To study the effects of mowing on the yield and quality of barley forage, the forage yield and quality of different barley varieties at different cutting stages were analyzed with varieties and cutting stages as experimental factors, and each set up three levels, a total of nine treatments. The results show that the average fresh forage yields of ‘Baodamai 20,’ ‘Baodamai 25,’ and ‘Baodamai 20-J4’ are 42.09 t/hm², 47.81 t/hm², and 44.82 t/hm², respectively. The yield of fresh grass is the highest when cutting once at tillering stage + cutting again at milky stage, which is 2.07-6.56 t/hm² higher than cutting once at the milk stage, and 3.55-7.14 t/hm² higher than cutting once at the jointing stage + once at the milk stage. Cutting at peak tillering stage and jointing stage, the barley has high content of crude protein and crude fat, and a low content of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and crude fiber, good palatability, easy digestion, high nutritional value, thus it can be directly used as green forage. Cutting at milky stage, the content of crude protein, crude fat and crude ash in barley decreased significantly, and the content of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and crude fiber increased significantly, thus it is suitable for silage production. In production, when using barley as silage (feed), it is recommended to select ‘Baodamai 25’, the first cutting should be carried out at the peak tillering stage to make green fodder, and the second cutting should be carried out at the milk stage to make silage.

To investigate the mechanism of photosynthetic physiological response of spring wheat under different moisture conditions in semi-arid rain-fed agricultural areas and to optimize field management, the present study was carried out with spring wheat ‘Dingxi No. 48’ as the research object. Seven treatments were set up with three replications for each treatment, namely: film mulching (FM), irrigated treatment 1 (GG₁), irrigated treatment 2 (GG₂), drought treatment 1 (GH₁), drought treatment 2 (GH₂), drought treatment 3 (GH₃), and rain-fed treatment (YY), to measure the light response curves of spring wheat at different periods under the seven treatments. Five models were chosen, namely, the right-angle hyperbola model, the non-right-angle hyperbola model, the leaf drift model, the exponential model and the double exponential model, to fit and compare the light response curves before and after the irrigation of spring wheat. The results were analyzed for accuracy and the optimal model was selected. The results showed that: (1) the light response curve increased rapidly when the photosynthetically active radiation was 0-400 μmol/(m²·s), and slowed down when it was 600-800 μmol/(m²·s), and then stabilized or showed a decreasing trend. The leaf area index of spring wheat decreased after filling, and the photosynthetic capacity weakened, and the magnitude of the maximum net photosynthetic rate at the maturity of each treatment was in the following order: FM, GG₁, YY, GH₃, GG₂, GH₂, and GH1. (2) Combining the MAE, RMSE and R² of the measured and fitted values of the five models shows that the leaf float model has the highest fitting accuracy. The mulching treatment had the best drought tolerance and the widest range of light adaptation when planting spring wheat in the semi-arid rain-fed agricultural region of Northwest China, and the leaf floating model among the five models best matched the actual photosynthetic characteristics of spring wheat.

This study explored the effects of different degraded grasslands on soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities in the Songnen Plain, to provide a reference basis for the improvement of degraded grassland and ecological restoration. Taking the Songnen Plain of Heilongjiang Province as an example, the variation patterns and correlation of soil water content (SWC), pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), alkali hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), soil β-glucosidase (BG), sucrase (SC), urease (UE) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) were analyzed in slightly (LD), moderately (MD) and severely (SD) degraded grasslands. The results showed that the soil pH in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil layers showed an upward trend with the intensification of degradation. The SWC showed a decreasing trend in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil layers with the intensification of degradation, while the SWC increased with the increase of soil depth in the same degree of degradation. The only exception was that TP content in the 10-20 cm soil layer showed no significant difference in different degrees of degradation, other soil nutrients showed no significant differences among the soil layers in the same degraded grassland. In different degrees of degradation, they generally showed a downward trend with the intensification of degradation. The activities of the four soil enzymes (BG, SC, UE and AKP) in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm soil layers showed a decreasing trend with the intensification of degradation degree, and there were significant differences among the degradation degrees. The results of correlation analysis showed that the SWC was significantly positively correlated with SC in 0-10 cm soil layer (P<0.05). The TN content was significantly positively correlated with the UE (P<0.01), and significantly positively correlated with the BG and AKP (P<0.05). In 10-20 cm soil layers, the SWC was positively correlated with the SC and AKP (P<0.05). TN content was significantly positively correlated with the AKP (P<0.05), while the pH was negatively correlated with the AKP (P<0.05). The results of principal component analysis showed that the cumulative explanation rate of the selected environmental factors was 88.3%. In conclusion, it was believed that although soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities showed certain correlations in different degraded grasslands, only pH had a stable negative correlation with soil enzyme activities. Therefore, it could be used to indicate the changes in soil enzyme activity characteristics of degraded grasslands.

