Sustainable Corn Stubble Management Is Site Specific: A Study in Northeastern China

Gang Wang, Xiaomei Gao, Minggang Fu (), Zihao Zhou, Kexin Song and Jie Li
Additional contact information
Gang Wang: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Xiaomei Gao: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Minggang Fu: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Zihao Zhou: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Kexin Song: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Jie Li: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: Sustainable agriculture has garnered increasing attention in recent times, with corn stalk retention constituting a pivotal component of sustainable agricultural practices. Presently, whole corn stalk retention (CCR), three-year rotation corn stalk retention (TYR), and standing corn stalk retention (SCR) are prevalent corn stalk management techniques in northeast China. However, the question of which corn stalk management technique is best suited to specific local climates within northeast China remained unanswered. Therefore, this manuscript investigates the impact of these corn stalk management practices on nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and soil organic amendments by analyzing long-term practical data. To gather data for analysis, three locations with varying latitudes were selected. The results indicate that local climate has a significant influence ( p < 0.05) on the decomposition process and level of retained corn stalks. In locations with sufficient annual accumulated temperature and precipitation, a larger amount of corn stalk retention is acceptable. For instance, CCR is deemed suitable for Liaoning Province in China. Conversely, in locations lacking sufficient annual accumulated temperature or precipitation, an excessive amount of corn stalk retention cannot decay completely within a given period. Consequently, farmlands cannot adsorb adequate soil nutrients or organic matter derived from decomposed corn stalks. Thus, TYR or SCR is more appropriate for Heilongjiang Province in China. The findings of this research can guide farmers in optimizing corn stalk management practices according to specific local climates.

Keywords: corn stalk management; soil nutrient; soil organic matter; annual accumulated temperature; annual precipitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/15/6605/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/15/6605/ (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:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:15:p:6605-:d:1448317

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

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