Agricultural Environmental Protection Research Articles

Rumen fluid pretreatment promotes anaerobic methane production: revealing microbial dynamics driving increased acid yield from different concentrations of corn straw.

In this work, the corn straw (CS) with concentrations of 3%, 6%, and 9% (w/v) were pretreated by rumen fluid (RF) and then used for batched mesophilic biogas production. The results showed that after a 6-day pretreatment, volatile fatty acid (VFAs) production of 3.78, 8.27, and 10.4 g/L could be found in 3%, 6%, and 9%, respectively. When concerning with biogas production, the highest accumulative methane production of 149.1 mL CH4/g volatile solid was achieved by 6% pretreated CS, which was 22% and 45% higher than 3% and 9%, respectively. Also, it was 3.6 times higher than the same concentration of unpretreated CS. The results of the microbial community structure analysis revealed that the 6% CS pretreatment not only maintained a microbial community with the highest richness and diversity, but also exhibited the highest relative abundance of Firmicutes (45%) and Euryarchaeota (3.9%). This high abundance was conducive to its elevated production of VFAs and methane. These findings provide scientific reference for the utilization of CS and support the development of agricultural waste resource utilization and environmental protection.

Agricultural Environment and Intelligent Plant Protection Equipment

Intelligent plant protection equipment utilizes advanced sensor technology and data analysis algorithms to achieve real-time monitoring and precise management of crop growth status, pest and disease situations, and environmental parameters [...]

Promoting Straw Recycling to Accelerate the Sustainable Development of Agriculture

Guided by Xi Jinping’s thought of socialism of the new era with Chinese characteristics in the 14th Five-Year Plan, the comprehensive utilization of straw is closely integrated with the annual key tasks of improving rural areas, by adhering to the priority of agricultural use, industry-oriented, multi-measures, and focusing on counties and municipalities with larger amounts of straw resources. Agricultural modernization requires that provincial policies focus on promoting the utilization of straw as fertilizer, feed, energy production, substrate, raw material, and so on while emphasizing the establishment of a complete straw collection, storage, and transportation system. In response to the problem of the open burning of straw in recent years, China has adopted a variety of policies and measures to control pollution and rationally utilize straw resources. The state and provinces have issued many policy documents on straw resource management, which are divided into the management of straw burning, comprehensive utilization of straw, planning of the straw energy industry, and financial subsidies. Rational utilization of straw not only solves the key issues of employment of farmers but also promotes ecological efficiency and rural economic development. The research results of straw recycling have also made important progress in improving the utilization rate and value of straw, promoting the resource utilization of agricultural waste, and providing important technical support for the sustainable development of China’s agriculture and rural environmental protection.

Value chains of selected products as elements of sustainability of agricultural production

The value chain concept is often used in the analysis of agricultural competitiveness. Its application seeks ways and activities that add value to products. The focus is on finding opportunities for efficient monitoring of modern trends, challenges and business risk assessment in order to sustainably produce processing and marketing of agri-food products. The production of fruits and vegetables by small producers is characterized by short chains from production to product placement, without adding value. There are numerous critical points in the analyzed chains, such as quality of input, processing, drying and storage of products, lack of training and financial resources for storage and preservation of products after harvest. The link between primary production and the processing industry should ensure stability for primary producers in terms of the market, and entities in the processing industry for continuity in the supply of raw materials of domestic origin. In order to improve product value chains, and thus the competitiveness of the national agri-food sector, it is necessary to improve productivity in primary production, horizontal and vertical integration, as well as additional investments in processing capacities. The key areas in the legislation and its implementation in order to improve the value chain of livestock products are: animal husbandry, hygiene on farms and in meat processing plants, as well as environmental protection. These are some of the priorities that should create the conditions for the possibility of exporting live animals, meat and meat products to the EU. Improving the milk value chain would contribute to better efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of production, milk quality, especially in microbiological terms (reduction of the number of bacteria and somatic cells). Conditions should be created for the adoption of good agricultural practice, adaptation to market requirements, reaching standards in the field of animal welfare and health, improving the genetic potential of animals for milk production, hygiene and environmental protection. Quality is an important factor in competitiveness and sustainable agricultural production. As the main elements of the quality management system and adding value to products, the appropriate standards are applied: ISO 9000, HACCP, GMP, ISO 22000, ISO 14000, HALAL standard, Kosher standard, BRC standard, GOST-R standard, Demeter, GLOBAL GAP, IFS standard . In order to overcome and solve environmental problems of agricultural development, more and more importance is attached to the application of animal protection policy measures. Domestic and international standards and regulations for environmental management ISO 14001 are applied, including the EU Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Genetic potentials and biological diversification are important for the development and sustainability of agricultural production. The richness of flora and fauna, genetic resources and great biological diversity constitute natural comparative advantages in every respect, especially for sustainable agricultural production and environmental protection.