Reasonable plough layer has an important impact on the high and stable yield of crops, and its evaluation system is the theoretical basis for constructing reasonable plough layer, but the evaluation system of plough layer suitable for irrigated land in Yellow River Irrigation District has not been established yet. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were used to analyze 180 soil samples of the plough layer of maize fields in the Gansu Yellow River Irrigation District, to screen the evaluation indexes of plough layers suitable for irrigated field, and to establish an evaluation system. The results showed that the minimum data set (MDS) affecting the quality of plough soil was determined, including: plough layer depth, thickness of plough pan, >0.25 mm water-stable aggregates, available nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium. The correlation between the full data set of plough soil quality index (SQI-TDS) and the minimum data set of plough soil quality index (SQI-MDS) confirmed the rationality of the evaluation indexes of the minimum data set; based on the response relationship between corn yields and key indexes, the lower and upper reference values of key indexes were obtained. The index system and the range of values for evaluating the reasonable plough layer of irrigated field in the Yellow River Irrigation Area are: plough layer depth (22.2-22.7cm), thickness of plough pan (6-8.6 cm), >0.25 mm water-stable agglomerates (13.9%-16.3%), available nitrogen (70.41-99.81 mg/kg), available phosphorus (17.34-30.84 mg/kg), available potassium (169.9-172.6 mg/kg). This system could be used as a reference basis for local farmers to rationally cultivate and fertilize, establish suitable plough layer and construct high-standard farmland.

The research aims to explore the efficient and reasonable irrigation and fertilization mode of Astragalus membranaceus, to enhance the yield and quality of Astragalus membranaceus, and to improve the efficiency of resource utilization, helping the development of modern agriculture. The article summarized the effects of water-nitrogen coupling on soil nitrate nitrogen, outlined the research progress of water-nitrogen coupling on growth and development, photosynthetic characteristics, yield and quality of Astragalus membranaceus, and put forward the evaluation indexs of water-nitrogen coupling effect on Astragalus membranaceus and a comprehensive evaluation model. The results showed that water-nitrogen coupling was an effective measure to save water and nitrogen resources, reduce environmental pollution and realize high quality and high yield of Astragalus membranaceus. In-depth exploration of the water-nitrogen coupling mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus to realize precise irrigation and fertilization can provide theoretical basis and technical reference for guiding the water-nitrogen management, water-saving and high-yield and high-quality growth of Astragalus membranaceus.

Promoting agricultural carbon reduction and sink enhancement is a crucial approach to achieve China’s dual carbon goals and represents an inevitable trend in developing green agriculture. This study analyzes key carbon-emitting activities in agricultural farming processes and establishes an agricultural green development evaluation system based on existing research. The system comprises 4 first-level indicators (product supply, low-carbon effect, resource utilization, and ecosystem) and 25 second-level indicators. It estimates and evaluates the role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) agriculture in facilitating agricultural carbon reduction and sink enhancement, while providing policy recommendations. TCM agriculture demonstrates significant potential in promoting the growth and development of crops and livestock, increasing yield and quality of agricultural products, degrading pesticide residues, regulating heavy metal pollution, recycling agricultural waste, and controlling pests and diseases. It effectively reduces the reliance on chemical inputs, enhances resource utilization efficiency, and innovatively improves the agricultural ecological environment, thereby comprehensively advancing carbon reduction and sink enhancement in agriculture. Given the current state of Chinese agriculture, there remains considerable potential for carbon reduction. As an innovative green ecological farming model with Chinese characteristics, TCM agriculture plays a vital role in promoting agricultural green development and achieving the goals of ‘Peak Carbon by 2030 and Carbon Neutrality by 2060’.

