Straw return increases crop production by improving soil organic carbon sequestration and soil aggregation in a long-term wheat-cotton cropping system

Straw return is a promising strategy for managing soil organic carbon(SOC)and improving yield stability.However,the optimal straw return strategy for sustainable crop production in the wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)-cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)cropping system remains uncertain.The objective of this study was to quantify the long-term(10 years)impact of carbon(C)input on SOC sequestration,soil aggregation and crop yields in a wheat-cotton cropping system in the Yangtze River Valley,China.Five treatments were arranged with a single-factor randomized design as follows:no straw return(Control),return of wheat straw only(Wt),return of cotton straw only(Ct),return of 50%wheat and 50%cotton straw(Wh-Ch)and return of 100%wheat and 100%cotton straw(Wt-Ct).In comparison to the Control,the SOC content increased by 8.4 to 20.2%under straw return.A significant linear positive correlation between SOC sequestration and C input(1.42-7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1))(P<0.05)was detected.The percentages of aggregates of sizes>2 and 1-2 mm at the 0-20 cm soil depth were also significantly elevated under straw return,with the greatest increase of the aggregate stability in the Wt-Ct treatment(28.1%).The average wheat yields increased by 12.4-36.0%and cotton yields increased by 29.4-73.7%,and significantly linear positive correlations were also detected between C input and the yields of wheat and cotton.The average sustainable yield index(SYI)reached a maximum value of 0.69 when the C input was 7.08 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1),which was close to the maximum value(SYI of 0.69,C input of 7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(-1))in the Wt-Ct treatment.Overall,the return of both wheat and cotton straw was the best strategy for improving SOC sequestration,soil aggregation,yields and their sustainability in the wheat-cotton rotation system.

The microbial community,nutrient supply and crop yields differ along a potassium fertilizer gradient under wheat-maize double-cropping systems

Soil microorganisms play critical roles in ecosystem function.However,the relative impact of the potassium(K)fertilizer gradient on the microbial community in wheat-maize double-cropping systems remains unclear.In this long-term field experiment(2008-2019),we researched bacterial and fungal diversity,composition,and community assemblage in the soil along a K fertilizer gradient in the wheat season(K0,no K fertilizer;K1,45 kg ha^(-1) K_(2)O;K_(2),90 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O;K3,135 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O)and in the maize season(K0,no K fertilizer;K_(1),150 kg ha^(-1) K_(2)O;K_(2),300 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O;K_(3),450 kg ha^(-1)K_(2)O)using bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internally transcribed spacer(ITS)data.We observed that environmental variables,such as mean annual soil temperature(MAT)and precipitation,available K,ammonium,nitrate,and organic matter,impacted the soil bacterial and fungal communities,and their impacts varied with fertilizer treatments and crop species.Furthermore,the relative abundance of bacteria involved in soil nutrient transformation(phylum Actinobacteria and class Alphaproteobacteria)in the wheat season was significantly increased compared to the maize season,and the optimal K fertilizer dosage(K2 treatment)boosted the relative bacterial abundance of soil nutrient transformation(genus Lactobacillus)and soil denitrification(phylum Proteobacteria)bacteria in the wheat season.The abundance of the soil bacterial community promoting root growth and nutrient absorption(genus Herbaspirillum)in the maize season was improved compared to the wheat season,and the K2 treatment enhanced the bacterial abundance of soil nutrient transformation(genus MND1)and soil nitrogen cycling(genus Nitrospira)genera in the maize season.The results indicated that the bacterial and fungal communities in the double-cropping system exhibited variable sensitivities and assembly mechanisms along a K fertilizer gradient,and microhabitats explained the largest amount of the variation in crop yields,and improved wheat?maize yields by 11.2-22.6 and 9.2-23.8%with K addition,respectively.These modes are shaped contemporaneously by the different meteorological factors and soil nutrient changes in the K fertilizer gradients.

Optimization of inter-seasonal nitrogen allocation increases yield and resource-use efficiency in a water-limited wheat-maize cropping system in the North China Plain

Winter wheat–summer maize cropping system in the North China Plain often experiences droughtinduced yield reduction in the wheat season and rainwater and nitrogen(N)fertilizer losses in the maize season.This study aimed to identify an optimal interseasonal water-and N-management strategy to alleviate these losses.Four ratios of allocation of 360 kg N ha^(-1)between the wheat and maize seasons under one-time presowing root-zone irrigation(W0)and additional jointing and anthesis irrigation(W2)in wheat and one irrigation after maize sowing were set as follows:N1(120:240),N2(180:180),N3(240:120)and N4(300:60).The results showed that under W0,the N3 treatment produced the highest annual yield,crop water productivity(WPC),and nitrogen partial factor productivity(PFPN).Increased N allocation in wheat under W0 improved wheat yield without affecting maize yield,as surplus nitrate after wheat harvest was retained in the topsoil layers and available for the subsequent maize.Under W2,annual yield was largest in the N2 treatment.The risk of nitrate leaching increased in W2 when N application rate in wheat exceeded that of the N2 treatment,especially in the wet year.Compared to W2N2,the W0N3 maintained 95.2%grain yield over two years.The WPCwas higher in the W0 treatment than in the W2 treatment.Therefore,following limited total N rate,an appropriate fertilizer N transfer from maize to wheat season had the potential of a“triple win”for high annual yield,WPCand PFPN in a water-limited wheat–maize cropping system.

Research Progress on Effects of Continuous Cropping on Soil Microbial Florae and Its Restoration

Continuous cropping has become a common form of agricultural production at present, but with the increase of continuous cropping years, continuous cropping obstacles such as soil-borne diseases and plant growth potential decline are becoming more and more common. At present, the causes of continuous cropping obstacles and continuous cropping restoration have become a hot issue in agricultural research. This paper summarized the effects of continuous cropping obstacles on soil microbial community structure and main technical methods to repair continuous cropping obstacles, such as agricultural measure management, microbial balance adjustment and soil improvement, aiming to provide theoretical reference for protecting the sustainable utilization of soil ecosystem and ensuring the stability of crop production.

Several Cotton Rotation and Intercropping Systems in Cotton Planting Area of Eastern Henan Province

In recent years,the area dedicated to cotton cultivation in eastern Henan Province has experienced a continuous decline.Developing efficient multi-cropping systems for cotton and increasing the multiple cropping index represent effective strategies to stabilize the cotton planting area and enhance the income of cotton farmers.This paper presents an overview of intercropping systems and the benefits associated with cotton rotation and intercropping practices.Specifically,it discusses the"early maturing cotton-wheat"rotation system,the"cotton-watermelon"intercropping system,the"cotton-Dutch bean"intercropping system,and the"early maturing cotton-peanut-garlic"intercropping system.

Impact on Soil Organic C and Total Soil N from Cool- and Warm-Season Legumes Used in a Green Manure-Forage Cropping System

Annual forage legumes are important components of livestock production systems in East Texas and the southeastern US. Forage legumes contribute nitrogen (N) to cropping systems through biological N fixation, and their seasonal biomass production can be managed to complement forage grasses. Our research objectives were to evaluate both warm- and cool-season annual forage legumes as green manure for biomass, N content, ability to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil N, and impact on post season forage grass crops. Nine warm-season forage legumes (WSL) were spring planted and incorporated as green manure in the fall. Forage rye (Secale cereale L.) was planted following the incorporation of WSL treatments. Eight cool-season forage legumes (CSL) were fall planted in previously fallow plots and incorporated as green manure in late spring. Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x Sorghum bicolor var. sudanense) was planted over all treatments in early summer after forage rye harvest and incorporation of CSL treatments. Sorghum-sudangrass was harvested in June, August and September, and treatments were evaluated for dry matter and N concentration. Soil cores were taken from each plot, split into depths of 0 to 15, 15 to 30 and 30 to 60 cm, and soil C and N were measured using combustion analysis. Nylon mesh bags containing plant samples were buried at 15 cm and used to evaluate decomposition rate of above ground legume biomass, including change in C and N concentrations. Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. [Wilczek]) had the highest shoot biomass yield (6.24 t DM ha-1) and contributed the most total N (167 kg∙ha-1) and total C (3043 kg∙ha-1) of the WSL tested. Decomposition rate of WSL biomass was rapid in the first 10 weeks and very slow afterward. Winter pea (Pisum sativum L. spp. sativum), arrow leaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi.), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) were the most productive CSL in this trial. Austrian winter pea produced 8.41 t DM ha-1 with a total N yield of 319 kg N ha-1 and total C production of 3835 kg C ha-1. The WSL treatments had only small effects on rye forage yield and N concentration, possibly due to mineralization of N from a large SOC pool already in place. The CSL treatments also had only minimal effects on sorghum-sudangrass forage production. Winter pea, arrow leaf and crimson clover were productive cool season legumes and could be useful as green manure crops. Mungbean and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) were highly productive warm season legumes but may include more production risk in green manure systems due to soil moisture competition.

Satellite Multi-Temporal Data and Cropping Pattern Approach for Green Gram Crop Management in the Lower Midland Zone IV and V in Kenya

Creation of a spectral signature reflectance data, which aids in the identification of the crops is important in determining size and location crop fields. Therefore, we developed a spectral signature reflectance for the vegetative stage of the green gram (Vigna. radiata L.) over 5 years (2020, 2018, 2017, 2015, and 2013) for agroecological zone IV and V in Kenya. The years chosen were those whose satellite resolution data was available for the vegetative stage of crop growth in the short rain season (October, November, December (OND)). We used Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery in this study. Cropping pattern data for the study area were evaluated by calculating the Top of Atmosphere reflectance. Farms geo-referencing, along with field data collection, was undertaken to extract Top of Atmosphere reflectance for bands 2, 3, 4 and 7. We also carried a spectral similarity assessment on the various cropping patterns. The spectral reflectance ranged from 0.07696 - 0.09632, 0.07466 - 0.09467, 0.0704047 - 0.12188,0.19822 - 0.24387, 0.19269 - 0.26900, and 0.11354 - 0.20815 for bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for green gram, respectively. The results showed a dissimilarity among the various cropping patterns. The lowest dissimilarity index was 0.027 for the maize (Zea mays L.) bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) versus the maize-pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) crop, while the highest dissimilarity index was 0.443 for the maize bean versus the maize bean and cowpea cropping patterns. High crop dissimilarities experienced across the cropping pattern through these spectral reflectance values confirm that the green gram was potentially identifiable. The results can be used in crop type identification in agroecological lower midland zone IV and V for mung bean management. This study therefore suggests that use of reflectance data in remote sensing of agricultural ecosystems would aid in planning, management, and crop allocation to different ecozones.

Significant reduction of ammonia emissions while increasing crop yields using the 4R nutrient stewardship in an intensive cropping system

Ammonia (NH_3) emissions should be mitigated to improve environmental quality.Croplands are one of the largest NH_3sources,they must be managed properly to reduce their emissions while achieving the target yields.Herein,we report the NH_3 emissions,crop yield and changes in soil fertility in a long-term trial with various fertilization regimes,to explore whether NH_3 emissions can be significantly reduced using the 4R nutrient stewardship (4Rs),and its interaction with the organic amendments (i.e.,manure and straw) in a wheat–maize rotation.Implementing the 4Rs significantly reduced NH_3 emissions to 6 kg N ha~(–1) yr~(–1) and the emission factor to 1.72%,without compromising grain yield (12.37 Mg ha~(–1) yr~(–1))and soil fertility (soil organic carbon of 7.58 g kg~(–1)) compared to the conventional chemical N management.When using the 4R plus manure,NH_3 emissions (7 kg N ha~(–1) yr~(–1)) and the emission factor (1.74%) were as low as 4Rs,and grain yield and soil organic carbon increased to 14.79 Mg ha~(–1) yr~(–1) and 10.09 g kg~(–1),respectively.Partial manure substitution not only significantly reduced NH_3 emissions but also increased crop yields and improved soil fertility,compared to conventional chemical N management.Straw return exerted a minor effect on NH_3 emissions.These results highlight that 4R plus manure,which couples nitrogen and carbon management can help achieve both high yields and low environmental costs.

Maize-soybean relay cropping increases soybean yield synergistically by extending the post-anthesis leaf stay-green period and accelerating grain filling

Relay cropping of Poaceae and Fabaceae promotes high yield and land-use efficiency by allowing a double harvest.However,it is difficult to increase yield synergistically because of the reduced photosynthetic abilities of legume leaves under the shade of graminoids.Leaf photosynthetic capacity in relay cropping systems is associated with ecological niche differentiation and photosynthetic compensation after restoration of normal light.We conducted a field experiment in southwest China in 2020–2021 to evaluate the effects of three cropping patterns:maize–soybean relay cropping(IMS),monoculture maize(MM),and monoculture soybean(SS),and N application levels:no N application(NN:0 kg N ha^(−1)),reduced N(RN:180 kg N ha^(−1)),and conventional N(CN:240 kg N ha^(−1)).Compared to monocropping,relay cropping increased the stay-green traits of maize and soybean by 13%and 89%,respectively.Relay cropping prolonged the leaf stay-green duration in the maize and soybean lag phase by almost 4 and 8 days,respectively.Relay cropping maize(IM)increased the leaf area index(LAI)by 79.4%to 88.5%under NN and 55.5%to 148%under RN.Relay cropping soybean(IS)increased the LAI from 115%to 437%at days 40 to 50 after anthesis.IM increased yield by 65.6%.IS increased yield by 9.7%.HI and system yield were at their highest values under RN.In the relay cropping system,reduced N application extended green leaf duration,increased photosynthesis inside the canopy at multiple levels,ultimately increases soybean yield synergistically.

Estimating Carbon Capture Potential of Fallow Weeds in Rice Cropping Systems

Weeds occurred during the fallow season can well perform the function of carbon(C)capture due to receiving little human disturbance.This study aimed to evaluate the C capture potential of fallow weeds in rice(Oryza sativa L.)cropping systems.A six-region,two-year on-farm investigation and a three-year tillage experiment were conducted to estimate C capture in fallow weeds in rice cropping systems.The on-farm investigation showed that the average mean C capture by fallow weeds across six regions and two years reached 112 g m^(-2).The tillage experiment indicated that no-tillage practices increased C capture by fallow weeds by 80%on average as compared with conventional tillage.The results of this study not only contribute to an understanding of C capture potential of fallow weeds in rice cropping systems,but also provide a reference for including fallow weeds in the estimation of vegetative C sink.

Effects of Allelochemicals on Root Growth and Pod Yield in Response to Continuous Cropping Obstacle of Peanut

Continuous cropping(CC)obstacle is a major threat in legume crops production;however,the underlying mechanisms concerning the roles allelochemicals play in CC obstacle are poorly understood.The current 2-year study was conducted to investigate the effects of different kinds and concentrations of allelochemicals,p-hydroxybenzoic acid(H),cinnamic acid(C),phthalic acid(P),and their mixtures(M)on peanut root growth and productivity in response to CC obstacle.Treatment with H,C,P,and M significantly decreased the plant height,dry weight of the leaves and stems,number of branches,and length of the lateral stem compared with control.Exogenous application of H,C,P,and M inhibited the peanut root growth as indicated by the decreased root morphological characters.The allelochemicals also induced the cell membrane oxidation even though the antioxidant enzymes activities were significantly increased in peanut roots.Meanwhile,treatment with H,C,P,and M reduced the contents of total soluble sugar and total soluble protein.Analysis of ATPase activity,nitrate reductase activity,and root system activity revealed that the inhibition effects of allelochemicals on peanut roots might be due to the decrease in activities of ATPase and NR,and the inhibition of root system.Consequently,allelochemicals significantly decreased the pod yield of peanut compared with control.Our results demonstrate that allelochemicals play a dominant role in CC obstacle-induced peanut growth inhibition and yield reduction through damaging the root antioxidant system,unbalancing the osmolytes accumulation,and decreasing the activities of root-related enzymes.

Evaluation of Productive Plant Landscapes in Cold Regions Based on a Multiple Cropping Model

Four varieties of each rapeseed and buckwheat were planted in different sowing periods to explore a variety of planting patterns.A theoretical foundation was provided for the innovative application of cold region productive plant landscapes.The analytic hierarchy process was employed to develop a model for the evaluation of multiple cropping systems.A comprehensive evaluation was conducted to study 10 indicators in plant type,flower color,flowering period,flower volume,branch coverage,plot average yield,number of grains per plant,yield per plant,thousand-grain quality and ecological adaptability in four different varieties of each rapeseed and buckwheat.The results indicated that flower color,ecological adaptability,plot average yield and flower volume were the most important indicators for the value of productive plant landscapes in cold regions.Concerning the sowing period,the optimal combination of varieties and planting times were March 31 for Qingza No.5(rapeseed)and July 18 for Xinong T1211(buckwheat).

An Econometric Analysis on the Effect of Climate Change on Wheat Cropping Area in China

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the impact of climate change on wheat cropping by using province-specific historical data during 1996-2007. [Method] We established a panel data econometric model with lagged wheat cropping area and province-specific fixed-effects model to control the unobserved factors. [Result] The results showed that the temperature positively affects wheat cropping area, while precipitation does not have such impact. [Conclusion] The study provided empirical evidence for analysis of the determinants of wheat cropping area in China.

Fine mapping and characterization of stripe rust resistance gene YrAYH in near-isogenic lines derived from a cross involving wheat landrace Anyuehong

Stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is a devastating disease in wheat worldwide.Discovering and characterizing new resistance genes/QTL is crucial for wheat breeding programs.In this study,we fine-mapped and characterized a stripe rust resistance gene,YRAYH,on chromosome arm 5BL in the Chinese wheat landrace Anyuehong(AYH).Evaluations of stripe rust response to prevalent Chinese Pst races in near-isogenic lines derived from a cross of Anyuehong and Taichung 29 showed that YrAYH conferred a high level of resistance at all growth stages.Fine mapping using a large segregating population of 9748 plants,narrowed the YRAYH locus to a 3.7 Mb interval on chromosome arm 5BL that included 61 annotated genes.Transcriptome analysis of two NIL pairs identified 64 upregulated differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in the resistant NILs(NILs-R).Annotations indicated that many of these genes have roles in plant disease resistance pathways.Through a combined approach of fine-mapping and transcriptome sequencing,we identified a serine/threonine-protein kinase SRPK as a candidate gene underlying YrAYH.A unique 25 bp insertion was identified in the NILs-R compared to the NILs-S and previously published wheat genomes.An InDel marker was developed and co-segregated with YrAYH.Agronomic trait evaluation of the NILs suggested that YrAYH not only reduces the impact of stripe rust but was also associated with a gene that increases plant height and spike length.

Analysis of the Causes of Continuous Cropping Obstacles for Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz in Pingjiang County and Its Control Methods

First at all, it introduced the concept and the damages of continuous cropping obstacle. Then, it analyzed the causes of continuous cropping obstacles for Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. In the end, in order to provide guidance for pro- moting sustainable development of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz industry in Pingjiang County, it put forward some control methods for eliminating continuous cropping obstacles of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, including breeding varieties with high resistance; applying rotation cropping and intercropping reasonable; rational fertilization and soil disinfection; introducing antagonistic bacterial and eliminating au- tointoxication.

A dual-RPA based lateral flow strip for sensitive,on-site detection of CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac genes in genetically modified crops

Traditional transgenic detection methods require high test conditions and struggle to be both sensitive and efficient.In this study,a one-tube dual recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)reaction system for CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac was proposed and combined with a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay,named“Dual-RPA-LFD”,to visualize the dual detection of genetically modified(GM)crops.In which,the herbicide tolerance gene CP4-EPSPS and the insect resistance gene Cry1Ab/Ac were selected as targets taking into account the current status of the most widespread application of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits and their stacked traits.Gradient diluted plasmids,transgenic standards,and actual samples were used as templates to conduct sensitivity,specificity,and practicality assays,respectively.The constructed method achieved the visual detection of plasmid at levels as low as 100 copies,demonstrating its high sensitivity.In addition,good applicability to transgenic samples was observed,with no cross-interference between two test lines and no influence from other genes.In conclusion,this strategy achieved the expected purpose of simultaneous detection of the two popular targets in GM crops within 20 min at 37°C in a rapid,equipmentfree field manner,providing a new alternative for rapid screening for transgenic assays in the field.

A multi-objective fuzzy optimization model for cropping structure and water resources and its method

Cropping structure has a close relationship with the optimal allocation of agricultural water resources. Based on the analysis of the relationship between agricultural water resources and sustainable development, this paper presents a multi objective fuzzy optimization model for cropping structure and water allocation, which overcomes the shortcoming of current models that only considered the economic objective,and ignored the social and environmental objectives. During the process, a new method named fuzzy deciding weight is developed to decide the objective weight. A case study shows that the model is reliable, the method is simple and objective, and the results are reasonable. This model is useful for agricultural management and sustainable development.

Co-incorporating green manure and crop straw increases crop productivity and improves soil quality with low greenhouse-gas emissions in a crop rotation

In a nine-year field experiment in a wheat-maize-sunflower cropping system in Hetao Irrigation Area,Inner Mongolia,China,organic amendments applied as straw,manure,green manure,and the combination of green manure and straw increased wheat and maize yield,soil aggregate stability,and soil microbial activity in comparison with chemical fertilizer,without changing greenhouse gas emission intensity.

Dopamine improves apple replant disease resistance by regulating physiological resilience and rhizosphere microbial community structure

Apple replant disease(ARD)is a complex agricultural problem caused by multiple stressors that can lead to increased reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels and limited nutrient utilization in plants.However,existing countermeasures cannot effectively address this challenge.Here,we used Malus hupehensis as a test organism to investigate whether the pleiotropic molecule dopamine can alleviate ARD using pot experiments.Exogenous application of 100μmol L-1 dopamine significantly promoted the growth of apple seedlings in the replanted soil,with a relative growth rate increase of 17.44%.Our results revealed two major pathways by which dopamine regulates ARD resistance in apple trees.First,dopamine effectively reduces the level of ROS and activates the expression of genes related to nitrogen(N)transport and metabolism.Among those genes,MdNLP5,MdNRT1.1,MdNLP2,MdNRT2.5,MdNLP3,MdNRT2.4,MdNADH-GAGOT,and MdFd-GAGOT were strongly regulated by dopamine.These regulatory effects promoted the uptake and utilization of soil N by the plants.Second,dopamine improved the physical and chemical properties,enhanced microbial community diversity,and promoted mutual cooperation between microbial communities in the soil.Furthermore,dopamine altered the microbial structure of rhizosphere soil(upregulating Clostridiales,Gaiellales,Sordariales and Mortierellales;downregulating Micrococcales,Longimicrobiales,Hypocreales and Cystobasidiales).Notably,dopamine significantly upregulated the abundances of Gaiella and Mortierella,both of which were positively correlated with soil urease activity,soil available N content,plant growth and N uptake.Dopamine also significantly downregulated the abundance of the plant pathogen Gibberella(by 11.71-fold)in replant soil.Our results provide insights into the mechanisms by which dopamine promotes ARD resistance,and can promote the sustainable development of the apple industry.

Assessment of Crop Yield in China Simulated by Thirteen Global Gridded Crop Models

Global gridded crop models(GGCMs) have been broadly applied to assess the impacts of climate and environmental change and adaptation on agricultural production. China is a major grain producing country, but thus far only a few studies have assessed the performance of GGCMs in China, and these studies mainly focused on the average and interannual variability of national and regional yields. Here, a systematic national-and provincial-scale evaluation of the simulations by13 GGCMs [12 from the GGCM Intercomparison(GGCMI) project, phase 1, and CLM5-crop] of the yields of four crops(wheat, maize, rice, and soybean) in China during 1980–2009 was carried out through comparison with crop yield statistics collected from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Results showed that GGCMI models generally underestimate the national yield of rice but overestimate it for the other three crops, while CLM5-crop can reproduce the national yields of wheat, maize, and rice well. Most GGCMs struggle to simulate the spatial patterns of crop yields. In terms of temporal variability, GGCMI models generally fail to capture the observed significant increases, but some can skillfully simulate the interannual variability. Conversely, CLM5-crop can represent the increases in wheat, maize, and rice, but works less well in simulating the interannual variability. At least one model can skillfully reproduce the temporal variability of yields in the top-10 producing provinces in China, albeit with a few exceptions. This study, for the first time, provides a complete picture of GGCM performance in China, which is important for GGCM development and understanding the reliability and uncertainty of national-and provincial-scale crop yield prediction in China.