Research on current situation of farmland runoff pollution and ecological treatment technology

Farmland runoff pollution, caused by excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, poses serious threats to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. To address this issue, various ecological treatment technologies have been developed and applied, such as vegetated ditches, constructed wetlands, and bioaugmentation techniques. These systems aim to reduce nutrient and pesticide concentrations in runoff water and enhance soil quality and biodiversity. This study reviews the current state of farmland runoff pollution and the existing ecological treatment methods. It also presents the results of our comparative analysis of the performance and efficiency of different treatment systems across multiple study sites with diverse climatic conditions. We demonstrate that ecological treatment technologies can effectively remove pollutants from runoff water and improve soil properties and microbial activity. We also discuss the implications and challenges of applying these technologies for agricultural sustainability and environmental protection.

Agriculture: A Pathway to Create a Sustainable Economy

Agriculture has emerged as a critical sector for constructing a long-term economy that balances economic growth, social well-being, and environmental stewardship. This report examines the relationship between sustainable agricultural practices, economic development, and environmental protection in order to create a sustainable economy through agriculture. It emphasizes the critical significance of sustainable agriculture in generating economic prosperity. It explores how organic farming, agroecology, and precision agriculture improve production, maximize resource usage, and minimize input costs. These approaches not only promote agricultural output but also help to improve food security, farmer income, and rural livelihoods. It explains how sustainable agricultural techniques safeguard natural resources, soil fertility, water quality, and biodiversity. Sustainable agriculture guarantees long-term sustainability of agricultural systems by protecting the environment, mitigating the effects of climate change, and lowering the risk of environmental damage. It explores how sustainable agriculture fosters entrepreneurship, value chain development, and market connections, resulting in job creation, income production, and rural economic regeneration. It emphasizes the significance of supportive policies, financial access, and market-oriented initiatives in unlocking the economic potential of sustainable agriculture.
 
 Keywords: Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity, Value chain development, Agricultural ecology

Microagroecosystem models and their landscape ecological risk evolution in karst mountainous areas

Micro-spatial agroecosystem (AES) changes in karst mountain areas are a response to the human-land relationship of the human activity center. However, the changes and linkages between AESs and landscape ecological risks (LER) from a micro perspective in karst mountain areas (KMA) have not yet attracted in-depth attention from the academic community. This paper proposes the concept of microagroecosystems (MAESs) and constructs the MAES model based on the landscape development intensity (LDI) to evaluate the systematic landscape evolution rules and the LER intensity, which reflects the human-land relationship in KMA. We used the buffer ring with a 200 m cultivation range interval to categorize the MAES model into six models, namely, High-Mid-Low, High-Low-Medium, Medium-High-Low, Medium-Low-High, Medium-High-High, Low-Medium-High and Low-Medium-High, and the different models not only reflect the regional conditions but also represent the different stages of the evolution of AESs in KMAs. We found that AESs in karst mountainous areas are transforming from traditional food crop systems to economic fruit forest ecosystems, and at the same time, the gravity center of human activities is migrating from high to low altitude areas, and the ecological vitality of MAESs is showing a trend of enhancement. In addition, the regions with high altitudes and steep slopes in karst mountainous areas have a single landscape structure and are dominated by traditional food cultivation, while the regions with low altitudes and gentle slopes have a diverse landscape structure and are dominated by modern and sustainable agricultural development. Finally, we reveal that the LER in KMAs shows a trend of initial increase followed by subsequent decrease, the influence of the human-land relationship on the LER in the micro perspective is significant, and the coordination and trade-off between agricultural development and environmental protection is the key direction of development in the future. The study results can provide a reference for the rational allocation of landscape, ecological environment restoration, and optimization of regional human-land relationships in KMAs worldwide.

