Agricultural plastic mulch film represents a significant source of microplastic contamination in soils, raising concerns about soil health and food security. Oxo-degradable plastics (ODPs) have emerged as a potentially more sustainable alternative to current plastic mulch films, however, uncertainty remains around the degradation rate of ODPs in soil and their impacts on soil quality and crop health. The study evaluated the dynamics and impact of different concentrations of micro- and macroplastics derived from a commercial d2w ODP (0.01%, 0.1%, 1% and 10% w/w) on the growth of Zea mays in an agricultural soil over a 6-week period. Chemical analysis revealed the ODP contained about 0.29% additives by weight, primarily comprising antioxidants (tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite and its oxidized form) and lubricants, with minimal heavy metal content. ODP degradation was mainly limited to chain scission and had only partial formation of oxygenated groups, without an increase in carbonyl groups. The rate of ODP degradation was found to be inversely related to the ODP concentration in soil. Overall, typical field levels of plastic contamination (0.01% w/w) had negligible effect on soil quality or plant performance. However, higher levels of ODP contamination resulted in significant changes in soil pH, EC, NO3− and bulk density. At extreme plastic loading rates (10% w/w), both micro- and macro-sized ODPs caused significant reductions in plant growth, with microplastic treatments having consistently greater effects than the macroplastic treatments. Changes in bacterial 16S rRNA community composition were driven by Acidobacteriota and Gemmatimonadota. Macroplastics significantly altered these bacterial communities, while microplastics had minimal effect. These findings indicate that at realistic field concentrations, ODPs are likely to have little effect on agroecosystem functioning in the short-term but might persist in soil for long periods of time, leading to their progressive accumulation in agricultural soils if used over repeated cropping cycles.

Rice is the staple food of nearly half the global population, and its production must steadily increase to meet the growing demand driven by an increasing global population. While an increase in rice production heavily relies on substantial water and fertilizer inputs, which not only decreases water and fertilizer use efficiencies, but also pose significant environmental risks. Therefore, it is an urgent need to enhance yield and resource use efficiency through the development and adoption of innovative, sustainable and environmentally-friendly technologies. This paper reviews progress in green rice production over recent decades based mainly on such research. Firstly, it explores physiological strategies aimed at enhancing yield and improving resource use efficiency in rice production. Secondly, it proposes three key agronomic and physiological strategies to achieve green rice production: optimizing the grain-leaf ratio to balance source-sink dynamics, enhancing the sugar-spikelet ratio to improve sink strength and facilitate non-structural carbohydrates remobilization during grain filling, and increasing ratio of productive tillers to optimize canopy structure. Based on these strategies, a quantitative evaluation of rice population characteristics was undertaken to achieve high yield and resource use efficiency. Thirdly, green technologies for rice production is introduced, including alternate wetting-drying irrigation, three-criteria nitrogen application (based on soil, leaf color and cultivar), and water-nitrogen coupling regulation. Finally, the implication of these technologies is summarized for the major rice-growing areas in China, including Anhui, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jilin and Sichuan, and Shanghai. The future prospects for sustainable rice production is then discussed, emphasizing the potential of green technologies to meet the growing demand for rice in an environmentally sustainable way.

The implementation of green technologies has facilitated the sustainable development of China’s agriculture. However, the impact of green technologies in China’s major crops production, their mechanisms of action and their future potential have not been systematically investigated. This study used national statistics data to summarize the impact of technological innovation on production and efficiency of major grain crops in China, and to identify which technologies have made the most important contributions. National statistics data showed changes in grain production (58% increase), total planting area (8.6% increase) and structure, nutrient input (0.83 Mt decrease) and reactive nitrogen losses, and optimized planting and fertilizer structure in 2022 compared to 2000. Of these, the proposal of integrated soil-crop system management significantly decreased reactive nitrogen losses and greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and 11%, respectively. Root zone nutrient regulation techniques, such as in-season nitrogen management, increased yields by 8% and decreased nitrogen rate by 25%. Rhizosphere nutrient regulation technology increased yield by 20.2% and decreased nitrogen rate by 20%–30%. According to predictions, integrated soil-crop system management will demonstrate significant advantages in both unit area yield and total yield by the year 2050. The adoption of integrated soil-crop system management is expected to increase the total production of rice, wheat and maize by 45.8, 115 and 360 Mt, respectively. Currently, China’s agriculture is confronted by significant challenges, including rising food demand, excessive inorganic nutrient inputs, and low utilization rates of organic resources. Three key recommendations arise from this study: the implementation of precise management for organic manure; the promotion of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers; and the adoption of new technologies including integrated soil-crop system management combined with rhizosphere nutrient regulation and intelligent nutrient management. These measures will drive the development of green, high-yield and efficient agriculture.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important store of carbon and is vital to maintaining soil health. Growing crops generally causes a reduction in SOM. However, organic farming systems often adopt practices that partially mitigate this loss. Biodegradable plastic film mulch (PFM) can increase yields by improving soil hydrothermal conditions, increasing nitrogen use efficiency and suppressing weeds. It can also speed up SOM breakdown and induce changes to the soil microbiome. Further, the increased return of C from rhizodeposition and crop residues from PFM-grown crops can compensate for SOM breakdown, although outcomes vary substantially with agronomic and environmental conditions. To address these uncertainties, a plot-scale field experiment was conducted on an organic farm with a 3-year vegetable rotation measuring SOM content from treatments with and without biodegradable PFM, inputs of poultry manure or green waste compost, and with or without an overwinter green manure. Biodegradable PFM caused a significant increase in yield in all the crops grown (43%–46%) and the overwinter green manures (18%), resulting in more organic matter incorporated into the soil. Despite this, there was no significant difference in the SOM content between the biodegradable PFM- and non-PFM-mulched plots over the 3 years, nor was there any significant change in soil bacterial diversity. In contrast, the large difference in the mass of green waste compost and poultry manure addition resulted in a 15% increase in SOM after 3 years. Biodegradable PFM did not affect alpha (Shannon) or beta diversity of soil bacterial community.

