Spatial-temporal distribution of farmland occupation and compensation and its impact on ecological service value in China from 1990 to 2021.

Land transformation during global urbanization has led to a sharp decrease in farmland, causing not only food security issues but also ecological problems. To address this issue, the Chinese government has implemented the Requisition-Compensation Balance Policy for Farmland (RCBF) in 1997. This policy effectively curbed the reduction of farmland, but the compensated land often comes from mountainous and desert areas, leading to fragmentation of farmland and subsequent ecological security issues.

'Out of the Tropics' Sheds Light on Latitudinal Gradients in Clade Ages of Climbers, China.

We aim to test hypotheses on the patterns of clade age of climbing plants under climatic variations along the latitudinal gradients in China. Specifically, we uncover their general patterns of mean family age (MFA) and their climatic drivers. We evaluate the extents to which both the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis (TNC) and the out of the tropics hypothesis (OTT) can account for the MFA of climbing plants, respectively.

Carposphere microbiota alters grape volatiles and shapes the wine grape typicality.

While specific environments are known to shape plant metabolomes and the makeup of their associated microbiome, it is as yet unclear whether carposphere microbiota contribute to the characteristics of grape fruit flavor of a particular wine region. Here, carposphere microbiomes and berry transcriptomes and metabolomes of three grape cultivars growing at six geographic sites were analyzed. The composition of the carposphere microbiome was determined mainly by environmental conditions, rather than grape genotype.

Trade-offs between crop production and GHG emissions following organic material inputs in wheat-maize systems.

The recycling of agricultural organic wastes into fields is as a viable strategy to increase crop yields while mitigating pollution and fostering environmental protection. However, the effects of various organic amendments on crop productivity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be comprehensively assessed. Thus, in this study, we conducted a field experiment from 2019 to 2022 in the North China Plain, investigating the effects of recycling straw, pig manure, and biogas residue and applying chemical nitrogen fertilizer as a control on crop yields, GHG emissions, and the synergistic effects of yield benefits, agricultural operational costs, and environmental benefits in a wheat-maize cropping system.

Degradation of biodegradable plastic films in soil: microplastics formation and soil microbial community dynamics.

Biodegradable plastic poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) has raised concerns regarding the release of PBAT microplastics and their potential environmental risks. In this study, PBAT plastic films were incubated in soil for 180 days to investigate the temporal evolution of PBAT microplastics and the dynamic responses of soil bacteria and fungi. The results showed that PBAT microplastics initially increased to a peak before decreasing by 74.

Multiresponsive Zein Nanospheres for Avermectin B Delivery: Enhancing Root-Knot Nematode Control and Safety to Nontarget Organisms.

Root-knot nematodes are globally prevalent plant-parasitic pests, distinguished by their widespread distribution, extensive host range, and challenging control measures. Avermectin B, one of the few effective nematicides available, faces limitations in efficacy and poses environmental concerns due to its eco-unfriendly composition and poor utilization in traditional emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations. In this study, we developed core-shell structured Ave B-BS@Zein@SC nanospheres, incorporating zein as the carrier, sodium caseinate as the stabilizer, and butyl stearate as the temperature "switch".

The agricultural plastic paradox: Feeding more, harming more?

Agricultural plastic film mulch (PFM) covers ca. 50 million hectares of the Earth's surface and has revolutionized agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, by improving crop yields, water use efficiency, farmer incomes and feeding an extra 85 million people in China alone. However, concerns are growing about the impact of PFM-derived microplastics (MP) on soil quality, the food chain, and the environment.

Fabrication and Characterization of a Novel Solid Nano-Dispersion of Emamectin Benzoate with High Dispersibility and Wettability.

Pesticides, as an indispensable component in agricultural production, play a crucial role in ensuring global food security. However, the low efficiency of pesticide utilization remains a significant challenge. The key method of improving the effective utilization rate of pesticides is mainly to enhance the affinity between pesticides and leaf surfaces while improving their deposition and adhesion properties.

Evidence of microplastic accumulation on the surface of lettuce and analysis of contamination sources.

Microplastic (MP) pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern. Microplastics land on vegetable surfaces with airborne deposition and agronomic activities. However, research on the sources of microplastics on vegetable surfaces is limited by the lack of monitoring of microplastics in the growing environment.

Carbon emissions peak of China's apple cultivation achieved in 2014: a comprehensive analysis and implications.

Carbon sequestration and emission reduction in apple cultivation are of great significance for achieving sustainable agricultural development and combating climate change. However, the status of carbon emissions from apple cultivation is unclear, and this study will provide implications for the agriculture sector. This study applied the life cycle assessment method to quantify carbon emissions and analysed the footprint composition of apple orchards in China, and identified the emissions peak based on the Mann-Kendall analysis.

Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in the terrestrial environment has received increasing attention over the last decade, with increasing studies describing the numbers and types of MPs in different soil systems and their impacts on soil and crop health. However, different MPs extraction and analytical methods are used, limiting opportunities to compare results and generate reliable evidence for industry advice and policymakers. Here, we present a protocol that describes the methodology for sampling, separation, and chemical identification of conventional MPs from soil.

Phenotypic plasticity of bread wheat contributes to yield reliability under heat and drought stress.

