responses of Crop Yield and Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Straw Returning from Staple Crops: A Meta-Analysis

Yajin Hu, Penghui Ma, Zhihao Yang, Siyuan Liu, Yingchao Li, Ling Li (), Tongchao Wang () and Kadambot H. M. Siddique
Additional contact information
Yajin Hu: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Penghui Ma: Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission, Zhengzhou 450003, China
Zhihao Yang: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Siyuan Liu: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Yingchao Li: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Ling Li: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Tongchao Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Kadambot H. M. Siddique: The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6001, Australia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: The practice of straw returning to agricultural fields (SRF) affects crop yields and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the responses of crop yields and GHG emissions vary significantly due to diverse climatic conditions, soil conditions, and field management practices. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effects of SRF on the crop yield and GHG emissions from staple crops in China. Our results indicate that the average increment in the yield of three staple crops is 13.00% with SRF. Moreover, SRF decreased the N 2 O emissions compared to those without straw returning in regions with 800–1200 mm of MAP, SOC > 20 g kg –1 , 0.9–1.5 g kg –1 TN, pHs of 6.5–7.5, and a SRF duration < 3 years, in rice cultivation systems, and with partial SRF. However, irrespective of the climatic conditions, soil properties, or field management practices, SRF increased the CO 2 emissions compared to those without straw returning. Additionally, while SRF significantly increased the CH 4 emissions in paddy fields, it had no discernible effect on the CH 4 uptake in upland fields compared to that without straw returning. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing straw management practices and reducing GHG emissions in farmland ecosystems.

Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions; crop yields; staple crop; straw returning; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/408/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/4/408/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:4:p:408-:d:1591867

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().