Determining an Optimal Fertilization Strategy for No-till Rice-Wheat Cropping (China)

摘要

Rice accounts for about one-third of the farmland area used for grain production in Sichuan Province. The majority of paddy rice in the Sichuan Basin, the fer- tile lowland located in central and eastern Sichuan framed by mountains on all sides, is grown as a single summer crop which is rotated with wheat or rapeseed in the winter season. Prior to 2000, most of these farmlands were plowed (with cattle or by hand with hoes) after each crop harvest before seeding or seedling transplanting. As more and more rural labor has migrated to cities for better incomes, no-till or reduced tillage practices have become popular by necessity. This is especially true for the light-textured alluvial soils of the Chengdu Plain where it is common to fnd felds under 5 years or more of continuous no-till cultivation. The objective of this study was to provide science-based information for nutrient management in the no-till cropping system.