Yield reliability under diverse environments is important to address climate stress consequences in wheat production systems. Breeding for reliability under a changing climate remains a challenge in wheat. We assessed the performance of 18 hexaploid (Triticum aestivum L.

Managing Ammonia for Multiple Benefits Based on Verified High-Resolution Emission Inventory in China.

Atmospheric ammonia (NH) has multiple impacts on the environment, climate change, and human health. China is the largest emitter of NH globally, with the dynamic inventory of NH emissions remaining uncertain. Here, we use the second national agricultural pollution source censuses, integrated satellite data, N isotope source apportionment, and multiple models to better understand those key features of NH emissions and its environmental impacts in China.

A Global Meta-Analysis of Land Use Change on Soil Mineral-Associated and Particulate Organic Carbon.

Separating soil organic carbon (SOC) into mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) enables accurate prediction of SOC vulnerability to land use change (LUC). Here, we synthesize the responses of soil MAOC and POC to LUC, including land restoration and degradation, from 693 soil observations globally. We observed a large increase in soil MAOC and POC after restoration and a greater decline after degradation, but the magnitude and proportion of these two carbon fractions (fMAOC and fPOC) varied with LUC.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Z strain European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) is the most important pest of maize around world, and an ideal model for the sympatric host races, evolutionary and speciation research. In this study, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of Z strain O. nubilalis by the integrated Illumina short reads, PacBio Revio long reads, and Hi-C sequencing data.

Differential impacts of nitrogen addition on soil dissolved organic carbon in humid and non-humid regions: A global meta-analysis.

Soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the most active carbon pool, providing essential carbon and energy to soil microorganisms while playing a crucial role in carbon sequestration, transport, and stabilization in soils. Nitrogen (N) addition, a key factor influencing terrestrial carbon cycling, can significantly alter soil DOC dynamics. However, the global patterns and underlying drivers of DOC responses to N addition, particularly across regions with varying aridity indices, remain unclear.

[Review of Methods and Risk Assessment of Microplastics from Food Sources].

Microplastics are becoming an emerging environmental pollutant of great concern. Microplastics present in large quantities in the environment can accumulate in the human food system, thus threatening human health. Characterizing microplastic contamination in food is important for scientifically assessing the risk of human intake.

Tomato yields and quality declines due to elevated soil CO.

The potential risk for CO leakage from carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems has raised significant concerns. While numerous studies have explored how crops respond to elevated soil CO levels, relatively few have examined the impacts on vegetables. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are a key vegetable crop, and this study sought to investigate how CO leakage affects their yield and quality.

The occurrence and safety evaluation of phthalic acid esters in Oasis agricultural soils of Xinjiang, China.

Soil pollution caused by plastic residues containing additives (e.g. phthalic acid esters (PAEs)) is ubiquitous and has become a global concern.

CO agitation combined with magnetized biochar to alleviate "ammonia inhibited steady-state": Exploring the mechanism by combining metagenomics with macroscopic indicators.

The "ammonia inhibited steady-state" phenomenon is frequently observed in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process of nitrogen-rich substrates. Reconfiguring microbial ecosystems has proven to be an effective strategy for mitigating ammonia inhibition. In the current study, biochars were screened and targeted for modification.

Application of Fe-based S-rich material mitigates As and Cd toxicity in rice by alleviating root tip structural damage and improving bacterial community function.

The opposite geochemical behaviors of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in paddy fields lead to challenges in the simultaneous mitigation of Cd and As accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains. In this study, an industrial byproduct Fe-based S-rich material (Fe-S-Mat) was used to mitigate As and Cd accumulation in the soil-rice continuum that conferred toxicity relief in rice seedlings.

Current scenario of emerging pollutants in farmlands and water reservoirs: Prospects and challenges.

Globally, roughly more than 400 million metric tons of plastics are produced annually. Similarly, the pharmaceuticals business is rising exponentially yearly, 5.8 %.

The spatio-temporal variability of soil microplastic distribution and erosion-induced microplastic export under extreme rainfall event using sediment fingerprinting and Be in intensive agricultural catchment.

Intensive agricultural production and land management often lead to soil microplastics (MPs) accumulation and aggravated erosion consequently polluting water bodies. However, little is known about the occurrence and migration of soil MPs induced by soil erosion at the catchment scale. This study firstly reported the spatio-temporal variability in soil MPs distribution, and erosion-induced microplastic export loads under extreme rainfall events in an intensive agricultural catchment.

Crop rotation increases Tibetan barley yield and soil quality on the Tibetan Plateau.

Tibetan barley (Hordeum vulgare) accounts for over 70% of the total food production in the Tibetan Plateau. However, continuous cropping of Tibetan barley causes soil degradation, reduces soil quality and causes yield decline. Here we explore the benefits of crop rotation with wheat and rape to improve crop yield and soil quality.

Higher potential leaching of inorganic and organic additives from biodegradable compared to conventional agricultural plastic mulch film.

Plastic mulch films support global food security, however, their composition and the potential release rates of organic, metal and metalloid co-contaminants remains relatively unknown. This study evaluates the low molecular weight organic additives, metal and metalloid content and leaching from low density polyethylene (LDPE) and biodegradable plastic mulch films. We identified 59 organic additives, and non-intentionally added substances in the new LDPE films (39.