Dryland Farming Research Articles

Assessing light and quality indicators of fodder at different levels of nitrogen fertilizer based on additive intercropping of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and vetch (Vicilia ervilia) under dryland farming

The intercropping system leads to increasing radiation use efficiency and quality indicators and improving the stability in the production of fodder plants. Intercropping and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers are the most effective methods to achieve sustainable agriculture goals. To investigate light and quality indicators of fodder obtained from barley and vetch additive intercropping at different levels of nitrogen fertilizer, a split plot experiment was performed with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and 4 replications in two experimental fields in Sisab and Shirvan, North Khorasan Province, Iran, during 2017–2018. The factor included nitrogen fertilizer at three levels (zero, 50 and 100 Kg.ha−1 (N0, N1 and N2)) and the subfactor included the combination of crops at four levels (barley pure cropping (I1), 15% vetch +100% barley (I2), 30% vetch +100% barley (I3) and 45% vetch + 100% barley (I4) additive intercropping). The results showed the highest fodder dry weight, absorbed radiation, radiation use efficiency, light extinction coefficient, ground cover percentage and leaf area index (LAI) in I3 and N2 in Sisab, and the lowest in I1 and N0 in Shirvan. Also, the highest crude protein (CP) was obtained from I4 and N2 in Shirvan, and the lowest crude protein was obtained from I1 and N0 in Sisab, which was inconsistent with neutral detergent fiber (NDF). The study results showed that increasing the percentage of vetch by 30% in intercropping and using nitrogen fertilizer led to increases in the indicators measured in the experiment.

A three-year record of CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions in maize fields influenced by mulching methods on the Loess Plateau, China

Exploring optimal mulching methods for maize production is critical to achieving a balance between maximizing yield and reducing negative environmental impacts in dryland agriculture. Therefore, a 3-yr field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three mulching methods—biodegradable plastic film mulching (BM), maize straw mulching (SM), and no mulching (NM)—on spring maize yield, greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions (CO2, CH4, and N2O), soil factors, the net ecosystem GHG balance and greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) on the Loess Plateau of China. The result showed indicated that CO2 and N2O are the primary sources of GHGs in dryland maize production. The yield of BM significantly increased 1.43–1.99 t ha−1 compared to NM, CO2 emissions (on average 32.83%) compared to the NM. And BM showed suitability for N2O emissions (3.7–11.2%). SM increased CO2 and N2O emissions (by 9.43–13.17% and 24.96–33.64%, respectively) compared to the NM. Structural equation model analysis showed that soil temperature was the most direct factor to affect GHGs. SM was the sink of net ecosystem GHGs, BM and NM were the source of net ecosystem GHGs. These results indicated that mulching emerges as a promising strategy for dryland agriculture. BM method can be used when the primary goal was to improve yield, while SM method is a better choice when the primary goal was to improve soil organic carbon sequestration and reduce net GHGs emissions. This study clarified the impacts of mulching methods on three GHGs emissions to provide information support for sustainable agriculture on the Loess Plateau.

Diversified cropping systems for reducing soil erosion and nutrient loss and for increasing crop productivity and profitability in rainfed environments

CONTEXTGlobally, rainfed regions encounter several constraints that limit crop production. Poor and degraded soils resulting from soil erosion are one among them. We hypothesized that a diversified cropping system in rainfed drylands can reduce soil erosion and improve soil health and crop productivity and meet the food security needs of rainfed farmers. OBJECTIVEThe study aimed to assess potential diversified cropping systems in terms of reducing soil erosion and water and nutrient losses, and increasing crop and systems productivity and profitability. METHODSThe study was carried out at the Gungal Research Farm of ICAR Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (17o05’ N, 78o39’E) from 2015 to 16 to 2020–21. The study investigated seven diversified cropping systems (treatments): sorghum + pigeon pea- hedge lucerne, sorghum + pigeonpea- guinea grass, castor- hedge lucerne, castor- guinea grass, sorghum- fodder clusterbean- fodder cowpea- fodder horsegram, sole sorghum, and sole pigeonpea. Multi-criteria assessments were conducted to understand trade-offs related to soil nutrients and their losses, and productivity and profitability of various annual and perennial based systems. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSAmong the various systems evaluated, sole sorghum was the most sensitive to soil erosion, leading to highest amount of nutrient loss in all years (87.5, 47.3, and 9.8 kg N, P and K ha−1 in 2019–20, 102.4, 58.2, 14.2 kg N, P and K ha−1 in 2020–21, and 78.6, 39.2, 6.16 kg N, P and K ha−1 in 2021–22). The perennial based cropping systems with more diverse crops and greater land cover that included sorghum + pigeonpea - guinea grass and sorghum + pigeon pea - hedge lucerne had the lowest amount of nutrient loss. The least cumulative monetary value of nutrient loss was in sorghum + pigeon pea - hedge lucerne (137.11 US$) followed by sorghum + pigeonpea - guinea grass (145.33 US$). The systems with diverse crops reduced runoff and soil erosion, improved soil health, and increased crop and systems productivity and profitability. The trade-offs analysis using the radar graphs also showed lower soil loss and improved soil heath in diversified perennial based cropping systems, resulting in increase in net income to US$1981 for sorghum + pigeonpea - hedge lucerne compared to US$909 for sole sorghum. SIGNIFICANCEPerennial based cropping systems with diverse crops can be an effective strategy to reduce soil erosion and improve soil health, and increase crop and systems productivity in rainfed areas of south India. These results have implications to other countries globally with rainfed climate and dryland farming.

