Experience and Lessons from Cropland System Reform

Cropland system is the key to the problems of agriculture,rural areas and farmers,and its reform affects the process of rural revitalization to a great extent.This paper studies the measures and experiences of cropland system reform in Japan,South Korea and Chinese Taiwan.The results show that it is a common practice for the reform of cropland system in various countries(regions)to formulate strict laws and regulations,promote cropland transfer through government subsidies,guide cropland transfer in various forms,gradually relax restrictions on cropland transfer,and give full play to the role of intermediary organizations.Based on the above conclusions,this paper puts forward some suggestions for the reform of cropland system in China.

Coupling Coordination Analysis of Cropland Intensification and Agroecosystem Services:Evidence from Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province,China

One of the greatest challenges in the agroecosystem is to improve cropland intensification while preserving agroecosystem services.While many studies have investigated the effect of cropland intensification on agroecosystem service,the interactive coupling and coordination among these factors remain largely unexplored.In view of this,this study performed a case study of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province,China and constructed comprehensive evaluation models to quantify the cropland intensification and agroecosystem service in this area.Balance analysis and the coupling coordination degree model were used to evaluate the interactive relationship between cropland intensification and agroecosystem service,and statistical analysis and spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the spatial characteristics and potential mechanism of the coupling coordination.Results show that both the cropland intensification and agroecosystem service in the study area were relatively low yet gradually increased from 2000 to 2020.Agroecosystem service lag was identified as the dominant unbalanced development type.Improving the supply capacity of agroecosystem services plays a key role in the balanced development of cropland in the Loess Plateau.The coupling coordination degree between cropland intensification and agroecosystem service ranges from basic coordination to serious incoordination.Therefore,cropland intensification practices in the area should be optimized to enhance this coordination degree.An upward trend was also observed in the coupling coordination degree from2000 to 2020.The withdrawal of marginal cropland in the Grain for Green program is one of the most important reasons for this trend,especially for the northern region.Around 83.6%of the high-high clusters are concentrated in the southern region of the Loess Plateau,whereas 70.5%of the low-low clusters are distributed in the northern region.These clustering characteristics are mainly attributed to the environmental suitability of these areas for agriculture and their degree of economic development.

Quantifying the agreement and accuracy characteristics of four satellite-based LULC products for cropland classification in China

Various land use and land cover(LULC)products have been produced over the past decade with the development of remote sensing technology.Despite the differences in LULC classification schemes,there is a lack of research on assessing the accuracy of their application to croplands in a unified framework.Thus,this study evaluated the spatial and area accuracies of cropland classification for four commonly used global LULC products(i.e.,MCD12Q1V6,GlobCover2009,FROM-GLC and GlobeLand30)based on the harmonised FAO criterion,and quantified the relationships between four factors(i.e.,slope,elevation,field size and crop system)and cropland classification agreement.The validation results indicated that MCD12Q1 and GlobeLand30 performed well in cropland classification regarding spatial consistency,with overall accuracies of 94.90 and 93.52%,respectively.The FROMGLC showed the worst performance,with an overall accuracy of 83.17%.Overlaying the cropland generated by the four global LULC products,we found the proportions of complete agreement and disagreement were 15.51 and 44.72% for the cropland classification,respectively.High consistency was mainly observed in the Northeast China Plain,the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and the northern part of the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain,China.In contrast,low consistency was detected primarily on the eastern edge of the northern and semiarid region,the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and southern China.Field size was the most important factor for mapping cropland.For area accuracy,compared with China Statistical Yearbook data at the provincial scale,the accuracies of different products in descending order were:GlobeLand30,FROM-GLC,MCD12Q1,and GlobCover2009.The cropland classification schemes mainly caused large area deviations among the four products,and they also resulted in the different ranks of spatial accuracy and area accuracy among the four products.Our results can provide valuable suggestions for selecting cropland products at the national or provincial scale and help cropland mapping and reconstruction,which is essential for food security and crop management,so they can also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals issued by the United Nations.

