Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China

Improved soil and crop management practices are essential for enhancing soybean production, but a comprehensive evaluation of agronomic performance, economic benefit and environmental sustainability associated with various soil and crop management practices is still missing. Field experiments were p...

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Main Authors: Zhenqi Liao, Xiaohui Ding, Hongxin Zhang, Hui Zhang, Zhijun Li, Fucang Zhang, Junliang Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Agricultural Water Management
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425001283
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author Zhenqi Liao
Xiaohui Ding
Hongxin Zhang
Hui Zhang
Zhijun Li
Fucang Zhang
Junliang Fan
author_facet Zhenqi Liao
Xiaohui Ding
Hongxin Zhang
Hui Zhang
Zhijun Li
Fucang Zhang
Junliang Fan
author_sort Zhenqi Liao
collection DOAJ
description Improved soil and crop management practices are essential for enhancing soybean production, but a comprehensive evaluation of agronomic performance, economic benefit and environmental sustainability associated with various soil and crop management practices is still missing. Field experiments were performed on soybean using a split-split plot design on the Loess Plateau of China in 2019 and 2020, with soil water management practice as the main plot (NM: flat cultivation; RF: ridge-furrow cultivation with film mulch; RW: ridge-furrow cultivation with film mulch and supplemental irrigation), nitrogen rate as the sub-plot (N30: 30 kg N ha−1 and N60: 60 kg N ha−1) and seeding rate as the sub-sub plot (D16: 160,000 plants ha−1 and D32: 320,000 plants ha−1). A multi-level multi-objective fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was established for analysis. The results indicated that the soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate (p < 0.01) as well as the interaction between nitrogen rate and seeding rate significantly (p < 0.01) affected the growth, photosynthetic capacity, grain yield and its components, seed quality, economic benefits and resource use efficiency of soybean. The RWN30D32 treatment achieved the highest ranking for multi-objective optimization in both growing seasons. Compared with the local management strategy (NMN60D16), RWN30D32 significantly (p < 0.05) increased the canopy photosynthetic capacity, biological yield, grain yield, seed protein yield, seed oil yield, net income, ratio of output over input costs, crop water productivity, partial factor productivity of nitrogen and radiation use efficiency by 22.8 %, 66.7 %, 35.9 %, 20.1 %, 23.9 %, 69.8 %, 28.4 %, 29.0 %, 171.8 % and 18.5 %, while it decreased the hundred-grain weight, number of pods, seed protein content, seed oil content, energy use efficiency and carbon productivity by 5.4 %, 34.2 %, 11.6 %, 8.8 %, 20.5 % and 69.0 %, respectively. In conclusion, the optimized management practice exhibited significant improvements agronomic performance, economic benefits and resources use efficiency, which was recommended for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China.
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series Agricultural Water Management
spelling doaj-art-4ae13d10441544b3a6f8bc2ff47e0c232025-08-20T02:26:40ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-05-0131210941410.1016/j.agwat.2025.109414Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of ChinaZhenqi Liao0Xiaohui Ding1Hongxin Zhang2Hui Zhang3Zhijun Li4Fucang Zhang5Junliang Fan6Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaCorrespondence to: College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of the Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, ChinaImproved soil and crop management practices are essential for enhancing soybean production, but a comprehensive evaluation of agronomic performance, economic benefit and environmental sustainability associated with various soil and crop management practices is still missing. Field experiments were performed on soybean using a split-split plot design on the Loess Plateau of China in 2019 and 2020, with soil water management practice as the main plot (NM: flat cultivation; RF: ridge-furrow cultivation with film mulch; RW: ridge-furrow cultivation with film mulch and supplemental irrigation), nitrogen rate as the sub-plot (N30: 30 kg N ha−1 and N60: 60 kg N ha−1) and seeding rate as the sub-sub plot (D16: 160,000 plants ha−1 and D32: 320,000 plants ha−1). A multi-level multi-objective fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was established for analysis. The results indicated that the soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate (p < 0.01) as well as the interaction between nitrogen rate and seeding rate significantly (p < 0.01) affected the growth, photosynthetic capacity, grain yield and its components, seed quality, economic benefits and resource use efficiency of soybean. The RWN30D32 treatment achieved the highest ranking for multi-objective optimization in both growing seasons. Compared with the local management strategy (NMN60D16), RWN30D32 significantly (p < 0.05) increased the canopy photosynthetic capacity, biological yield, grain yield, seed protein yield, seed oil yield, net income, ratio of output over input costs, crop water productivity, partial factor productivity of nitrogen and radiation use efficiency by 22.8 %, 66.7 %, 35.9 %, 20.1 %, 23.9 %, 69.8 %, 28.4 %, 29.0 %, 171.8 % and 18.5 %, while it decreased the hundred-grain weight, number of pods, seed protein content, seed oil content, energy use efficiency and carbon productivity by 5.4 %, 34.2 %, 11.6 %, 8.8 %, 20.5 % and 69.0 %, respectively. In conclusion, the optimized management practice exhibited significant improvements agronomic performance, economic benefits and resources use efficiency, which was recommended for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425001283Grain yieldCrop water productivityEconomic benefitEnergy use efficiencyCarbon productivity
spellingShingle Zhenqi Liao
Xiaohui Ding
Hongxin Zhang
Hui Zhang
Zhijun Li
Fucang Zhang
Junliang Fan
Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
Agricultural Water Management
Grain yield
Crop water productivity
Economic benefit
Energy use efficiency
Carbon productivity
title Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
title_full Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
title_fullStr Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
title_full_unstemmed Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
title_short Multi-objective optimization of soil water-nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the Loess Plateau of China
title_sort multi objective optimization of soil water nitrogen management practice and seeding rate for sustainable soybean production on the loess plateau of china
topic Grain yield
Crop water productivity
Economic benefit
Energy use efficiency
Carbon productivity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425001283
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