The characteristics of cadmium (Cd) translocation and accumulation in different rice cultivars in the southeast Sichuan were investigated to provide theoretical references for the safe production of rice in regional mild Cd-contaminated paddy fields. Eight local staple rice cultivars in Longchang City, Sichuan Province, were selected as experimental materials to determine the agronomic traits and Cd content of each part of ricethrough field plot test methods, the Cd accumulation and translocation characteristics of each cultivar of rice were analyzed, to filter out the suitable rice cultivars with low Cd accumulation. The results showed that the agronomic traits of the eight rice cultivars differed significantly, and all of them were within the theoretical yield range of the corresponding cultivars. The accumulation capacity of Cd in different parts of rice was ranked as grain>leaf>straw>root, with the exception of ‘Neixiangyou 3’, ‘Neixiangyou 5’ and ‘Taiyou 2903’. Only ‘Taiyou 2903’ was below the standard limit of Cd content (0.20 mg/kg) in grains, which complied with the requirement set in the National Food Standards (GB 2762-2022) among the eight cultivars, and the BCF grains and TF grains/leaves of this cultivar were lower than those of other rice cultivars. The transfer factor pattern was TF leaf/straw > TF grain/leaf > TF straw/root, except for ‘Neixiangyou 5’ and ‘Neixiangyou 8’. Correlation analysis suggested a highly significant positive correlation between Cd content in rice grain and straw (P<0.01), and the Cd content in rice grain was positively correlated with TF straw/root and TF grain/leaf (P<0.05), respectively. Therefore, it was recommended to popularize the cultivation of ‘Taiyou 2903’ in mild Cd-contaminated areas, and the yield can be improved by rational matching of fertilizers and other measures.

This study aims to achieve digital recognition of fresh tobacco leaf harvesting positions and meet the demand for rapid, non-destructive identification in intelligent curing. A hybrid network model (R-SVM) integrating Resnet-50 and support vector machine (SVM) is proposed for fresh tobacco leaf position recognition. Based on the features of different convolutional layers (layers 1, 10, 22, 40, 49) of fresh tobacco leaf images extracted by the pre-trained Resnet-50 network model, combined with different pooling methods [average pooling (AVP), global average pooling (GAP) and spatial pyramid pooling (SPP)] and dimensionality reduction algorithms [principal component analysis (PCA) and ReliefF], support vector machines (SVM) were trained respectively and different recognition models of fresh tobacco leaf harvesting positions were screened out, and then different model fusion strategies (hard voting, soft voting, Stacking method) were used to obtain the final recognition model of fresh tobacco leaf position. The results indicated that different pooling methods exhibited distinct impacts on model performance. In low-level convolution layers, SPP pooling significantly improved model accuracy by over 10%, while its effect was minimal on models trained using features from high-level convolution layers. PCA dimensionality reduction effectively enhanced recognition performance across all convolutional layers. The 40th layer output model in different convolution layers had the highest accuracy rate on the test set, which was 92.12%. The model obtained by the Stacking fusion method had the best performance, and the accuracy rate on the test set was 96.83%. The fusion recognition model for fresh tobacco leaf position established in this study can achieve accurate and non-destructive identification of tobacco leaf positions.

