Substituting soybean for summer maize with optimal nitrogen fertilization enhances subsequent wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency in semi-humid regions
Luo H. Liu G. Qi T. Cui N. Xie B. Xiang Y. Liu E. Meruyert M. Assiya A. Jia Z. Siddique K.H.M. Zhang P.
October 2025Elsevier B.V.
Soil and Tillage Research
2025#252
Leguminous crops are beneficial for enhancing crop yields and agricultural sustainability. However, the impacts of legume crops with optimal nitrogen (N) fertilization on the subsequent crop yield and N use efficiency (NUE) are unclear. Thus, a two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of three cropping systems (FW: fallow–wheat, SW: soybean–wheat, and MW: maize–wheat) and three N fertilization rates (N0: 0 kg N ha–1, N1: 125 kg N ha–1, and N2: 225 kg N ha–1) on the soil N accumulation, grain yield (GY), and N utilization during the winter wheat season in a semi-humid region. Our findings showed that the soil N accumulation, dry matter accumulation (DMA), GY, and NUE were highest for wheat under SW, where the GY and NUE for winter wheat were 19.29 % and 46.42 % higher than the average values under FW and MW, respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, the soil N accumulation and GY for winter wheat both increased significantly under FW and MW as the N fertilization rate increased (P < 0.05). However, with SW, there was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in the winter wheat GY under SWN1 compared with SWN2, but the residual soil N (NO3–-N and NH4+-N) decreased by 16.59 % and NUE increased by 76.19 %. In conclusion, SW combined with reduced N fertilization in a double-cropping system can enhance the subsequent winter wheat yield and NUE in semi-humid regions by increasing the accumulation and supply of soil N.
Crop rotation , Fertilization , N utilization , Soybean inclusion , Yield
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College of Agronomy/State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, Yangling, 712100, China
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Tillage Science in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shaanxi, Yangling, 712100, China
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Zhangshu City, Jiangxi, 331200, China
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University, Kostanay, 110000, Kazakhstan
The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6001, WA, Australia
College of Agronomy/State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Zhangshu City
Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture
Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University
The UWA Institute of Agriculture
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