Designing a new cropping system for high productivity and sustainable water usage under climate change.
The food supply is being increasingly challenged by climate change and water scarcity. However, incremental changes in traditional cropping systems have achieved only limited success in meeting these multiple challenges. In this study, we applied a systematic approach, using model simulation and data from two groups of field studies conducted in the North China Plain, to develop a new cropping system that improves yield and uses water in a sustainable manner. Due to significant warming, we identified a double-maize (M-M; Zea mays L.) cropping system that replaced the traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -summer maize system. The M-M system improved yield by 14-31% compared with the conventionally managed wheat-maize system, and achieved similar yield compared with the incrementally adapted wheat-maize system with the optimized cultivars, planting dates, planting density and water management. More importantly, water usage was lower in the M-M system than in the wheat-maize system, and the rate of water usage was sustainable (net groundwater usage was ≤150 mm yr-1). Our study indicated that systematic assessment of adaptation and cropping system scale have great potential to address the multiple food supply challenges under changing climatic conditions.
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.|Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Qingfeng
Q
Meng
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Hongfei
H
Wang
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.|Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China.
Peng
P
Yan
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Junxiao
J
Pan
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Dianjun
D
Lu
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Zhenling
Z
Cui
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Fusuo
F
Zhang
Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Xinping
X
Chen