In order to explore the high-quality development path of agriculture adapting to climate change in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, this paper analyzed the characteristics of resource endowment utilization based on methods such as literature analysis, mathematical statistics, and multi-scenario emission simulation, in Ningxia. The results showed that the air temperature presented a significant rising trend, the total precipitation presented a decreasing trend, the drought trend was obvious, and the light resources generally presented a decreasing trend from north to south, in Ningxia. Over the past 20 years, the sown area of grain crops in Ningxia had shown a highly significant decreasing trend. The sown area of maize had increased by 57.0%, with an average increase of 101000 hectares every 10 years. In the next 30 years, the number of days from sowing to ripening would gradually increase from north to south, and the interdecadal trend would be decreasing. Under the influence of climate change, agricultural production will face the declining coupling degree of arable land with climate and water resources, and the pressure of grain production will be increasing in the future, in Ningxia. On this basis, this study puts forward suggestions on how to adapt to climate change and promote high-quality development of agriculture, based on the characteristics of resource endowment. It proposed to adjust the crop planting industrial layout in Ningxia to promote the planting structure in response to climate change in a coordinated manner. And it is also proposed facilitating the establishment of an overall efficiency improvement system for agricultural scientific and technological innovation in-depth exploration of the impact laws and adaptation mechanisms of climate change, aiming to provide decision-making references for the high-quality development of agriculture in Ningxia and offer suggestions for building a strong agricultural country.

With the improvement of the ability to resist dominant disasters, unnoticeable natural hazards have gradually evolved into a key factor affecting the continuous and balanced increase of crop yield in China. Understanding the mechanisms, characteristics and countermeasures to the unnoticeable natural hazards could provide important theoretical and technological supports to the implement strategies for hazard alleviation. This paper reviews the types of the main unnoticeable natural hazards on maize production, and points out the diversity and complexity of them. The study explores the impact of unnoticeable natural hazards on maize growth and development, revealing that these hazards significantly inhibit photosynthesis, delay growth stages, and reduce pollination and seed-setting rates. Additionally, they impede plant growth and lead to poor kernel development, ultimately compromising both maize yield and quality. Specifically, drought and high temperatures exacerbate water stress, while waterlogging and prolonged overcast/rainy conditions cause root hypoxia and insufficient light energy, respectively. Furthermore, low-temperature chilling injury slows growth and increases physiological disorders. Collectively, these factors lead to yield reduction and diminish farmer income. According to the specific characteristics of different types of unnoticeable natural hazards, the technical measures for preventing or reducing the agricultural unnoticeable natural hazards were put forward, aiming at providing reference for high and stable yield of maize. Through scientific management and countermeasures, the adverse effects on maize production can be effectively mitigated, and both yield and quality can be enhanced.

To improve the accuracy of forecasts of the full-bloom period of apricot blossoms in the Hami Oasis, which is the core of the best viewing period, and to provide a scientific basis for tourism management and visitor planning, we used 32-year apricot phenological records (1991-2022) together with concurrent surface meteorological observations. We analyzed the interannual variation in flowering dates, identified key meteorological drivers, and constructed and tested a forecasting model using principal component analysis. The results show that: (1) phenological characteristics: the mean first-flowering day-of-year (DOY) of apricot blossoms in the Hami Oasis is 92.4, corresponding to 2-3 April in common years and 1-2 April in leap years, with a range of 21 days between the earliest and latest first-flowering dates. The mean full-bloom DOY is 94.5, corresponding to 4-5 April in common years and 3-4 April in leap years, with a range of 22 days between the earliest and latest full-bloom dates. Both first-flowering and full-bloom dates exhibit a decadal advancing trend, with climatic tendency rates of -2.73 d per 10 years (r=-0.476, P<0.05) and -2.47 d per 10 years (r =-0.421, P<0.05), respectively. The temporal distribution of early versus late full-bloom dates shows a clear decadal pattern, with more early years occurring in the 21st century and more late years concentrating in the 1990s. (2) Meteorological controls: meteorological factors exert a significant influence on the optimal viewing period of apricot blossoms. The mean maximum air temperature in mid-January and early March; the mean, mean maximum and mean minimum air temperatures in mid-to-late March and for March as a whole; the mean ground temperature in mid-to-late March and for March as a whole; as well as sunshine duration and ≥5℃ effective accumulated temperature in early March all show significant or highly significant negative correlations with the full-bloom date. In other words, higher values of these variables are associated with earlier full bloom. In contrast, mean relative humidity in March; precipitation in late January and in March; and the onset dates of ≥0℃, ≥3℃ and ≥5℃ temperatures exhibit significant or highly significant positive correlations with the full-bloom date, such that higher values or later onset dates correspond to later full bloom. (3) Model performance: based on 29 years of observations from 1991 to 2019, we developed a principal component analysis forecasting model (Y=94.828-4.634x, R²=0.680). The model was validated using data of 2020-2022, yielding satisfactory performance: the forecast accuracy for full-bloom dates within 0-2 days of the observed dates reached 62.07%, and the accuracy for a 3-day difference was 10.34%. This model can provide technical support for meteorological services targeting the optimal viewing period of apricot blossoms in the Hami Oasis.

