Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method
With an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize produc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Integrative Agriculture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311918621513 |
| _version_ | 1819108180107460608 |
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| author | Guang-feng CHEN Hong-zhu CAO Dong-dong CHEN Ling-bo ZHANG Wei-li ZHAO Yu ZHANG Wen-qi MA Rong-feng JIANG Hong-yan ZHANG Fu-suo ZHANG |
| author_facet | Guang-feng CHEN Hong-zhu CAO Dong-dong CHEN Ling-bo ZHANG Wei-li ZHAO Yu ZHANG Wen-qi MA Rong-feng JIANG Hong-yan ZHANG Fu-suo ZHANG |
| author_sort | Guang-feng CHEN |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize production in China, an improved, more sustainable farmer management system is needed. Establishing this system requires a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of current farming practice and the ways it could be improved. In our study, 235 plots from three villages in the North China Plain (NCP) were monitored. Maize production on farms was evaluated; our results showed that the maize yield and nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFPN) were variable on smallholder farms at 6.6–13.7 t ha−1 and 15.4–88.7 kg kg−1, respectively. Traditional farming practices also have a large environmental impact (nitrogen surplus: −64.2–323.78 kg ha−1). Key yield components were identified by agronomic diagnosis. Grain yield depend heavily on grain numbers per hectare rather than on the 1000-grain weight. A set of improved management practices (IP) for maize production was designed by employing a boundary line (BL) approach and tested on farms. Results showed that the IP could increase yield by 18.4% and PFPN by 31.1%, compared with traditional farmer practices (FP), and reduce the nitrogen (N) surplus by 57.9 kg ha−1. However, in terms of IP effect, there was a large heterogeneity among different smallholder farmers' fields, meaning that, precise technologies were needed in different sites especially for N fertilizer management. Our results are valuable for policymakers and smallholder farmers for meeting the objectives of green development in agricultural production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:05:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec7c3765565a493dbb98281fa62e0b50 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2095-3119 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T03:05:50Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Integrative Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec7c3765565a493dbb98281fa62e0b502022-12-21T18:41:04ZengElsevierJournal of Integrative Agriculture2095-31192019-08-0118816671679Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis methodGuang-feng CHEN0Hong-zhu CAO1Dong-dong CHEN2Ling-bo ZHANG3Wei-li ZHAO4Yu ZHANG5Wen-qi MA6Rong-feng JIANG7Hong-yan ZHANG8Fu-suo ZHANG9College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100125, P.R.China; Correspondence CHEN Guang-feng, Mobile: +86-15652770767College of Resources and Environment Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, P.R.ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; Correspondence ZHANG Hong-yan, Mobile: +86-13718372760College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100193, P.R.ChinaWith an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize production in China, an improved, more sustainable farmer management system is needed. Establishing this system requires a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of current farming practice and the ways it could be improved. In our study, 235 plots from three villages in the North China Plain (NCP) were monitored. Maize production on farms was evaluated; our results showed that the maize yield and nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFPN) were variable on smallholder farms at 6.6–13.7 t ha−1 and 15.4–88.7 kg kg−1, respectively. Traditional farming practices also have a large environmental impact (nitrogen surplus: −64.2–323.78 kg ha−1). Key yield components were identified by agronomic diagnosis. Grain yield depend heavily on grain numbers per hectare rather than on the 1000-grain weight. A set of improved management practices (IP) for maize production was designed by employing a boundary line (BL) approach and tested on farms. Results showed that the IP could increase yield by 18.4% and PFPN by 31.1%, compared with traditional farmer practices (FP), and reduce the nitrogen (N) surplus by 57.9 kg ha−1. However, in terms of IP effect, there was a large heterogeneity among different smallholder farmers' fields, meaning that, precise technologies were needed in different sites especially for N fertilizer management. Our results are valuable for policymakers and smallholder farmers for meeting the objectives of green development in agricultural production.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311918621513smallholder farmerssustainable productionyield gapagronomic diagnosisNorth China Plain |
| spellingShingle | Guang-feng CHEN Hong-zhu CAO Dong-dong CHEN Ling-bo ZHANG Wei-li ZHAO Yu ZHANG Wen-qi MA Rong-feng JIANG Hong-yan ZHANG Fu-suo ZHANG Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method Journal of Integrative Agriculture smallholder farmers sustainable production yield gap agronomic diagnosis North China Plain |
| title | Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method |
| title_full | Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method |
| title_fullStr | Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method |
| title_short | Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method |
| title_sort | developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the north china plain an agronomic diagnosis method |
| topic | smallholder farmers sustainable production yield gap agronomic diagnosis North China Plain |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311918621513 |
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