Green Finance Helps Rural Revitalization under the New Institutional Economics

Based on the theoretical basis of new institutional economics, this paper discusses and analyzes the role of green finance in helping rural revitalization. Rural revitalization is an important strategy for China's economic development, while green finance is an important means to achieve sustainable development. This paper first introduces the basic concepts of new institutional economics and green finance, then analyzes the problems faced by rural revitalization and the advantages of green finance, and points out the relationship between green finance and institutional economics. Secondly, this paper expounds the specific application of green finance in rural revitalization from two aspects of agricultural production and environmental protection. Then, this article evaluates the benefits of green finance for rural revitalization. Finally, this paper summarizes the significance of green finance to help rural revitalization under the new institutional economics.

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge with ultrasonic pretreatment.

This study investigated the effect of ultrasonic (US) pretreatment at three different contact times (30, 45, and 60 min) with a power of 240 W and frequency of 40 kHz on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and enteric pathogens during anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge. By using real time-qPCR, three MGEs (int1, int2, and tnpA) and seven ARGs (sul1, sul2, tetW, tetA, tetO, ermF, and aac(6')-lb) were quantified that have serious human health impacts and represent the most widely used antibiotics (tetracycline, sulfonamide, macrolide, and aminoglycoside). Results indicated that US pretreatment under different contact times improved the removal of ARGs and MGEs. Compared to 30 and 45 min of US pretreatment, 60 min of US pretreatment resulted in a higher reduction of ARGs with total ARG reduction of 41.70 ± 1.13%. Furthermore, the relative abundance of ARGs and MGEs after US pretreatment was reduced more effectively in anaerobic reactors than in a control AD without US pretreatment. The total ARGs and MGEs removal efficiency of control AD was 44.07 ± 0.72% and 63.69 ± 1.43%, and if US pretreatment at different times were applied, the total ARGs and MGEs removal efficiency of the whole pretreatment AD process improved to 59.71 ± 2.76-68.54 ± 1.58% and 69.82 ± 2.15-76.84 ± 0.22%. The highest removal of total ARGs (68.54 ± 1.58%) and MGEs (76.84 ± 0.22%) was achieved after AD with US pretreatment at 45 min. However, US pretreatment and AD with US pretreatment were not effective in inactivation of enteric pathogens (total coliforms and E. coli), suggesting that posttreatment is needed prior to land application of sludge to reduce the level of enteric pathogens. There was no detection of the studied ARGs and MGEs in the enteric pathogens after US pretreatment in subsequent AD. According to this study, long contact times of US pretreatment can mitigate ARGs and MGEs in AD processes, offering valuable insight into improving environmental safety and sustainable waste management. Additionally, the study highlights the need to investigate posttreatment techniques for reducing enteric pathogens in AD effluent, a crucial consideration for agricultural use and environmental protection.