To investigate the variations in summer heat resources across Heilongjiang Province under the new climate state (1991-2020) and their impacts on the growth period and yield of cold-region rice, this study utilized 30-year datasets encompassing climatic observation records, rice phenological monitoring data, and yield statistics from 10 agro-meteorological experimental stations. Employing the linear trend rate method, linear regression analysis, and the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter, we analyzed the change characteristics of key thermal factors in summer, including ≥10℃ active accumulated temperature, mean temperature, and maximum/minimum temperatures, and their associations with rice phenological progression and yield components. The results showed that the summer heat resources in Heilongjiang Province from 1991 to 2020 had shown a significant upward trend. The tendency rate of active accumulated temperature of ≥10℃ was 36.89℃/10 a, and the increase in the minimum temperature was the largest, at 0.30℃/10 a. The increases in average temperature and maximum temperature were 0.15℃/10 a and 0.14℃/10 a respectively. From the perspective of the growing season dates, the heading date of rice showed a highly significant trend of advancing (with a tendency rate of -4.8 days per 10 years, P<0.01), while the milk-ripe stage and the maturity stage fluctuated relatively less. In terms of the length of the growing season, the heading stage, the milk stage and the reproductive growth period all showed a highly significant trend of extension (P<0.01). Over the past 30 years, the actual yield, trend yield, and meteorological yield of rice in Heilongjiang Province all exhibited a consistent increasing trend, with linear tendency rates of 804 kg per decade, 775 kg per decade, and 29 kg per decade, respectively. Among the thermal factors, mean temperature showed a highly significant correlation with the heading stage (P<0.01), while minimum temperature was highly significantly correlated with both the heading stage and milk-ripe stage (P<0.01). For every 1℃ increase in the mean temperature anomaly, the meteorological yield of rice increased by 110.87 kg per hectare. This study demonstrates that the enhancement of summer thermal resources under the new climate state (1991-2020) serves as the core climatic driver for the prolonged growth period and increased yield of cold-region rice. These findings provide a scientific basis for the efficient utilization of climatic resources and the optimization of variety distribution for cold-region rice cultivation.

To better understand the economic crop planting structure and specialization zoning in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, this study takes league and city as research units, using economic crop planting area data from 2018 to 2022 in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Six categories of economic crops—vegetables, sugars, amphisarca, edible mushrooms, flowers, and Chinese herbal medicines—were selected as research subjects. Comprehensively utilize the center of gravity model, Gini coefficient, and location entropy, with the assistance of ArcGIS software, to analyze changes in the planting structure of economic crops and their spatiotemporal evolution, as well as the specialization level and specialization zoning of economic crops. The results show that the distribution and migration direction of the barycenter coordinate points of economic crops are basically along the northeast and southwest directions, which is consistent with the regional characteristics of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The economic crops have formed a certain scale of agglomeration production pattern, albeit with some varieties exhibiting unstable spatial patterns. The specialized division of labor in economic crop planting is relatively obvious, but the level of specialization needs to be improved. The leagues and cities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are divided into eight categories: non-plantable zone, plantable zone, advantage exit zone, non-advantage zone, potential advantage zone, advantage recession zone, comparative advantage zone, and absolute advantage zone, which guide the optimization of economic crop production layout. In the future, the planting of economic crops in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region should be adapted to local conditions, division of labor and cooperation, thereby promoting agglomeration and specialized production. The research aims to provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the region's economic crops production capacity, optimizing the production structure of economic crops, adjusting the regional layout, and rationally allocating agricultural production resources.