Research Progress on the Improvement of Farmland Soil Quality by Green Manure

Yulong Wang, Aizhong Yu (), Yongpan Shang, Pengfei Wang, Feng Wang, Bo Yin, Yalong Liu, Dongling Zhang and Qiang Chai
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Yulong Wang: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Aizhong Yu: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Yongpan Shang: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Pengfei Wang: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Feng Wang: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Bo Yin: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Yalong Liu: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Dongling Zhang: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Qiang Chai: College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: Long-term intensive agricultural management practices have led to a continuous decline in farmland soil quality, posing a serious threat to food security and agricultural sustainability. Green manure, as a natural, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly cover crop, plays a significant role in enhancing soil quality, ensuring food security, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. The improvement of soil quality by green manure is primarily manifested in the enhancement of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Specifically, it increases soil organic matter content, optimizes soil structure, enhances nutrient cycling, and improves microbial community composition and metabolic activity. The integration of green manure with agronomic practices such as intercropping, crop rotation, conservation tillage, reduced fertilizer application, and organic material incorporation demonstrates its potential in addressing agricultural development challenges, particularly through its contributions to soil quality improvement, crop yield stabilization, water and nutrient use efficiency enhancement, fertilizer input reduction, and agricultural greenhouse gas emission mitigation. However, despite substantial evidence from both research and practical applications confirming the benefits of green manure, its large-scale adoption faces numerous challenges, including regional variability in application effectiveness, low farmer acceptance, and insufficient extension technologies. Future research should further clarify the synergistic mechanism between green manure and agronomic measures such as intercropping, crop rotation, conservation tillage, reduced fertilization and organic material return to field. This will help explore the role of green manure in addressing the challenges of soil degradation, climate change and food security, develop green manure varieties adapted to different ecological conditions, and optimize green manure planting and management technologies. Governments should comprehensively promote the implementation of green manure technologies through economic incentives, technology extension, and educational training programs. The integration of scientific research, policy support, and technological innovation is expected to establish green manure as a crucial driving force for facilitating the global transition towards sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: green manure; agronomic practices; soil quality; nutrient cycling; grain yield (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
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