Malaria transmission heterogeneity in different eco-epidemiological areas of western Kenya: a region-wide observational and risk classification study for adaptive intervention planning

BackgroundUnderstanding of malaria ecology is a prerequisite for designing locally adapted control strategies in resource-limited settings. The aim of this study was to utilize the spatial heterogeneity in malaria transmission for the designing of adaptive interventions.MethodsField collections of clinical malaria incidence, asymptomatic Plasmodium infection, and malaria vector data were conducted from 108 randomly selected clusters which covered different landscape settings including irrigated farming, seasonal flooding area, lowland dryland farming, and highlands in western Kenya. Spatial heterogeneity of malaria was analyzed and classified into different eco-epidemiological zones.ResultsThere was strong heterogeneity and detected hot/cold spots in clinical malaria incidence, Plasmodium prevalence, and vector abundance. The study area was classified into four zones based on clinical malaria incidence, parasite prevalence, vector density, and altitude. The two irrigated zones have either the highest malaria incidence, parasite prevalence, or the highest malaria vector density; the highlands have the lowest vector density and parasite prevalence; and the dryland and flooding area have the average clinical malaria incidence, parasite prevalence and vector density. Different zones have different vector species, species compositions and predominant species. Both indoor and outdoor transmission may have contributed to the malaria transmission in the area. Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.), Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles funestus s.s., and Anopheles leesoni had similar human blood index and malaria parasite sporozoite rate.ConclusionThe multi-transmission-indicator-based eco-epidemiological zone classifications will be helpful for making decisions on locally adapted malaria interventions.

Investigation into the Performance Characteristics of the Organic Dry Farming Transition and the Corresponding Impact on Carbon Emissions Reduction

Global warming affects food security and ecological security, and it threatens economic stability and sustainable agricultural development. The transformation and development of agriculture have significant implications for the achievement of the “dual-carbon” goals and the promotion of sustainable agricultural development. Based on panel data on organic dry farming in China from 2005 to 2020, this study aimed to comprehensively assess the transformation performance of organic dry farming (TRODF) in 15 provinces. It explored the impact of the transformation of organic dry farming on carbon emissions by utilizing a spatial Markov chain and spatial measurement models. Our findings are as follows: (1) The performance of the organic dryland agriculture transformation has gradually improved and is accompanied by a corresponding trend of fluctuating regional disparities, which are on the rise. Moreover, the disparities between the five major regions mainly stem from intra-regional differences. (2) TRODF agriculture presents the possibility of state transfer during different periods, featuring four convergent zones: a lagging zone, a starting zone, a crossing zone, and an advanced zone. The spatial Markov chain indicates that state transitions typically occur between adjacent levels, with fewer instances of “jump”-type transitions. Moreover, there is a clear trend of differentiation in the state transitions between non-adjacent areas. (3) The organic dry farming transformation exhibits a significant carbon reduction effect, which is characterized by heterogeneity across different stages of agricultural development, provinces, and time periods. This study emphasizes that economic and industrial transformation, along with the transformation of the ecological environment, represents a crucial direction for conserving resources and achieving a further reduction in carbon emissions.