The productivity and yield of rice crops are continually threatened by various biotic and abiotic stressors, with weed infestations being a primary concern. Among the many types of weeds that challenge rice cultivation, grass weeds are particularly troublesome due to their competitive nature and fast growth, which can lead to significant yield losses if not managed effectively. Normally, the detection and control of grass weeds in rice fields have relied on labor-intensive visual methods, such as visual inspections and hand-weeding. These approaches are not only time-consuming but also prone to human error, making them inefficient and costly. In recent years, remote sensing, particularly hyperspectral imaging, has emerged as a promising technology for addressing this challenge. Hyperspectral imaging systems capture a vast amount of spectral information across numerous narrow wavelength bands, enabling the differentiation of various objects and materials based on their unique spectral signatures. The objective of this review was to examine the principles of hyperspectral imaging, its advantages over current methods, and the various techniques and approaches used in weed detection and classification. Also, this paper examines the challenges and limitations associated with this technology and identify potential areas for future research and development.

In the face of rising food demand and declining wheat acreage, improving wheat yield and resource use efficiency will be key to sustainable wheat production. To address the challenge, this study proposed a framework for wheat green production, quantified the benefits of key technologies and technology models based on the framework in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and developed a new model for the promotion of technology. The framework included soil, root layer and canopy systems, where the adoption of single technologies based on the framework could increase wheat yield and NUE by improving soil fertility, managing soil nutrient supply and building high-yielding systems. Through combining specific single technologies, a year-round plastic film mulching model in dryland cropping, and an efficient nutrient and water management technique model for irrigated cropping were established, providing benefits in wheat yield and NUE. A multi-subject joint innovation technology model was also developed to serve as a bridge to transform agricultural technology into agricultural productivity. In the future, a sustainable increase in wheat production in China will require innovation in key technologies and technology models, the development of new technology promotion models, and the combined efforts of the whole community.

This study investigated the antiviral activity and molecular mechanisms of oligochitosan against potato virus Y (PVY) in Nicotiana benthamiana.The results demonstrate that oligochitosan exhibits significant anti-PVY activity, achieving a preventive efficacy of 54.7%.Biochemical analyses revealed that oligochitosan treatment enhances the activities of defense-related enzymes and stimulates hydrogen peroxide accumulation in N. benthamiana.Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified key differentially expressed genes associated with reactive oxygen species signaling and the mitogenactivated protein kinase pathway, including PYL1, PP2C, OXI1, NDPK4, MAPKKK21 and POD4.Functional characterization demonstrated that oligochitosan specifically upregulates OXI1 expression while enhancing MAPKKK21 and NDPK4 transcript levels, thereby conferring enhanced PVY resistance.These findings establish that oligochitosan-induced plant defense against PVY operates primarily through ROS-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade.This work provides novel insights into the molecular basis of the antiviral activity of oligochitosan in plant protection.

Maize is a critical grain crop in China, having the largest planting area and highest total yield of all grain crops. In the four-primary maize-producing regions of China (Northeast, North China Plain, Northwest and Southwest), persistent regional production challenges and yield-limiting factors have impeded the realization of efficient maize production. This paper reviews sustainable, yield-enhancing and efficiency-improving practices for maize production in China. By addressing the regional constraints in major maize-producing areas and incorporating strategies, such as high-yield population construction, the establishment of appropriate tillage layers and soil fertility enhancement through precise matching technologies, this study integrates regionalized integrated fertilizer application and a government-enterprise-university-research-application collaborative model, focusing on the Science and Technology Backyards. The goal is to facilitate sustainable, efficient, scaled and modernized development across diverse maize-growing regions in China. This approach is expected to provide a foundation for sustainable and efficient maize production in China.

Xinjiang, one of China’s most water-scarce provinces, produces 25% of the world’s cotton. However, changes in water consumption of cotton production in Xinjiang under two climate change scenarios is unclear. This study considered three irrigation techniques (i.e., furrow, micro (drip) and sprinkler irrigation) and simulated the blue and green water footprints of cotton production in Xinjiang at a 5-arcmin grid level in response to climate change scenarios in the 2050s and 2090s. Taking the period 2000–2018 as the baseline, results showed that this footprint of cotton in Xinjiang for the baseline period was 4264 m3·t–1, with blue water accounting for 83%. Under climate change scenarios, Xinjiang was predicted to have an increasing drought trend and intensifying pressure on water resources. Owing to increased CO2 concentrations, the water footprint of cotton tended to decrease by 19.3% and 35.7% under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios—SSP2-4.5, representing a moderate socioeconomic development path with lower emissions, and SSP5-8.5, indicating a scenario of high growth with higher emissions—respectively, for the 2090s. The blue water footprint was predicted to have an overall decrease. However, its proportion of the total would increase slightly, with the highest increase being 3.4%. The green water footprint was also predicted to have decreasing trend, with reductions of 33.7% (SSP2-4.5) and 47.2% (SSP5-8.5), respectively. Of the three irrigation techniques, sprinkler irrigation was predicted to have the greatest water conservation potential, with a reduction of up to 40.1%.