Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode

Excessive phosphorus (P) fertilization has led to high soil P accumulation in pear orchards across China, increasing the risk of P loss while limiting economic returns. Orchard grassing has been proposed as a strategy to optimize soil P content and reduce P loss; however, its limited economic benefi...

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Main Authors: Haoran Fu, Qingxu Ma, Hong Chen, Lianghuan Wu, Yanmei Ye
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1296
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author Haoran Fu
Qingxu Ma
Hong Chen
Lianghuan Wu
Yanmei Ye
author_facet Haoran Fu
Qingxu Ma
Hong Chen
Lianghuan Wu
Yanmei Ye
author_sort Haoran Fu
collection DOAJ
description Excessive phosphorus (P) fertilization has led to high soil P accumulation in pear orchards across China, increasing the risk of P loss while limiting economic returns. Orchard grassing has been proposed as a strategy to optimize soil P content and reduce P loss; however, its limited economic benefits have hindered widespread adoption. To address this, we developed a novel planting and mowing ryegrass (MF) system, integrating P loss mitigation with improved economic returns. A two-year field experiment was conducted in the Yangtze River Basin to assess the effects of this system on soil P fractions, P loss risk, and pear production. The results showed that soil available nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), and total P content were significantly lower in the MF treatment compared to natural grassing (NG) at different growth stages. Moreover, the MF treatment increased pear yield by 14.7–16.7% and reduced titratable acidity by 23.5–47.1%, with these improvements primarily driven by changes in phosphorus-related indicators (NaOH-Pi, NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-Pi, and intermediate P) across different years. Additionally, the reduction in NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-Pi in the MF treatment contributed to a decline in P leaching risk indicators, including Olsen-P and CaCl<sub>2</sub>-P. These findings highlight the potential of the MF system as a sustainable orchard management strategy, effectively optimizing soil P dynamics, mitigating P leaching risks, and enhancing pear yield and quality under high P conditions.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2073-4395
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publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-aca13b854ac840b3b471ee93e06acd662025-08-20T03:26:16ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-05-01156129610.3390/agronomy15061296Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass ModeHaoran Fu0Qingxu Ma1Hong Chen2Lianghuan Wu3Yanmei Ye4Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaZhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaSchool of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaZhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaSchool of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaExcessive phosphorus (P) fertilization has led to high soil P accumulation in pear orchards across China, increasing the risk of P loss while limiting economic returns. Orchard grassing has been proposed as a strategy to optimize soil P content and reduce P loss; however, its limited economic benefits have hindered widespread adoption. To address this, we developed a novel planting and mowing ryegrass (MF) system, integrating P loss mitigation with improved economic returns. A two-year field experiment was conducted in the Yangtze River Basin to assess the effects of this system on soil P fractions, P loss risk, and pear production. The results showed that soil available nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), and total P content were significantly lower in the MF treatment compared to natural grassing (NG) at different growth stages. Moreover, the MF treatment increased pear yield by 14.7–16.7% and reduced titratable acidity by 23.5–47.1%, with these improvements primarily driven by changes in phosphorus-related indicators (NaOH-Pi, NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-Pi, and intermediate P) across different years. Additionally, the reduction in NaHCO<sub>3</sub>-Pi in the MF treatment contributed to a decline in P leaching risk indicators, including Olsen-P and CaCl<sub>2</sub>-P. These findings highlight the potential of the MF system as a sustainable orchard management strategy, effectively optimizing soil P dynamics, mitigating P leaching risks, and enhancing pear yield and quality under high P conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1296pear yieldP fractionplanting and mowing ryegrassP leaching losstitratable acids
spellingShingle Haoran Fu
Qingxu Ma
Hong Chen
Lianghuan Wu
Yanmei Ye
Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
Agronomy
pear yield
P fraction
planting and mowing ryegrass
P leaching loss
titratable acids
title Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
title_full Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
title_fullStr Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
title_full_unstemmed Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
title_short Mitigating Soil Phosphorus Leaching Risk and Improving Pear Production Through Planting and Mowing Ryegrass Mode
title_sort mitigating soil phosphorus leaching risk and improving pear production through planting and mowing ryegrass mode
topic pear yield
P fraction
planting and mowing ryegrass
P leaching loss
titratable acids
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/6/1296
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AT hongchen mitigatingsoilphosphorusleachingriskandimprovingpearproductionthroughplantingandmowingryegrassmode
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