- et al. (2026) Enhancing resource efficiency and crop yields through stepwise progress in the Yellow River Basin

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-17
• Authors: LI -, Yawei Bai, Zhonghao Fu, Dandan Ren, Chuanliang Li, Wenfeng Liu
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110786

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Agricultural Water Resources, China Agricultural University
• National Field Observation and Research Station (Gansu Wuwei) for Efficient Water Utilization in Oasis Agriculture
• Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, College of Water Resources and Intelligence Engineering, China Agricultural University
• Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
• School of Resources and Environment, College of Carbon Neutrality, Linyi University

Short Summary

This study introduces a stepwise progress framework to improve water and fertilizer use efficiency while maintaining or increasing crop yields in the Yellow River Basin. The results reveal pronounced spatial differences in resource-use intensities among counties, indicating substantial potential for agricultural optimization.

Objective

• Evaluate the potential co-benefits of improving water and fertilizer use efficiency while maintaining or increasing maize and wheat production in the YRB.
• Characterize the spatial heterogeneity of water- and fertilizer-use efficiency in maize and wheat production across the YRB.
• Develop a stepwise benchmarking framework that translates regional efficiency targets into progressive county-level improvement pathways.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: County level, with 795,000 km2 study area covering approximately 8.2% of China's total area.
• Temporal Scale: 1979 to 2018, with a warm-up period from 1979 to 2013 and analysis data from 2014 to 2018.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: PEPIC (Python-based Environmental Policy Integrated Climate model)
• Data sources:
  • Elevation data: Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
  • Soil properties: Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSDv1.2)
  • Climate input data: Chinese Meteorological Forcing Dataset (CMFD)
  • Fertilizer application rates: National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBSC)
  • Crop phenological data: Peer-reviewed papers and official websites
  • Crop planting area: Spatial Production Allocation Model (SPAM2020)

Main Results

• The PEPIC model performed well in simulating maize and wheat yields in the YRB, with nRMSE values of 11.67% for maize and 11.83% for wheat.
• Significant spatial heterogeneity was observed in the resource use intensities for maize and wheat production systems across various counties.
• The stepwise progress approach showed substantial potential for improving resource-use efficiency while maintaining or increasing grain production.

Contributions

• This study provides a spatially explicit framework for identifying county-level resource-use gaps and supporting targeted water and fertilizer management to balance crop production and environmental sustainability in water-limited agricultural basins.
• The results highlight the need for more extensive and effective technical exchange among counties in the region and offer insights for the future optimization of agricultural production.

Funding

• This research was funded by projects, programs, and reference codes that are not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{2026Enhancing,
  author = {-, LI and Bai, Yawei and Fu, Zhonghao and Ren, Dandan and Li, Chuanliang and Liu, Wenfeng},
  title = {Enhancing resource efficiency and crop yields through stepwise progress in the Yellow River Basin},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110786},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110786}
}