Should environmental taxes be imposed on agriculture? Analysis from the welfare perspective

IntroductionEnvironmental taxation is an essential regulatory tool for governments seeking to optimize agricultural production, enhance the environment, and guarantee food safety. Concerns exist, however, regarding the imposition of environmental taxes on agriculture, as this could be detrimental to the interests of agricultural producers and consumers. To address these challenges, it is essential to integrate agricultural production, environmental protection, and economic development, which can better comprehend the effects of agricultural environmental taxes on production decisions, the environment, the economy, and society.MethodsTo better comprehend the effects of agricultural environmental taxes on production decisions, the environment, the economy, and society, this paper constructs a mathematical model and analyzes optimal outcomes from a welfare perspective. The study examines the structure of consumer groups, classifying them as either green or non-green.Results and discussionFirst, when both consumer groups coexist on the market, imposing environmental taxes on non-green agricultural producers does not always result in a reduction in social welfare. Within a specific tax range, it is possible to accomplish a tripling of social welfare, agricultural producer welfare, and environmental benefits. Second, as the tax rate rises, the environment progressively improves while consumer surplus diminishes. Within a particular tax range, producer surplus and social welfare both increase. Third, as the proportion of green consumers in the market and ordinary consumers’ awareness of green agricultural foods increases, the positive impact of taxation on the environment decreases, while its positive impact on producer surplus and consumer surplus increases. Taxation can also have a positive effect on the social welfare under certain conditions.ContributionsFirst, we comprehensively investigate the feasibility of agricultural environmental taxation from a welfare perspective, considering market competition and segmentation, which fills a gap in previous studies. Second, we establish a reasonable range for taxation that simultaneously enhances social welfare, producer welfare, and environmental benefits. Third, we explore the relationship between market segmentation structure, ordinary consumers’ awareness of green agricultural foods, and welfare, providing insights into the different attitudes of countries and regions toward agricultural environmental taxation.

A timing self-cleaning nanoherbicide: Design of triple-structure nanovectors for weed control and pesticide residues treatment

Pesticide residues treatment is a crucial issue for both agricultural production and environmental protection. In recent years, designing self-cleaning nanoformulations has emerged as a promising strategy for reducing pesticide residues in a convenient and cost-effective manner. However, traditional physical blending methods of photodegradation reagents with nanocarriers have limitations in terms of pesticide residue degradation efficiency and active ingredient efficacy. Here, a new type of timing self-cleaning nanoherbicide dicamba@mSiO2/ATA/TiO2 with a triple structure was fabricated. Dicamba, a widely used herbicide that was attracting increasing concern over its high efficiency and broad spectrum, was selected as the model herbicide and loaded on the mSiO2 shell. In the stage of pesticide release, the TiO2 and dicamba were separated by the timing-barrier. Therefore, the efficacy of dicamba was not affected by the photocatalyst. During the release process, the ATA layer continuously absorbed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by TiO2 and was gradually degraded. Finally, the barrier was destroyed, and the residual dicamba in the carrier was degraded by TiO2. Compared with the traditional physical blending method, this triple structure avoided the degradation of active ingredients by photocatalysts during the pesticide release period. The experimental results suggested that this nanoformulation improved the efficacy of the herbicide, and reduced the pesticide residues, providing a new approach for self-cleaning nanopesticides research.

Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) and Satellite Imagery Fusion for Soil Physical Property Predicting

This study aims to predict vital soil physical properties, including clay, sand, and silt, which are essential for agricultural management and environmental protection. Precision distribution of soil texture is crucial for effective land resource management and precision agriculture. To achieve this, we propose an innovative approach that combines Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) with the fusion of satellite imagery to predict soil physical properties. We collected 317 soil samples from Iran’s Golestan province for dependent data. The independent dataset encompasses 14 parameters from Landsat-8 satellite images, seven topographic parameters from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM, and two meteorological parameters. Using the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, we conducted feature importance analysis. We employed a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), RF, and our hybrid CNN-RF model to predict soil properties, comparing their performance with various metrics. This hybrid CNN-RF network combines the strengths of CNN networks and the RF algorithm for improved soil texture prediction. The hybrid CNN-RF model demonstrated superior performance across metrics, excelling in predicting sand (MSE: 0.00003%, RMSE: 0.006%), silt (MSE: 0.00004%, RMSE: 0.006%), and clay (MSE: 0.00005%, RMSE: 0.007%). Moreover, the hybrid model exhibited improved precision in predicting clay (R2: 0.995), sand (R2: 0.992), and silt (R2: 0.987), as indicated by the R2 index. The RF algorithm identified MRVBF, LST, and B7 as the most influential parameters for clay, sand, and silt prediction, respectively, underscoring the significance of remote sensing, topography, and climate. Our integrated GeoAI-satellite imagery approach provides valuable tools for monitoring soil degradation, optimizing agricultural irrigation, and assessing soil quality. This methodology has significant potential to advance precision agriculture and land resource management practices.