Design and Experiment of a High-Clearance Mid-Tillage Weeder for Dryland Farming

Mechanical weeding is an important technical means for organic and regenerative agricultural systems. Current weed control equipment has a variety of problems, such as difficulty adapting to high-stalk crops and poor operational quality. A high-clearance mid-tillage weeder (HMTW) has been developed to meet the mechanical weed control needs of high-stalk crops. The weeder mainly comprises a suspension device, a frame, parallel four-rod profiling mechanisms, weeding operation components, and depth-limiting soil-cutting devices. Based on the agronomic requirements of dryland flat planting, the overall structure of the HMTW was determined, and the weeding unit and flat shovel hoe were designed. Theoretical analysis was conducted on the depth stability of the HMTW, and an optimization mathematical model of the HMTW was established to further improve its tillage depth stability for agronomic requirements. The optimization objective was to minimize the deflection angle (∆β) of the profiling rod on a vertical plane, and the parameters of the parallel four-rod profiling mechanism were optimized. Based on the optimized structural parameters, a prototype of the HMTW was developed and evaluated. The test results show that the optimized HMTW exhibited a good weeding effect, and the tillage depth stability was within the design operating range. When the driving speed was 1.0 m/s and the tillage depth was 8 cm, the weed removal rate, seedling injury rate, seedling burial rate, and qualified rate of tillage depth were 90.8%, 3.2%, 4.1%, and 94%, respectively. The proposed HMTW successfully meets the weeding agronomic requirements of high-stalk crops for dryland farming, and the performance analysis and optimization models provide technical references for the design and development of such structures.

Influence of the Role of Agriculture Extension Worker (AEW) Against Farming Group Dynamics In the Dry Land Agricultural Area, West Lombok Regency

The dynamism of farmer groups is influenced by internal factors, namely the farmer group itself, and external factors, namely the role of the Agriculture Extension Worker (AEW). This research was carried out in West Lombok Regency with the criteria of selecting 2 sub-districts in West Lombok Regency which had a larger dry land area compared to other sub-districts, namely Sekotong District and Lembar District; from each sub-district 3, villages were selected with the criteria of having the largest number of farmers, determining selected farmer groups based on criteria. Farmer groups have been registered in the Decree of the Head of the West Lombok Regency Agricultural Service and have been recorded in the agricultural extension system (simluhtan). This research aimed to analyze the role of AEW, the dynamics of farmer groups, and the influence of the role of Agriculture Extension Worker (AEW) on the dynamics of farmer groups in dryland farming areas in West Lombok Regency. The analytical method used was descriptive analysis with a Likert scale by giving a score of 1-5 for each criterion for each indicator. The research results showed that the respondents' assessment of the role of field agricultural instructors as facilitators, educators, motivators, and organizers was in a good category. Farming group dynamics seen from the aspects of group goals, group structure, task functions, group coaching and development, group cohesiveness, group atmosphere, and group effectiveness was in the quite good category, and the relationship/correlation between the role of AEW and the dynamics of farmer groups was very strong.

Effect of Nutrient management on productivity and profitability of Soybean (Glycine max) - based double cropping systems under Dryland farming

Effect of Nutrient management on productivity and profitability of Soybean (Glycine max) - based double cropping systems under Dryland farming

Landslide risk reduction for sustainable land use direction in Tawangmangu District, Karanganyar Regency year 2023

Tawangmangu District, Karanganyar Regency has an area of 7,002.94 Ha consisting of 10 villages. Topographically located on the western slope of Mount Lawu with a predominantly steep slope, which has an altitude between 655 m and 3,265 meters above sea level. The development of agribusiness-oriented dryland agriculture, natural tourism destinations, and the establishment of residential buildings that increasingly provide job and business opportunities so that there is an increase in government income and surrounding communities. This condition impacts population pressure on land, so the risk of landslides is thought to be higher. Areas prone to landslides are in the central part of Bandardawung Village, Along Village in the west and central regions, Plumbon Village in the middle and east, and Tengklik Village in the west. The study’s purpose, located in Tawangmangu District, Karanganyar Regency, is to determine the reduction of landslide risk for sustainable land use. Descriptive quantitative research methods include determining area function, vulnerability, vulnerability, and landslide risk using scoring and weighting of observation data. The results of the research show that villages that have a high risk of landslides are areas that have a high risk of landslides, namely Blumbang Village, Kalisoro Village, and Tawangmangu Village.

