Work

Synergizing wheat yield stability and grain quality through long-term green manure incorporation with chemical nitrogen fertilization

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A persistent trade-off exists between yield gains and quality improvement, but achieving their synergistic enhancement is a critical challenge for modern agricultural production. Green manure has long been recognized for enhancing either grain yield or quality, yet its potential to simultaneously enhance both remains poorly understood. A 6-year field experiment was conducted in an arid irrigation area of northwestern China to examine whether green manure can simultaneously improve wheat grain yield and quality through increased mineral nitrogen supply and plant nitrogen assimilation. The experiment included two nitrogen rates (N1, 180 kg ha −1 and N0, no nitrogen), along with four green manure rates, namely fallow after wheat harvest (G0) and multiple cropping green manure after wheat harvest with incorporation rates of 15,000 kg ha −1 (G1), 30,000 kg ha −1 (G2), and 45,000 kg ha −1 (G3), respectively. Results showed that green manure strengthened the yield-increasing and stabilizing effects of chemical nitrogen, while also mitigating its limitations and improving overall wheat grain quality. These benefits became increasingly pronounced with increasing duration of green manure application. Compared to N1G0, N1G2 increased wheat grain yield, yield stability index, and the comprehensive evaluation index by 20.7%, 278.5%, and 86.1%, respectively. These improvements under N1G2 were mainly attributable to increased soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen contents of 24.4% and 22.4%, respectively. Furthermore, N1G2 enhanced nitrogen translocation and distribution to grains by 12.4% and 9.5%, respectively. It also increased the activities of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase, thereby promoting nitrogen assimilation capacity in grains. In arid irrigation areas, with the application of 180 kg ha −1 of chemical nitrogen, returning green manure at a rate of 30,000 kg ha −1 is a practical strategy to simultaneously improve wheat yield, yield stability, and grain quality.

Source: The Crop Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.cj.2026.05.001