Decoding the inconsistency of six cropland maps in China

Accurate cropland information is critical for agricultural planning and production,especially in foodstressed countries like China.Although widely used medium-to-high-resolution satellite-based cropland maps have been developed from various remotely sensed data sources over the past few decades,considerable discrepancies exist among these products both in total area and in spatial distribution of croplands,impeding further applications of these datasets.The factors influencing their inconsistency are also unknown.In this study,we evaluated the consistency and accuracy of six cropland maps widely used in China in circa 2020,including three state-of-the-art 10-m products(i.e.,Google Dynamic World,ESRI Land Cover,and ESA WorldCover)and three 30-m ones(i.e.,GLC_FCS30,GlobeLand 30,and CLCD).We also investigated the effects of landscape fragmentation,climate,and agricultural management.Validation using a ground-truth sample revealed that the 10-m-resolution WorldCover provided the highest accuracy(92.3%).These maps collectively overestimated Chinese cropland area by up to 56%.Up to 37%of the land showed spatial inconsistency among the maps,concentrated mainly in mountainous regions and attributed to the varying accuracy of cropland maps,cropland fragmentation and management practices such as irrigation.Our work shed light on the promotion of future cropland mapping efforts,especially in highly inconsistent regions.

Uphill or downhill?Cropland use change and its drivers from the perspective of slope spectrum

The continuous decrease of low-slope cropland resources caused by construction land crowding poses huge threat to regional sustainable development and food security.Slope spectrum analysis of topographic and geomorphic features is considered as a digital terrain analysis method which reflects the macro-topographic features by using micro-topographic factors.However,pieces of studies have extended the concept of slope spectrum in the field of geoscience to construction land to explore its expansion law,while research on the slope trend of cropland from that perspective remains rare.To address the gap,in virtue of spatial analysis and geographically weighted regression(GWR)model,the cropland use change in the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)from 2000 to 2020 was analyzed and the driving factors were explored from the perspective of slope spectrum.Results showed that the slope spectrum curves of cropland area-frequency in the YRB showed a first upward then a downward trend.The change curve of the slope spectrum of cropland in each province(municipality)exhibited various distribution patterns.Quantitative analysis of morphological parameters of cropland slope spectrum revealed that the further down the YRB,the stronger the flattening characteristics,the more obvious the concentration.The province experienced the greatest downhill cropland climbing(CLC)was Shannxi,while province experienced the highest uphill CLC was Zhejiang.The most common cropland use change type in the YRB was horizontal expansion type.The factors affecting average cropland climbing index(ACCI)were quite stable in different periods,while population density(POP)changed from negative to positive during the study period.This research is of practical significance for the rational utilization of cropland at the watershed scale.

Detection, Mapping and Assessment Change in Urban and Croplands Area in Al-Hassa Oasis, Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

Croplands are decreasing due to the expansion of urban areas into rural communities and to some extent due to sand accumulations. Increases in population numbers, new development, in addition to the accumulation of sand and soil salinity are the major driving force leading to abandonment and shrinking of cropland. The aim of this study was to investigate and assess to what extent agricultural lands are affected by urban development in the Al Hassa oasis, Eastern region in Saudi Arabia by employing Landsat time series data of years 1988, 2000 and 2017 as the main source of information. A set of ground truth, control points (GCPs) was also used besides population census data. Unsupervised classifications approach, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and change detection methods were used here. Urban area during 2000-2017 exhibits much higher increase compared to 1988-2000, while the arable lands declined to −3.4% in 1988-2000 and increased to 22% during 2000-2017. The data analysis results provided new accurate numerical information supported by a graphical representation in regard to the decrease and increase in urban and agricultural lands. Therefore the findings of this study should be considered by decision maker for improving and development the agriculture activities in rural and urban communities.