Analysis of Potential Cropping Seasons of Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frustescens L.) Based on Water Balance in Alfisol Dryland, Tuban Regency, East Java, Indonesia

Dryland agriculture is crucial for understanding how to effectively manage land water for the crops. Water balance analysis plays a pivotal role in comprehending the hydrological cycle and water availability for crop production. The Tuban Regency is one of the fifth largest cayenne pepper-producing areas in East Java, Indonesia, particularly in Grabagan and Bancar Districts. However, for sustainable growth, it is imperative to extend cultivation to other sub-districts within Tuban Regency. In the cultivation of cayenne pepper, attention to soil water availability is important due to its susceptibility to drought, directly impacting vegetative growth and overall plant production. This research aims to establish a planting pattern for cayenne pepper based on water balance analysis in Alfisol drylands within Montong, Kerek, and Singgahan Districts of Tuban Regency. The study, conducted from July to September 2023, employed Thornthwaite and Mather water balance analysis,drought index assessment, and day without rain analysis. The research findings reveal variations inwater balance conditions within the study areas, with Montong and Kerek Districts experiencing a land water surplus for three months and a nine-month deficit. Singgahan District, on the other hand, encountered a surplus for four months and a deficit for eight months. The drought index indicates a high level, peaking in September for Montong (87%), Kerek (91%), and Singgahan (87%) Districts. Cayenne pepper plants exhibit the potential for annual cultivation in Alfisol drylands of Montong, Kerek, and Singgahan Districts, with a growing duration of six months. The optimal planting window spans from December to May, followed by potentially a second planting in June and July for crops with a minimum available water value exceeding 19% or those with a shorter harvest life. From August to November, the land lies fallow due to a soil water availability that is close to 0% and a 27% risk of days without rain in the extreme drought category, rendering the soil unsuitable for growing crops.

Seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands in the broadacre cropping region of Australia

Fallowing is an important strategy for enhancing soil health, water harvesting and crop yields, thus improving sustainability and reducing production risks in dryland farming systems in Australia. However, accurate data regarding the location, frequency, extent, and duration of fallow land is not readily available at high spatio-temporal resolutions before and during a cropping season. As a result, continental maps depicting seasonal dynamics of fallow and cropping lands and their responses to climate change and human activities remain missing. This study set out to develop an automated approach to discriminate fallow areas from cropping areas within Australian broadacre cropping region. This was done by applying a mathematical algorithm of turning point detection technique to a curve fitted vegetation index time series from 2016 to 2022, derived from high spatial (10 m) and temporal (5-days) resolution Sentinel-2 data. Specifically, we aimed to derive: (i) 5-day revisit fallow/cropping map layers; (ii) key attributes of the fallow and cropping periods (e.g., start, end, duration); (iii) cropping intensity and area. The proposed approach yielded a high and significant overall accuracy, surpassing 92% with substantial balanced accuracy (>0.9) against >3000 fields for individual winter and summer seasons across Australia. In addition, this study's temporal and geographical outputs, encompassing seasonal attributes, cropping intensity and cropping areas, robustly enhanced the understanding of seasonal cropping dynamics and historical shifts in dryland farming practices. Findings derived from this analysis aligned well with extreme climatic events and changes in crop activities adopted in response to such events. Future research will aim to extract key seasonal dynamics attributes influenced by cropping practices, enhancing the conversion of high-resolution earth observation data into actionable industry knowledge.

Abiotic factors impact on oak forest decline in Lorestan Province, Western Iran

The Zagros oak forests in Iran are facing a concerning decline due to prolonged and severe drought conditions over several decades, compounded by the simultaneous impact of temperature on oak populations. This study in oak woodlands of central Zagros forests in Lorestan province analyzed abiotic factors such as climate properties, topographic features, land use, and soil properties from 1958 to 2022. We found that higher elevation areas with steeper slopes and diverse topography show significant potential for enhancing oak tree resilience in the face of climate change. Additionally, traditional land use practices like livestock keeping and dryland farming contribute to a widespread decline in oak populations. Preserving forest biodiversity and ensuring ecological sustainability requires immediate attention. Implementing effective land-use management strategies, such as protecting and regulating human-forest interaction, and considering meteorological factors to address this issue is crucial. Collaborative efforts from stakeholders, policymakers, and local communities are essential to oppose destructive suburban sprawl and other developments. Sustainable forestry practices should be implemented to improve the living standards of local communities that rely on forests and traditional livestock keeping, offer forestry-related jobs, and ensure social security. Such efforts are necessary to promote conservation awareness and sustainable practices, safeguarding this unique and vital ecosystem for future generations.

