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Agricultural industry

Straw Incorporation and Manure Boost Wheat Yields and Improve Soil Fertility

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers at the Shanxi Agricultural University in China have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of plant research. By incorporating straw and manure into their farming practices, they have found that wheat yields can increase by as much as 114.30%, while also improving soil fertility and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. The study, which was published in the journal Plants, highlights the importance of sustainable farming practices and the potential for straw incorporation and manure to improve crop yields and reduce environmental impact.

Key Takeaways:

  • The five treatments used in the study were: CK (no fertilization), NP (inorganic N and P fertilizers), NPM (mineral N and P fertilizers plus chicken manure), SNP (mineral N and P fertilizers plus maize straw), and SNPM (mineral N and P fertilizers plus maize straw and chicken manure).
  • The results showed that NP, NPM, SNP, and SNPM significantly increased wheat yields by 56.19%, 76.89%, 111.08%, and 114.30%, compared with CK, respectively.
  • Nitrogen agronomic efficiency (AE), partial factor productivity (PEP), apparent recovery efficiency (Apparent RE), and accumulated recovery efficiency (Accumulated RE) increased by 103.36%, 37.19%, 76.39%, and 30.90% in the SNPM treatment, compared with NP.
  • Straw incorporation and manure significantly improved soil fertility, with organic matter, total phosphorus, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium showing significant positive correlations.
  • The predominant bacterial phyla were , , , , , and , which were also found to be significantly associated with straw incorporation and manure.
  • The study concluded that straw incorporation in combination with manure is a promising practice for sustainable development.

Statistics:

  • Wheat yields increased by 56.19%, 76.89%, 111.08%, and 114.30% in the NP, NPM, SNP, and SNPM treatments, respectively.
  • Nitrogen agronomic efficiency (AE) increased by 103.36% in the SNPM treatment.
  • Partial factor productivity (PEP) increased by 37.19% in the SNPM treatment.
  • Apparent recovery efficiency (Apparent RE) increased by 76.39% in the SNPM treatment.
  • Accumulated recovery efficiency (Accumulated RE) increased by 30.90% in the SNPM treatment.

Sources:

  • Wheat Yield, N Use Efficiency, Soil Properties, and Soil Bacterial Community as Affected by Long-Term Straw Incorporation and Manure Under Wheat-Summer Maize Cropping System in Southern Shanxi Province, China. Plants, 2025;14(12):1795.
  • NewsRx. Shanxi Agricultural University Reports Findings in Plant Research (Wheat Yield, N Use Efficiency, Soil Properties, and Soil Bacterial Community as Affected by Long-Term Straw Incorporation and Manure Under Wheat-Summer Maize Cropping System in ...). China Weekly News. July 8, 2025; p 661.

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