Measurement and temporal and spatial characteristics of agricultural eco-efficiency under climate change: a case study of Anhui, China

IntroductionAgricultural eco-efficiency is an important index to evaluate the agricultural sustainable development and ecological economics, while simultaneously providing a metric for improvements to the rural environment and the stability of agricultural ecosystems.MethodsThis study took Anhui province as a case, and applied unit survey and list analysis methodologies to quantify rural agricultural non-point source pollution (NPS). Input-oriented super-efficient DEA-SBM was used to measure agricultural eco-efficiency in the typical North-South Transition Zone, and evaluated spatial correlations and differences.ResultsThis study showed that NPS was relatively stable, with less than 5% local variation in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), and Total Phosphorus (TP) pollutants. The environmental pressure caused by livestock breeding and the use of chemical fertilizers was very substantial, and the differences of rural agricultural NPS in Anhui Province had obvious north-south characteristics. The agricultural eco-efficiency exhibited an “inverted N” trend. Affected by the “Spatial proximity effect” and the “Matthew effect”, it presented spatial agglomeration and positive spatial correlation. The regional differences were significant, and the heterogeneity increased in our study areas. The southern region had the greatest variation, followed by the northern region, with the smallest variation in the central region, although inter-regional differences were consistent.DiscussionThough the rational allocation of resources, coordination between agricultural economic and environmental protection would be realized, and better conditions for the sustainable development of agricultural ecology and the long-term stability of agricultural ecosystem would be created.

Bulanık Mantık Yaklaşımı Kullanılarak Kızılırmak Nehri Aylık Ortalama Akımlarının Tahmini

River flow values are used in the design and operation of hydraulic structures. Determining the correct flow value is important in terms of controlling water movements in the operation of hydraulic structures, irrigation of agricultural lands, hydroelectric production, environmental protection and flood control. In the literature, different methods are used to predict possible river flows using the available data. The fuzzy logic approach is a kind of intelligent system method used in solving problems involving uncertainty. The method has been widely used in the modeling of hydrological data for 2000’s. In this study, the fuzzy logic method was applied to estimate the flow data of Yamula Station on the Kızılırmak River in the Kızılırmak basin, one of the largest basins in Turkey. In addition to these flow station data, the monthly average temperature and monthly total precipitation data of the Kayseri meteorology station, which affects the station flows, were also used for modeling. Three different models were created for the flow estimates. In these models, temperature and precipitation data were selected as input values and river flow data were chosen as output values. In the models, 1982-2012 data of the stations were used. Model output data were tested with data set of 2013, 2014 and 2015. As a result, it has been seen that the fuzzy logic approach gave healthy results when both temperature and precipitation data were used as inputs.

Decoupling relationship between greenhouse gas emissions from cropland utilization and crop yield in China: implications for green agricultural development.

Developing low-carbon utilization of cropland is critical to coordinate agricultural production and environmental protection. Based on a theoretical analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and crop production, this study examined the GHG emissions from cropland utilization in China and the decoupling process from crop yields with consideration of different sources and then explored the driving factors in different regions. The results showed that the GHG emissions from cropland utilization in China rose first and then fell between 2003 and 2020, and the decoupling process has undergone three stages, namely "expansive coupling", "weak decoupling", and "strong decoupling". And the eastern and southern provinces are relatively ahead of the western and northwestern provinces. Additionally, crop yields have been basically decoupled from GHG emissions caused by agricultural inputs, but they were still not decoupled from GHG emissions from cropland in Northeastern and Northern China. Among the influencing factors, utilization efficiency has promoted the decoupling progress, the input structure has played a promoting role in the early stage and hindered it later, and the input intensity and the scale have worked as hindering factors. Policy implications have been proposed to support the sustainable development of agriculture.

