Summary
This 2024 field study examined the agronomic and environmental trade-offs of replacing mineral fertilisers with partial organic inputs in a wheat-maize rotation in China. The findings suggest that partial organic substitution can enhance soil health and crop yields, but this benefit comes with a paradoxical increase in global warming potential—indicating a tension between soil sustainability goals and climate mitigation objectives in this system. The results highlight the complexity of optimising agricultural practices across multiple sustainability dimensions simultaneously.
UK applicability
The findings have limited direct applicability to UK farming, as the wheat-maize rotation and climatic conditions in China differ substantially from typical UK arable systems; however, the study's central insight about trade-offs between soil health and GWP mitigation under partial organic substitution may inform UK agri-environmental policy discussions around fertiliser reduction and climate targets.
Key measures
Soil quality metrics (likely including organic matter, microbial biomass, aggregate stability or enzyme activity), wheat and maize yields, and global warming potential (greenhouse gas emissions, probably including N₂O and CH₄ measurements)
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil quality indicators, crop yields, and global warming potential (GWP) across different levels of organic input substitution in a wheat-maize rotation. As suggested by the title, partial organic substitution improved soil quality and crop productivity but increased greenhouse gas emissions relative to conventional or fully organic systems.
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