Quan et al. (2026) Integrated crop residue return, film mulching, and irrigation enhance climate resilience of maize production and soil carbon storage in cold regions

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-04
• Authors: Hao Quan, Lihong Wu, Hao Feng, Bin Wang, De Li Liu, Shengzhi Huang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110754

Research Groups

• School of Water Conservancy, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450045, China
• College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
• State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Soil and Water Conservation Sciences and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
• NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, NSW, 2650, Australia
• Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia
• Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, Australia
• Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

Short Summary

This study evaluates the effects of climate change on maize production and soil carbon storage in cold regions. The authors used the SPACSYS model to simulate the responses of maize yield and SOC dynamics to projected climatic conditions during 2021–2060 (near future) and 2061–2100 (far future) under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2–4.5 (SSP245) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5–8.5 (SSP585). The results show that maize yield under local management increased by 11.71% and 15.96% in the near future relative to the baseline period (1981–2020) under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios, respectively.

Objective

• Evaluate the performance of SPACSYS in simulating soil temperature and soil water dynamics during the freeze–thaw and crop-growing periods, as well as maize yield and SOC storage.
• Determine how future climate conditions affect maize productivity and SOC dynamics under local management.
• Assess the capacity of alternative integrated management strategies to sustain maize production and enhance SOC storage.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field-scale, with experiments conducted at the Shuguang Experimental Station in the upper Yellow River Basin, a representative agricultural region of northwestern China.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term simulations spanning 1981–2100, with three periods: baseline (1981–2020), near future (2021–2060), and far future (2061–2100).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum System (SPACSYS) model.
• Data sources: Field observations, climate projections from 27 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) global climate models (GCMs), and atmospheric CO2 concentration data.

Main Results

• Maize yield under local management increased by 11.71% and 15.96% in the near future relative to the baseline period (1981–2020) under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios, respectively.
• SOC storage exhibited a persistent reduction, decreasing by 11.95%–20.44% in the near future and 20.05%–39.02% in the far future.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the effects of climate change on maize production and soil carbon storage in cold regions.
• The results highlight the importance of integrated management strategies, such as crop residue return, film mulching, and optimized irrigation, for sustaining maize production and enhancing SOC storage under future climate conditions.

Funding

• This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51879019) and the Australian Research Council (Grant No. DP190100444).

Citation

@article{Quan2026Integrated,
  author = {Quan, Hao and Wu, Lihong and Feng, Hao and Wang, Bin and Liu, De Li and Huang, Shengzhi},
  title = {Integrated crop residue return, film mulching, and irrigation enhance climate resilience of maize production and soil carbon storage in cold regions},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110754},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110754}
}