Design Optimization of Hammer Blade Crusher to Improve the Crushing Performance

China is a large agricultural country, each year will produce a large number of straw. The recycling of straw to China's agricultural development and environmental protection are very helpful, the recycling of straw is mainly energy, fertilizer, feed several uses, different uses need different crushing fineness, so adjust the crushing fineness can improve the recycling rate of straw. This paper mainly on the impact of straw crushing fineness factors for This paper focuses on the theoretical analysis and study of the factors affecting the fineness of straw crushing, and provides a general design plan for the crushing chamber.Firstly, the effect of different hammer and sieve gaps on the pulverisation fineness is studied and the straw pulverisation fineness is changed by changing the hammer and sieve gaps. The effect of hammer blade material, structure, arrangement, distribution density and hammer blade speed on the fineness of the straw is studied. Study the effect of the aperture size and arrangement of the sieve on the fineness of the crushing, and adjust the fineness of the crushing by changing the aperture size of the sieve. The study of the material in the crushing process generated by the "ring flow layer" mechanism, and by changing the shape of the crushing chamber structure to destroy the "ring flow layer" on the impact of the crushing performance of the crusher.Secondly, according to the production requirements of the hammer mill, the structure and material of the hammer blade and screen plate are designed and selected, and the hammer blade is analysed statically using Ansys, the rotor is analysed modally, a complete model of the crushing chamber is designed, and a three-dimensional model of the crushing chamber is built using SolidWorks.Finally, after simulation calculations, the design of the rotor headquarters structure is reasonable. An adjustable hammer and sieve clearance was achieved, reducing costs and improving the efficiency of the pulveriser crushing.

Combining Multi-Source Data and Feature Optimization for Plastic-Covered Greenhouse Extraction and Mapping Using the Google Earth Engine: A Case in Central Yunnan Province, China

Rapidly increasing numbers of the plastic-covered greenhouse (PCG) worldwide ensure food security but threaten environmental security; thus, accurate monitoring of the spatiotemporal pattern in plastic-covered greenhouses (PCGs) is necessary for modern agricultural management and environmental protection. However, many urgent issues still exist in PCG mapping, such as multi-source data combination, classification accuracy improvement, spatiotemporal scale expansion, and dynamic trend quantification. To address these problems, this study proposed a new framework that progressed layer by layer from multi-feature scenario construction, classifier and feature scenario preliminary screening, feature optimization, and spatiotemporal mapping, to rapidly identify large-scale PCGs by integrating multi-source data using Google Earth Engine (GEE), and the framework was first applied to Central Yunnan Province (CYP), where PCGs are concentrated but no relevant research exists. The results suggested that: (1) combining the random forest (RF) classifier and spectrum (S) + backscatter (B) + index (I) + texture (T) + terrain (Tr) feature scenario produced the highest F-score (95.60%) and overall accuracy (88.04%). (2) The feature optimization for the S + I + T + B + Tr scenario positively impacted PCG recognition, increasing the average F-score by 1.03% (96.63% vs. 95.60%). (3) The 6-year average F-score of the PCGs extracted by the combined RF algorithm and the optimal feature subset exceeded 95.00%, and its spatiotemporal mapping results indicated that PCGs were prominently agglomerated in the central CYP and continuously expanded by an average of 65.45 km2/yr from 2016 to 2021. The research reveals that based on the GEE platform, multi-source data can be integrated through a feature optimization algorithm to more efficiently map PCG spatiotemporal information in complex regions.

