Abstract
Balancing crop productivity with resource use efficiency and beneficial environmental consequences is essential for sustainable agricultural development worldwide. Various strategies and approaches have been proposed and debated, but turning the concept into management practices in the field with measurable outcomes over several scales remains a challenge. An innovative approach, Integrated Soil-Crop System Management (ISSM), for producing more grain with greater nutrient use efficiencies and less environmental pollution is presented. The ISSM approach has been used in China, in field experiments as well as in thousands of farmer fields, to substantially increase the yields of maize, rice and wheat while simultaneously increasing nitrogen use efficiency and reducing environmental footprints. The scientific principle, implementation strategy and procedures of ISSM are discussed and examples of its demonstrated successes at local and regional levels across China are given. Perspectives for further development of ISSM and expanding its potential impact are also proposed and discussed.
Highlights
Balancing crop productivity with resource use efficiency and beneficial environmental consequences is essential for sustainable agricultural development worldwide
For China, to attain sustainable food security, it requires a fundamental shift in the way farming is routinely practiced
We review the scientific principle and implementation strategies of Integrated Soil-Crop System Management (ISSM), summarize its demonstrated successes at field and regional scales and discuss ways to broaden its impacts in contributing to China’s food security for the future
Summary
Despite the miracle of feeding 22% of the world population with 9% of the global arable land, China is facing unprecedented challenges in its agricultural sector. Excessive nutrient use by China’s agricultural systems has contributed to a number of serious environmental problems of considerable scale[3]. In major crop production regions of China, soil pH has decreased by 0.5 units from the 1980s to the 2000s, owing mainly to excessive use of N fertilizers[8]. Zhenling CUI et al Producing more with less environmental impacts through an innovative approach. Management (ISSM) approach, first introduced by Chen et al.[11] and Zhang et al.[1], as an innovative model for producing more grains with less input and less pollution. We review the scientific principle and implementation strategies of ISSM, summarize its demonstrated successes at field and regional scales and discuss ways to broaden its impacts in contributing to China’s food security for the future
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