Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Feasibility analysis of a double-cropping system for the efficient use of farmland on China’s Loess Plateau

  • Research Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cropping systems worldwide have been affected by the current trend in global warming and the optimization of cropping systems is an important area of research in the transition of agricultural land. The Loess Plateau is a typical ecologically fragile region with the most serious soil erosion in China. We carried out a field experiment in Yan’an city on the Loess Plateau to explore the effect of sowing date on crop growth and yield. We then analyzed the feasibility of a double-cropping system by considering climatic adaptability, ecological suitability and economic viability. Our results showed that different sowing dates resulted in significant differences in crop growth and that appropriate early sowing can result in higher crop yields for early maturing varieties. We showed that double-cropping systems of sweet maize (Zea mays)–forage rape and feed maize–forage rape are feasible on the Loess Plateau. We discuss the implications for the efficient use of farmland, which is important in guiding agricultural supply-side reform and the development of modern agricultural management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aghayari F, Paknejad F, Ilkaee M, 2016. Simulation of maize growth under different sowing times and deficit irrigation conditions. Journal of Biosciences, 32: 1204–1212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berzsenyi Z, Lap D, 2001. Effect of sowing time and N fertilisation on the yield and yield stability of maize (Zea mais L) hybrids between 1991 and 2000. Novenytermeles, 50: 309–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cao Z, Li Y, Liu Y et al., 2018. When and where did the Loess Plateau turn “green”? Analysis of the tendency and breakpoints of the normalized difference vegetation index. Land Degradation & Development, 29: 162–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng W, Liu Y, Chen Z et al., 2022. Theoretical and practical research into excavation slope protection for agricultural geographical engineering in the Loess Plateau: A case study of China’s Yangjuangou catchment. Journal of Rural Study, 8: 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng W, Liu Y, Qu L, 2019. Effect of land-centered urbanization on rural development: A regional analysis in China. Land Use Policy, 87: 104072.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng X, Fu B, Piao S et al., 2016. Revegetation in China’s Loess Plateau is approaching sustainable water resource limits. Nature Climate Change, 6(11): 1019–1022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao J, Liu Y, 2011. Climate warming and land use change in Heilongjiang province, Northeast China. Applied Geography, 31(2): 476–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo J, 2015. Advances in impacts of climate change on agricultural production in China. Journal of Applied Meteorological Science, 26(1): 1–11. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo Y, Liu Y, Wen Q et al., 2014. The transformation of agricultural development towards a sustainable future from an evolutionary view on the Chinese Loess Plateau: A case study of Fuxian county. Sustainability, 6: 3644–3668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han J, Zhang Y, 2014. Land policy and land engineering. Land Use Policy, 40: 64–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He L, Asseng S, Zhao G et al., 2015. Impacts of recent climate warming, cultivar changes, and crop management on winter wheat phenology across the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 200: 135–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu Q, Yang N, Pan F et al., 2017. Adjusting sowing dates improved potato adaptation to climate change in semiarid region, China. Sustainability, 9(4): 615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ju H, Velde M, Lin E et al., 2013. The impacts of climate change on agricultural production systems in China. Climatic Change, 120: 313–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li N, Zhai Z, Li J et al., 2010. Effect of sowing date and density on sink/source relationship and canopy light transmission of summer maize (Zea mays L). Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 18(5): 959–964. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Qian H, Wu J, 2014. Accelerate research on land creation. Nature, 510: 29–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Zhao M, Li C et al., 2011. Effect of sowing-date and planting density on dry matter accumulation dynamic and establishment of its simulated model in maize. Acta Agronomica Sinica, 36(12): 2143–2153. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Du G, Liu Y, 2016. Transforming the Loess Plateau of China. Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering, 3(3): 181–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Zhang X, Cao Z et al., 2021. Towards the progress of ecological restoration and economic development in China’s Loess Plateau and strategy for more sustainable development. Science of the Total Environment, 756: 143676.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu M, Tao H, Wang P et al., 2009. Effect of sowing date on growth and yield of spring-maize. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 17(1): 18–23. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Liu Y, Liu Z et al., 2021. Impacts of climatic warming on cropping system borders of China and potential adaptation strategies for regional agriculture development. Science of the Total Environment, 755: 142415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, 2015. Integrated land research and land resources engineering. Resources Science, 37(1): 1–8. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Chen Z, Li Y et al., 2017. The planting technology and industrial development prospects of forage rape in the loess hilly area: A case study of newly-increased cultivated land through gully land consolidation in Yan’an, Shaanxi province. Journal of Natural Resources, 32: 2065–2074. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Fang F, Li Y, 2014. Key issues of land use in China and implications for policy making. Land Use Policy, 40: 6–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Feng W, Li Y, 2020. Modern agricultural geographical engineering and agricultural high-quality development: Case study of loess hilly and gully region. Acta Geographica Sinica, 75(10): 2029–2046. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Guo Y, Li Y et al., 2015. GIS-based effect assessment of soil erosion before and after gully land consolidation: A case study of Wangjiagou project region, Loess Plateau. Chinese Geographical Science, 25: 137–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Li Y, 2014. China’s land creation project stands firm. Nature, 511: 410–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Li Y, 2017. Revitalize the world’s countryside. Nature, 548: 275–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Wang Y, 2019. Rural land engineering and poverty alleviation: Lessons from typical regions in China. Chinese Geographical Science, 29(5): 643–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Liu Y, Li Y, 2019. Extended warm temperate zone and opportunities for cropping system change in the Loess Plateau of China. International Journal of Climatology, 39: 658–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu D, Liu Y, Fang C et al., 2020. Development and prospect of human-economic geography. Acta Geographica Sinica, 75(12): 2570–2592. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu R, 2000. Soil Analytical Methods of Agronomic Chemicals. Beijing: China Agricultural Science and Technology Press. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lv Z, Li F, Lu G, 2020. Adjusting sowing date and cultivar shift improve maize adaption to climate change in China. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 25: 87–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lv Z, Liu X, Cao W et al., 2013. Climate change impacts on regional winter wheat production in main wheat production regions of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 171: 234–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma J, Chen Y, Wang H et al., 2020. Newly created farmland should be artificially amelio-rated to sustain agricultural production on the Loess Plateau. Land Degradation & Development, 31, 2565–2576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcinkowski P, Piniewski M, 2018. Effect of climate change on sowing and harvest dates of spring barley and maize in Poland. International Agrophysics, 32: 265–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maresma A, Ballesta A, Santiveri F et al., 2019. Sowing date affects maize development and yield in irrigated Mediterranean environments. Agriculture, 9(3): 67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meza F, Silva D, Vigil H, 2008. Climate change impacts on irrigated maize in Mediterranean climates: Evaluation of double cropping as an emerging adaptation alternative. Agricultural Systems, 98: 21–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molnar Z, Sarvari M, 2007. Relationship between sowing time and yield of maize hybrids with different genetic characteristics. Cereal Research Communications, 35: 797–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muoneke C, Asiegbu J, Udeogalanya A, 1997. Effect of relative sowing time on the growth and yield of the component crops in okra/maize and okra/cowpea intercropping systems. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 179: 179–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagy J, 2009. Effect of sowing date on the yield and quality of maize hybrids with different growing seasons. Acta Agronomica Hungarica, 57: 389–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyakatawa E, Nyati C, 1998. Yields of maize and sunflower in relation to sowing time and rainfall distribution under three cropping systems in a semi-arid region of Zimbabwe. Tropical Agriculture, 75: 428–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olasantan F, Bello N, 2004. Optimum sowing dates for okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in monoculture and mixture with cassava (Manihot esculenta) during the rainy season in the south-west of Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Science, 142: 49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opsi F, Fortina R, Borreani G et al., 2013. Influence of cultivar, sowing date and maturity at harvest on yield, digestibility, rumen fermentation kinetics and estimated feeding value of maize silage. Journal of Agricultural Science, 