Diversifying crop rotation increases food production, reduces net greenhouse gas emissions and improves soil health.
Nat Commun
; 15(1): 198, 2024 Jan 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38172570
ABSTRACT
Global food production faces challenges in balancing the need for increased yields with environmental sustainability. This study presents a six-year field experiment in the North China Plain, demonstrating the benefits of diversifying traditional cereal monoculture (wheat-maize) with cash crops (sweet potato) and legumes (peanut and soybean). The diversified rotations increase equivalent yield by up to 38%, reduce N2O emissions by 39%, and improve the system's greenhouse gas balance by 88%. Furthermore, including legumes in crop rotations stimulates soil microbial activities, increases soil organic carbon stocks by 8%, and enhances soil health (indexed with the selected soil physiochemical and biological properties) by 45%. The large-scale adoption of diversified cropping systems in the North China Plain could increase cereal production by 32% when wheat-maize follows alternative crops in rotation and farmer income by 20% while benefiting the environment. This study provides an example of sustainable food production practices, emphasizing the significance of crop diversification for long-term agricultural resilience and soil health.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
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Solo
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Gases de Efeito Estufa
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Commun
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article