Exploring the rules of cropland elevation uplift in China

Cropland elevation uplift(CLEU) has recently become a new challenge for agricultural modernization,food security,and sustainable cropland use in China.Uncovering the rules of CLEU is of great theoretical and practical significance for China’s sustainable agricultural development and rural revitalization strategy.However,existing studies lack in-depth disclosure of multi-scale CLEU evolution rules,making it difficult to support the formulation of specific cropland protection policies.We analyzed the spatio-temporal evolution and multiscale CLEU in China from 1980 to 2020 using the Lorenz curve,gravity center model,hotspot analysis,and cropland elevation spectrum.The results indicated that the center of gravity of cropland moved to the northeast from 1980 to 2000 and then shifted to the northwest.The spatial distribution of cropland became increasingly imbalanced from 1980 to 2000.The change hotspots clustered in the northwest and the northeast,whereas cold-spots were mainly in southeastern China.The average elevation of cropland increased by 17.38 m,and the elevation uplift rule in different regions differed evidently across scales.From 1980 to 2000,all provinces except Xinjiang,Inner Mongolia,Gansu,and Yunnan exhibited CLEU,with Qinghai,Tibet,Beijing,and Guangdong showing the most noticeable uplifting.The CLEU can alleviate the shortage of cropland to some extent.However,without a planning constraint,the CLEU will lead to the increase of ecological risk and food security risk.

Untangling the increasing elevation of cropland in China from 1980 to 2020

The redistribution of cropland to areas of higher elevation in China has long affected agricultural development and could seriously threaten national food security.However,there is currently little research reported on this phenomenon,which may limit the improvement of cropland protection policies.To fill this gap,we analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of increased cropland elevation in China during the period 1980-2020.The average cropland elevation in China increased by 17.38 m from 1980 to 2020.The gravity center of the cropland area and average cropland elevation in China moved to the northwest by 81.00 km and 51.47 km,respectively.The amount of newly added cropland in eastern China was less than that in occupied regions;however,the average elevation of newly added cropland was greater than that of occupied cropland,though the opposite phenomenon was observed in western China.Slope,temperature,land-use intensity,population,economic density,and distance to main roads were the main factors affecting the redistribution of cropland to areas of higher elevation.The effects of these major driving factors exhibited significant spatial and temporal variations in China.This study has important implications for improving existing cropland protection policies and developing more effective cropland management systems in China.

2013-2020年海河流域农田水热碳通量及气象要素观测数据集

本研究以海河流域官厅水库旁农田生态系统为研究对象,采用蒸渗仪、涡动相关仪、大孔径闪烁仪和自动气象站/气象要素梯度等观测系统,开展农田生态系统多尺度通量和气象要素的长期定位观测。本数据集由多尺度通量(米,百米,公里级)和气象要素数据组成,观测项目包括生态系统净碳交换量、潜热通量/蒸散发、感热通量、空气温度、空气相对湿度、风速、风向、向下/上短波辐射、向下/上长波辐射、净辐射、大气压、降水、红外辐射温度、光合有效辐射、土壤温度、土壤水分、土壤热通量、平均土壤温度等。本数据集经过了严格的处理和质量控制,可用于研究水库消涨对周边生态系统碳水等物质和能量的循环带来的影响,也可为相关遥感模型或过程模型等研究提供有力的数据基础。

中国耕地种植制度遥感探测及其时空特征

[目的]耕地种植制度是农业生产方式的具体体现,其形成受自然资源要素与人类土地利用行为综合影响,反映了“人类-自然”的耦合关系。本研究旨在科学掌握全国耕地种植制度格局,为优化农业生产布局、提高农业生产能力、推动农业可持续性发展提供依据。[方法]结合遥感监测与空间决策树模型等手段,构建适合我国农情的跨年度种植制度探测方法体系,并开展空间格局分析。首先,通过辨析种植强度、复种指数等概念,从长期性、周期性、稳定性等方面,定义种植制度的内涵;其次,构建连续度、频度指标,并利用基于时序遥感的2001—2018年中国复种指数监测结果,结合时间滑动窗口方法,在像元尺度分别计算两个指标的具体值;最后,评估耕地的种植强度与种植制度特征的显著性,利用决策树方法确定种植制度类型,从区域差异、动态规律等方面分析不同区域种植制度的时空异质特征。[结果](1)面积上看,一年一熟所占面积最大,占53.52%,超过耕地总面积的一半;其次是一年两熟,占23.28%,季节性休耕(如两年三熟)与年度休耕分别占12.80%和6.94%。(2)空间上看,一年一熟、一年两熟、季节性休耕与年度休耕的集中分布区分别为东北地区、华北地区、长江以南地区与“镰刀弯”地区。(3)时间上看,动态稳定的种植制度从时间维度上揭示了静态复种指数背后的异质性,例如,2018年复种指数为1的区域,其中75.18%属于一年一熟、6.60%属于一年两熟、8.92%属于季节性休耕、8.02%属于年度休耕。[结论]本研究提出了一种结合时序遥感监测与空间决策树模型的跨年度分类体系,揭示了中国耕地种植制度分区聚集、种植强度南高北低的空间格局,直观展现了松嫩平原、“镰刀弯”等空间聚集区;分析了耕地复种与种植制度的时空差异特征,主要表现在种植制度与年度复种指数的空间不一致性,以及种植制度特有的周期性。研究结果可为合理提高耕地复种强度、推动实施“藏粮于地”战略提供案例支撑。

Assessment of the cropland classifications in four global land cover datasets： A case study of Shaanxi Province, China

Accurate and reliable cropland surface information is of vital importance for agricultural planning and food security monitoring. As several global land cover datasets have been independently released, an inter-comparison of these data products on the classification of cropland is highly needed. This paper presents an assessment of cropland classifications in four global land cover datasets, i.e., moderate resolution imaging spectrometer （MODIS） land cover product, global land cover map of 2009 （GlobCover2009）, finer resolution observation and monitoring of global cropland （FROM-GC） and 30-m global land cover dataset （GlobeLand30）. The temporal coverage of these four datasets are circa 2010. One of the typical agricultur- al regions of China, Shaanxi Province, was selected as the study area. The assessment proceeded from three aspects： accuracy, spatial agreement and absolute area. In accuracy assessment, 506 validation samples, which consist of 168 cropland samples and 338 non-cropland ones, were automatically and systematically selected, and manually interpreted by referencing high-resolution images dated from 2009 to 2011 on Google Earth. The results show that the overall accuracy （OA） of four datasets ranges from 61.26 to 80.63%. GlobeLand30 dataset, with the highest accuracy, is the most accurate dataset for cropland classification. The cropland spatial agreement （mainly located in the plain ecotope of Shaanxi） and the non-cropland spatial agreement （sparsely distributed in the south and middle of Shaanxi） of the four datasets only makes up 33.96% of the whole province. FIROM-GC and GlobeLand30, obtaining the highest spatial agreement index of 62.40%, have the highest degree of spatial consistency. In terms of the absolute area, MODIS underestimates the cropland area, while GlobCover2009 significantly overestimates it. These findings are of value in revealing to which extent and on which aspect that these global land cover datasets may agree with each other at small scale on each ecotope region. The approaches taken in this study could be used to derive a fused cropland classification dataset.

Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Storage and Its Dynamics in Croplands of China

Soil organic carbon （SOC） is one of the centre issues related to not only soil fertility but also environmental safety. Assessing SOC dynamics in croplands has been a challenge in China for long due to the lack of appropriate methodologies and data sources. As an alternative approach for studying SOC dynamics, process-based models are adopted to meet the needs. In this paper, a process-based model, DeNitrification-DeComposition （DNDC）, was applied to quantify the SOC storage and the spatial distribution in croplands of China in 2003, with the support of a newly compiled county-level soil/ climate/land use database. The simulated results showed that the total SOC storage in the top layer （0-30 cm） of the 1.18 × 10^8 ha croplands of China is 4.7-5.2 Pg C in 2003 with an average value of 4.95 Pg C. The SOC storage in the northeastern provinces （1.3 Pg C） accounts for about 1/4 of the whole national totals due to their dominantly fertile soils with high organic matter content. SOC density ranges from 3.9 to 4.4 kg C m 2, with an average of 4.2 kg C m^-2, a level is much lower than the world average level. The model results also indicated that high rates of SOC losses occurred in the croplands with the most common cropping patterns in China as like single soybean 〉 maize 〉 paddy 〉 cotton 〉 winter wheat and corn rotation. The results reported in this paper showed that there was still a great potential for improving SOC status in most croplands of China by adopting proper farming practices and land-use pattern. Therefore, long-term policy to protect SOC is urgently needed.

Spatial Interpolation and Sample Size Optimization for Soil Copper(Cu) Investigation in Cropland Soil at County Scale Using Cokriging

Knowledge on spatial distribution and sampling size optimization of soil copper （Cu） could lay solid foundations for environmetal quality survey of agricultural soils at county scale. In this investigation, cokriging method was used to conduct the interpolation of Cu concentraiton in cropland soil in Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province, China. Based on the original 623 physicochmically measured soil samples, 560, 498, and 432 sub-samples were randomly selected as target variable and soil organic matter （SOM） of the whole original samples as auxiliary variable. Interpolation results using Cokriging under different sampling numbers were evaluated for their applicability in estimating the spatial distribution of soil Cu at county sacle. The results showed that the root mean square error （RMSE） produced by Cokriging decreased from 0.9 to 7.77%, correlation coefficient between the predicted values and the measured increased from 1.76 to 9.76% in comparison with the ordinary Kriging under the corresponding sample sizes. The prediction accuracy using Cokriging was still higher than original 623 data using ordinary Kriging even as sample size reduced 10%, and their interpolation maps were highly in agreement. Therefore, Cokriging was proven to be a more accurate and economic method which could provide more information and benefit for the studies on spatial distribution of soil pollutants at county scale.

Changes in soil carbon stocks and related soil properties along a 50-year grassland-to-cropland conversion chronosequence in an agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia,China

Land use change significantly influences soil properties. There is little information available on the long-term effects of post-reclamation from grassland to cropland on soil properties. We compared soil carbon （C） and nitrogen （N） storage and related soil properties in a 50-year cultivation chronosequence of grassland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia. Field surveys on land use changes during the period of 1955-2002 were conducted to build a chronosequence of cropland of different ages since the conversion from grassland. The results showed that soil C and N storage, soil texture, and soil nutrient contents varied with land use types and cropland ages （P〈0.01）. In the 0-30 cm soil layer, the soil organic carbon （SOC） density was significantly lower in the crop- lands （3.28 kg C/m2 for C50 soil） than in the grasslands （6.32 kg C/m2）. After 5, 10, 15, 20, 35, and 50 years of crop planting （years since the onset of cultivation）, the SOC losses were 17%, 12%, 19%, 47%, 46%, and 48%, respec- tively, compared with the grasslands. The soil total nitrogen （TN） density of the grasslands was 65 g N/m2, and TN density of the cropland soil was 35 g N/m2 after 50 years of crop planting. Both the SOC and TN densities could be quantitatively determined by a negative exponential function of cropland age （P〈0.0001, R2=0.8528; P〈0.0001, R2=0.9637）. The dissolved organic carbon （DOC） content, pH value were decreased; and the soil bulk density and soil available potassium （AK） content, clay content, and sand content were increased since the conversion of grassland into cropland during the 50-year period. Our results show soil nutrients were higher in grassland than in cropland. The conversion of grasslands to croplands induced a loss of soil C storage and changes of related soil properties. The reclamation time of cultivated soil （cropland age） had significant effects on soil properties in the study area.