Determinants of adoption of multiple sustainable agriculture practices among mandarin producing farmers in Salyan District of Karnali Province, Nepal

Sustainable agriculture practices (SAPs) are eco-friendly farming techniques, which ensure the agricultural production and environmental protection simultaneously. The aim of this study was to identify the potential SAPs being adopted by farmers, their adoptability, and to assess the determinant factors for multiple SAPs adoption. For this, face-to-face interview with 120 mandarin producing farmers, six focus groups, and 11 key informants was conducted in Salyan District of Karnali Province, Nepal. Farms were categorized into four categories on the basis of sustainability score and required inferences on quantitative and qualitative data were made by descriptive statistics and probit regression. Results revealed that majority of the mandarin farms were categorized as fairly low and fairly high categories. Factors such as age, gender, and schooling of household head, access to the Internet, distance of market for farm inputs, and availability of human labor had significantly increased the probability of multiple SAPs adoption at varied level of significance. Farm level policies regarding dissemination of integrated nutrient and pest management tactics, subsidization on eco-friendly farm inputs via cooperatives, trainings, demonstration, and field workshops should be formulated and implemented effectively.

Crop Production and Security in Ningjin County of the North China Plain

Stable growth in grain production is a critical challenge to ensure food security in North China Plain (NCP), an area dominated by smallholder farming. Food production and security of NCP largely depend on how smallholders farm their land. This study took Ningjin County of the NCP as an example to describe the characteristics of crop planting structure and the changes in crop production based on household surveys, statistics, various documents, and literature by descriptive statistics, calculation of crop self-sufficiency, and curve fitting, and aimed to reveal crop security and the influencing factors of crop production at the household level. The results were as follows: (1) Wheat and maize sown area accounted for 61.69% and 47.96% of the total sown area of crops during 2000–2020, increasing at a rate of 3.42% and 5.93%, respectively. Their planted areas increased from 27.52% and 15.54% in 2000 to 47.82% and 44.75% in 2020, respectively. (2) The self-sufficiency rate of maize showed a significant upward trend and reached its peak in 2019. the self-sufficiency rate of wheat also showed an increasing trend, from 192.87% to 617.37%, which indicates that wheat and maize can meet food self-sufficiency and the per capita grain yield is in a safe state. (3) The trends on wheat yield and fertilizer initially grew, then decreased, closely resembling an inverted “U”, while the maize yield showed a pattern of increasing first and then basically remaining stable, similar to an “S” shape. A turning point for fertilizer use (550 kg/ha) was identified, indicating the limits of fertilizer use to increase yield. The national agricultural production and environmental protection policies, continuous improvement of crop varieties, as well as the farmers’ traditional practices have significant impacts on crop production. This study will enhance management practices for improved yield, which can support the integrated management of agricultural production in intensive agricultural areas.

An Overview of the Impact of Tillage and Cropping Systems on Soil Health in Agricultural Practices

There is currently a demand to grow more crops in less area as a result of urbanization’s reduction of agricultural land. As a result, soil fertility is gradually declining. To maintain soil fertility, various management methods are used in modern times. The conventional tillage method is a traditional tillage method that damages soil structure, but zero tillage can improve soil quality. By maintaining soil structure with no-tillage, biological processes are frequently improved and microbial biodiversity is increased. This review helps to understand the role of tillage as well as cropping systems in increasing crop production by maintaining soil fertility. For agricultural production and environmental protection to be sustained for future generations, soil quality must be maintained and improved in continuous cropping systems. The nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and microbial community are all impacted by different cropping systems and tillage methods. They also alter soil properties including structure, aeration, and water utilization. The impact of tillage and cropping system practices such as zero and conventional tillage systems, crop rotation, intercropping, cover cropping, cultivator combinations, and prairie strip techniques on soil fertility is carefully summarized in this review. The result highlights that conservational tillage is much better than conventional tillage for soil quality and different aspects of different tillage and their interaction. On the other hand, intercropping, crop rotation, cover cropping, etc., increase the crop yield more than monocropping. Different types of cropping systems are highlighted along with their advantages and disadvantages. Using zero tillage can increase crop production as well as maintain soil fertility which is highlighted in this review. In terms of cropping systems and tillage management, our main goal is to improve crop yield while minimizing harm to the soil’s health.