New publication by Zhang et al. 2025

The article by Zhang et al. (2025) deals with the problem of nitrogen management in the Huang-Huai-Hai region of China. This region has problems with excess nitrogen in winter wheat-maize rotations, due in particular to an insufficient understanding of the nitrogen cycle in intercropping and the long-term effects of nitrogen accumulation in the crop-soil system.

The Stics model was calibrated and evaluated for the winter wheat-maize rotation in the region using long-term experimental data (11 years) combining different nitrogen application scenarios. The model reproduces well the dynamics of shoot biomass, nitrogen uptake and soil water content. It can be used to simulate short- and long-term yields relatively well under different nitrogen inputs.

The simulations show higher nitrogen mineralisation during maize cultivation than during wheat cultivation, due to higher soil temperature and humidity. As a result, they have been able to draw up recommendations for optimal nitrogen inputs depending on the crop.

Datong Zhang, Shuaijie Shen, Zhiyuan Bai, Matthew Tom Harrison, Ke Liu, Robert M. Rees, Cairistiona F.E. Topp, Jun Zou, Yuhao Yang, Zhenwei Song, Haotian Chen, Xiaogang Yin, Optimizing N rate in wheat-maize rotation to match long-term and inter-seasonal N turnover for high yield and sustainability using STICS, Field Crops Research, Volume 322, 2025, 109718, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109718.