151: 740–753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stricevic R, Stojakovic N, Vujadinovic M et al., 2018. Impact of climate change on yield, irrigation requirements and water productivity of maize cultivated under the moderate continental climate of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journal of Agricultural Science, 156: 618–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun H, Zhang X, Chen S et al., 2007. Effects of harvest and sowing time on the performance of the rotation of winter wheat-summer maize in the North China Plain. Industrial Crops and Products, 25(3): 239–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tao F, Zhang Z, 2010. Adaptation of maize production to climate change in North China Plain: Quantify the relative contributions of adaptation options. European Journal of Agronomy, 33: 103–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Ma B, Wu F, 2017. Effects of wheat stubble on runoff, infiltration, and erosion of farmland on the Loess Plateau, China, subjected to simulated rainfall. Solid Earth, 8: 281–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Fu B, Piao S et al., 2016. Reduced sediment transport in the Yellow River due to anthropogenic changes. Nature Geoscience, 9(1): 38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Li Y, Liu Y, 2019. Principle and method of modern agricultural two-dimension optimization engineering experiment. Engineering Sciences, 21: 48–54. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu W, Chen Z, Li Y et al., 2019a. Land engineering and its role for sustainable agriculture in the agro-pastoral ecotone: A case study of Yulin, Shaanxi province, China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(5): 818–830.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y, Feng W, Zhou Y, 2019b. Practice of barren hilly land consolidation and its impact: A typical case study from Fuping county, Hebei province of China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(5): 762–778.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xia W, Xin H, Sun Z et al., 2011. Effect of different sowing dates and planting density on group characters and yield of wheat. Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin, 27: 170–176. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiong W, Holman I, Conway D et al., 2008. A crop model cross calibration for use in regional climate impacts studies. Ecological Modelling, 213(3): 365–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin X, Olesen J, Wang M et al., 2016a. Climate effects on crop yields in the Northeast Farming Region of China during 1961–2010. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 154(7): 1190–1208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin X, Olesen J, Wang M et al., 2016b. Impacts and adaptation of the cropping systems to climate change in the Northeast Farming Region of China. European Journal of Agronomy, 78: 60–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeomans J, Bremner J, 1988. A rapid and precise method for routine determination of organic carbon in soil. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 19(13): 1467–1476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Cheng J, Wang B et al., 2019. Optimum sowing dates for high-yield maize when grown as sole crop in the North China Plain. Agronomy, 9(4): 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou G, 2015. Research prospect on impact of climate change on agricultural production in China. Meteorological & Environmental Sciences, 38(1): 80–94. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Guo L, Liu Y, 2019. Land consolidation boosting poverty alleviation in China: Theory and practice. Land Use Policy, 82: 339–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Liu Y, Wu W, 2016. Strengthen China’s flood control. Nature, 536: 396–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zou L, Liu Y, Wang J et al., 2019. Land use conflict identification and sustainable development scenario simulation on China’s southeast coast. Journal of Cleaner Production, 238: 117899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing, 100101, China

    Weilun Feng, Yansui Liu, Yurui Li & Zongfeng Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, CAS, Beijing, 100101, China

    Weilun Feng, Yansui Liu, Yurui Li & Zongfeng Chen

Authors
  1. Weilun Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yansui Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yurui Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zongfeng Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yansui Liu.

Additional information

Foundation: National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41931293, No.41801175, No.42201287; Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China, No.2020M680658

Author: Feng Weilun (1992−), PhD, specialized in the agricultural development and land use.

Corresponding author: Liu Yansui (1965−), Professor, specialized in human-earth science and rural sustainability.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Feng, W., Liu, Y., Li, Y. et al. Feasibility analysis of a double-cropping system for the efficient use of farmland on China’s Loess Plateau. J. Geogr. Sci. 33, 1271–1286 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2129-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2129-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation