Based on the North China Plain, a typical winter wheat-summer maize rotation system was selected by postdoctor Sun Xinzhan from Zhang Junling's research group and associate professor Zhang Jiangzhou from Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. The soil health index and microbial network of 0–15 and 15–30 cm wheat fields with different yields were introduced, and the health status of the top soil and deep soil were evaluated. The relationship between microbials and soil health was revealed, and suggestions were put forward to enhance soil health and improve wheat yield. Better measures were taken to manage farmland soil and achieve green and sustainable development of agriculture while increasing production.

As opposed to a constant flow from sources above and below ground, periods of heavy rain and runoff deliver the greatest amounts of fertilizer-derived nitrogen through creeks, rivers, and storm drains into the northern Gulf of Mexico, a team of scientists led by Boston College researchers reports in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. The findings clarify when and how most nitrogen pollution is transported and can be used to develop policies to protect the northern Gulf of Mexico.

In this study, the authors investigated the mineralization, humification characteristics, and dynamics of microbial communities of two organic materials, including chicken manure (CM) and composted kitchen waste compost (KW) in farmland soil by conducting nylon mesh bag in-situ incubation experiments combined with indoor analysis and high-throughput microbial sequencing technology.

A collaborative study has uncovered evidence of rice beer dating back approximately 10,000 years at the Shangshan site in Zhejiang Province, China, providing new insights into the origins of alcoholic beverage brewing in East Asia. This discovery highlights the connection between rice fermentation at Shangshan and the region’s cultural and environmental context as well as the broader development of early rice agriculture and social structures.

Even as dramatic water-related disasters such as floods and storms intensified in some parts of the world, more than three-quarters of Earth’s land became permanently drier in recent decades, UN scientists warned today in a stark new analysis. Some 77.6% of Earth’s land experienced drier conditions during the three decades leading up to 2020 compared to the previous 30-year period, according to the landmark report from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).