A New Indicator for Global Food Security Assessment: Harvested Area Rather Than Cropland Area

Cropland area has long been used as a key indicator of food security.However,grain yield is not solely controlled by the area of the cropland.Therefore,we proposed a new indicator to assess food security.Results show that from 1992 to 2004,the global cropland area increased by 840200 km^(2)(99.4%),but the grain yield increased only by 310 million t(29.1%);and from 2004 to 2015,the cropland area decreased by 39000 km^(2)(4.64%),but the grain yield increased by 370 million t(70.84%).This result showed that grain yield was not linearly correlated with cropland area,and delimiting the threshold of cropland protection may not guarantee food security.Combined with further correlation analysis,we found that the increase in the global grain yield was more closely related to the harvested area(R^(2)=0.94),which indicated that the harvested area is a more scientific and accurate indicator than cropland area in terms of guaranteeing food security.Therefore,if governments want to ensure the food security,they should choose a new and more accurate indicator:harvested area rather than cropland area.

Global pattern and change of cropland soil organic carbon during 1901-2010: Roles of climate, atmospheric chemistry, land use and management

Soil organic carbon(SOC)in croplands is a key property of soil quality for ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability,and also plays a central role in the global carbon(C)budget.When managed sustainably,soils may play a critical role in mitigating climate change by sequestering C and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.However,the magnitude and spatio-temporal patterns of global cropland SOC are far from well constrained due to high land surface heterogeneity,complicated mechanisms,and multiple influencing factors.Here,we use a process-based agroecosystem model(DLEM-Ag)in combination with diverse spatially-explicit gridded environmental data to quantify the long-term trend of SOC storage in global cropland area during 1901-2010 and identify the relative impacts of climate change,elevated CO2,nitrogen deposition,land cover change,and land management practices such as nitrogen fertilizer use and irrigation.Model results show that the total SOC and SOC density in the 2000s increased by 125%and 48.8%,respectively,compared to the early 20th century.This SOC increase was primarily attributed to cropland expansion and nitrogen fertilizer use.Factorial analysis suggests that climate change reduced approximately 3.2%(or 2,166 Tg C)of the total SOC over the past 110 years.Our results indicate that croplands have a large potential to sequester C through implementing better land use management practices,which may partially offset SOC loss caused by climate change.

The impact of cropland conversion on environmental effect in the Loess Plateau: a pilot study based on the national experimental bases

Conversion of cropland to forestry and grassland is an important method to reduce soil erosion and improve the biophysical environment in the Loess Plateau. The feasibility, methods, and environmental effects of cropland conversion were studied based on 11 typical watersheds of national experimental bases instead of different geographic areas of the Loess Plateau. Between 1986 and 2000, cropland, sloping cropland and non-agricultural land decreased by 8%, 92.5% and 8% respectively, while forestry increased by 15.7%. The land use change not only decreased annual soil erosion by 74%, but also increased vegetation coverage by 100% and improved the soil condition and biodiversity. This can be achieved by building basic farmland, increasing capital and scientific input, and planting trees and grasses according to the natural biophysical restrictions.

Estimating cropland carbon mitigation potentials in China affected by three improved cropland practices