Identifying synergistic solutions for the food-energy-water nexus via plastic film mulching cultivation

Food security, water scarcity, and excessive fossil energy use pose considerable challenges to sustainable agriculture. To understand how rain-fed farming systems on the Loess Plateau, China, reconcile yield increases with ecological conservation, we conducted an integrated evaluation based on the denitrification-decomposition (DNDC) model, agricultural statistics data using the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus indicator. The results showed that maize yields with ridge-furrow plastic film mulching (PFM) were 3479, 8942, and 11,124 kg ha−1 under low (50 kg N ha−1), medium (200 kg N ha−1), and high (350 kg N ha−1) nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates, respectively, and that PFM increased yield and water use efficiency (WUE) by 110–253 % and 166–205 % compared to using no mulching (control, CK), respectively. Plastic film mulching also increased net energy (126–436 %), energy use efficiency (81–578 %), energy productivity (100–670 %), and energy profitability (126–994 %), and nitrogen fertilizer, compound fertilizer, and diesel fuel consumption by agricultural machinery were the main energy inputs. The PFM system reduced water consumption during the maize growing season and the green water footprint and gray water footprint decreased by 66–74 % and 44–68 %, respectively. The FEW nexus indicator, based on a high production at low environmental cost scenario, was greater under the PFM system and had the widest spatial distribution area at the medium-N application rate. Among the environmental factors, the nexus indicator was negatively correlated with precipitation (−0.37), air temperature (−0.36), and the aridity index (−0.36), but positively correlated with elevation (0.17). Our results suggest that the PFM system promotes resource-saving while increasing yields and moves dryland agriculture in an environmentally friendly direction, thus promoting the sustainable development of agroecosystems.

Assessing climate change scenarios in the Amazon Basin: a risk governance model

The impacts of climate change are becoming more severe and can only be addressed through governance that spans from local to global levels. To enhance adaptation and response strategies, we need to integrate the knowledge of local communities and improve institutional and state capacity. In the Amazon Basin, current plans for adaptation and response only consider a global perspective, without any input from local communities. By including the region-specific knowledge of these communities, we can better identify the risks related to climate change. The research aimed to answer the question of how to integrate these specificities in an operational risk governance model. We developed an operational risk governance model for Amazon (R-GOMAM) that explores cross-scale interplay and risk identification related to climate change. It provides a comprehensive perspective of risk governance across different scales. A combination of methods was used to integrate the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of data collection and analysis. Additionally, we applied fuzzy logic, to synthesize the cross-scale interplay model. The model was able to account for all dimensions of the Amazon Basin countries, including dryland agriculture, floodplain agriculture, vegetable extraction, fishing, animal breeding, water quality, and household infrastructure. It considered the complexity and uncertainty of risk governance, identified hazard scenarios, and determined the level of risk in the region. Our evaluation of institutional and state capacity in the Purus River Basin revealed insufficient regulations and institutional mechanisms to address climate change risks. Our model identifies different scenarios of hazards and determines the degree of risk in the Amazon Basin countries. Prior models for Brazilian regions overlooked local differences in institutional and state capacities. Our study fills this gap, serving as a supplement for assessing climate change effects in not just Amazonia but other regions as well.

Enhancement of Soil Organic Carbon, Water Use Efficiency and Maize Yield (Zea mays L.) in Sandy Soil through Organic Amendment (Grass Peat) Incorporation

The efficient use of organic amendment (OM) is considered an economic, environmental and sustainable practice to improve soil quality, especially the accumulation of organic carbon (C) and water use efficiency (WUE) in dryland agriculture. However, the effect of different OM on soil nutrients, organic carbon fractions, water content and maize yield is unclear in arid and semi-arid regions with sandy soil. Field experiments with four OM, grass peat (GP), biochar (BC), organic fertilizer (OF) and maize straw (MS), were conducted with an equivalent amount of C input on the southeastern edge of Mu Us Sandy Land in China. Results indicated that the soil nutrients and labile organic carbon (DOC, MBC, KMnO4-C and POC) concentrations were higher under OM (GP, BC, OF and MS) treatments than in CK in the 0–0.10 m soil layers. GP treatment remarkably improved carbon pool index values (1.63, 2.51 and 2.24, respectively) in all layers compared to CK (1.00). At maturity stages of maize, the soil water content (SWC) under GP and OF treatments (11.3–13.4%) was remarkably higher than that in CK treatment (around 10.0%). Yield and WUE were remarkably greater in GP and OF treatments compared to CK. The results proved that GP amendment is superior for barren sandy soil than BC, OF and MS treatments in improving soil nutrients, organic carbon sequestration, WUE and crop yield in China.

Future Outlook of Dryland Crop Production Systems in the Semi-Arid High Plains Amid Climate Change

Dryland agriculture or dry farming is a type of crop production that relies on stored soil moisture and occasional rainfall without providing supplemental irrigation. Dryland agriculture is a predominant crop production system in the semi-arid High Plains of the United States where water resources are scarce, drought is frequent, and grain yields are low. Producers are struggling to balance their pest management needs with soil moisture conservation practices such as no or reduced tillage, as well as loss of efficacy for some herbicide chemistries. The predicted increase in dryland farming acreage due to increasing underground water resource limitations and climate change, it is prudent to understand major pest issues in dryland agriculture to develop research-lead solutions.

How to enhance soil quality in dryland farming systems in Indonesia (Review)

Soil quality is one of the factors that determines the sustainability of an agricultural system. The ability of types of soil to support the health and habitat of living things, maintain the production of plants and animals, and preserve the quality of the water and air is known as soil quality. Soil quality is not limited to agricultural land, but also includes how to maintain soil function as part of the ecology. In dryland farming systems, the issue of soil quality has become a concern of researchers and agribusiness actors because there are many problems related to dryland management systems, especially in Indonesia, where most farmers have not mastered good farming techniques. This paper presents a review of soil quality in Indonesian dryland farming systems and offers several solutions to improve soil quality through an agroecological approach.

Changes in land use and land cover in forest areas in Bener Meriah and Aceh Tengah Districts, Indonesia

This research aims to obtain information regarding land use and land cover (LULC) changes in forest areas in Bener Meriah and Aceh Tengah Districts in 2000-2021, especially on the loss and gain of forest areas, and conversion between land cover classes. We used Landsat 5 (TM) satellite imagery data recorded in 2000 and 2006, and Landsat 8 (OLI) satellite imagery recorded in 2014 and 2020/2021 on path/row data, namely 130/57. The classification processes of LULC included the determination of training areas, supervised classification, and accuracy assessment. The LULC in Bener Meriah and Aceh Tengah districts are dominated by primary dryland forest and secondary dryland forest 250348.45 ha (53.65%) and 103153.16 ha (22.11%), respectively; other land covers, plantation forest 45601.12 ha (9.77%) and shrubs 314722.96 ha (6.74%). However, there is a very significant increase in mixed dryland agriculture areas, from 3186.33 ha (0.68%) in 2000 to 19283.26 ha (4.13%) in 2021. Forest area management has shown a positive trend by significantly increasing in primary dryland forest areas, but there has also been a significant increase in mixed dryland agriculture areas. It is important to find solutions to prevent the spread of deforestation and maintain the sustainability and services of forest ecosystems.

Soil carbon and nitrogen responses to forage cropping systems following irrigation retirement

AbstractLimited annual precipitation and increasing scarcity of irrigation water are forcing farmers in arid and semi‐arid regions to convert irrigated fields into dryland farming, yet their impacts on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions are not fully understood. This study evaluated changes in soil C and N fractions and forage production under four cropping systems after irrigation retirement in a semi‐arid condition. Treatments included an annual winter wheat forage (Triticum aestivum L.) (AWW), a perennial wheat (PW) forage (T. aestivum L. × Thinopyrum spp.) (PW), a mixture of native grasses (NG), and a pasture crop (PC = AWW and NG mixture). Evaluation of various soil C and N fractions, forage dry matter yield, and nutritive value parameters suggested that soil inorganic N and potentially mineralizable N (PMN) were 38%–45% and 36%–44% greater in autumn 2020 and 62%–68% and 46%–55% greater in spring 2021 under AWW and PW, respectively, than NG and PC. Soil potentially mineralizable carbon (PMC) was 58%–129% and 64%–138% greater under NG and PW than AWW and PC. The responses of other soil C and N fractions varied with soil sampling dates but not with crops or crop × sampling date interaction. Total forage dry matter yield was 4016, 7849, 12,517, and 13,869 kg ha−1 for AWW, PW, PC, and NG, respectively, and PW had the best forage nutritive value. These results suggest soil C and N mineralization could be enhanced by adopting perennial systems, including NG, PW, and PC, while PW maintains good‐quality forage production.

Agronomic use of solarization technology on soil fertility and pest management in dryland agriculture

Agronomic use of solarization technology on soil fertility and pest management in dryland agriculture