Agriculture is a large source of carbon emissions. The cropland practices of fertilizer substitution, crop straw and conservation tillage are beneficial and help to rebuild local soil carbon stocks and reduce soil carbon emissions, in addition to reducing the consumption of fertilizers and fossil fuels. These improved cropland practices can directly and indirectly mitigatecarbon emissions, benefiting the sustainability of croplands. For these three improved practices, we estimated carbon mitigation potentials in rice, wheat and maize croplands in China. The combined contribution of these practices to carbon mitigation was 38.8 Tg C yr-1, with fertilizer substitution, crop straw return, and conservation tillage contributing 26.6, 3.6 and 8.6 Tg C yr-1, respectively. Rice, wheat and maize croplands had potentials to mitigate 13.4, 11.9 and 15.5 Tg C yr-1, respectively, with the combined direct and indirectpotential of 33.8 and 5.0 Tg C yr-1. Because of differences in local climate and specific diets, the regional cropland carbon mitigation potentials differed greatly among provinces in China. In China, 18 provinces had a "target surplus" for which the carbon mitigation from these three practices was larger than the mitigation target set for 2020. At the national level, a net "target surplus"of 4.84 Tg C yr-1 would be attained for Chinese croplands with full implementation of the three improved practices. Regional cooperation must be developed to achieve carbon mitigation targets using such measures as carbon trading, establishing regional associations, and strengthening research programs to improve practices.

Dry cropland changes in China's Three Gorges Reservoir Region during the period 1990 to 2015

Monitoring and analyzing changes in the extent of cultivated land may inform strategic decisions on issues of environmental and food security.The dry cropland area of 12000 km^2in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region(TGRR)of China is essential for feeding the local population of^20 million,but is highly prone to soil erosion,leading to the delivery of excessive amounts of sediment and associated pollutants to the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR),and causing serious eco-environmental consequences.Against this background,this paper used Landsat images and a digital elevation model to analyze the altitudinal distribution of,and dynamic changes in,the area of dry cropland during the period 1990 to 2015.The results suggest that dry cropland was mainly distributed in the elevation range of 200-600 m.The dry cropland area decreased from 12525.37 km^2to 11796.27 km^2during the 25-year study period,including a particularly significant decrease in the rate of decrease from 6.93 km^2/yr to 43.99 km^2/yr after 2000.The largest decline in the dry cropland area occurred in the elevation range of 600-900 m.The transformations between dry cropland and forest revealed the impact of the TGR operation on the extent of dry cropland.A total of 528.79 km^2of dry cropland with slopes>25°were converted to forest after 2000,whereas a total of 642 km^2of forest was converted to dry cropland during the study period,and these conversions mainly occurred between the elevation of 200–900 m.These spatiotemporal changes in the dry cropland area are likely to raise new issues concerning food security in the TGRR.

Impacts of silicon on biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in croplands

Crop harvesting and residue removal from croplands often result in imbalanced biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in croplands, putting forward an austere challenge to sustainable agricultural production. As a beneficial element, silicon（Si） has multiple eco-physiological functions, which could help crops to acclimatize their unfavorable habitats. Although many studies have reported that the application of Si can alleviate multiple abiotic and biotic stresses and increase biomass accumulation, the effects of Si on carbon immobilization and nutrients uptake into plants in croplands have not yet been explored. This review focused on Si-associated regulation of plant carbon accumulation, lignin biosynthesis, and nutrients uptake, which are important for biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in croplands. The tradeoff analysis indicates that the supply of bioavailable Si can enhance plant net photosynthetic rate and biomass carbon production（especially root biomass input to soil organic carbon pool）, but reduce shoot lignin biosynthesis. Besides, the application of Si could improve uptake of most nutrients under deficient conditions, but restricts excess uptake when they are supplied in surplus amounts. Nevertheless, Si application to crops may enhance the uptake of nitrogen and iron when they are supplied in deficient to luxurious amounts, while potassium uptake enhanced by Si application is often involved in alleviating salt stress and inhibiting excess sodium uptake in plants. More importantly, the amount of Si accumulated in plant positively correlates with nutrients release during the decay of crop biomass, but negatively correlates with straw decomposability due to the reduced lignin synthesis. The Si-mediated plant growth and litter decomposition collectively suggest that Si cycling in croplands plays important roles in biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients. Hence, scientific Si management in croplands will be helpful for maintaining sustainable development of agriculture.