Kaiyuan Gong, Liangbing Rong, Yinghua Zhang, Xiao Wang, Fengying Duan, Xia Li, Zhihao He, Tengcong Jiang, Shang Chen, Hao Feng, Qiang Yu, Wenbin Zhou, Jianqiang He

Communications Earth & Environment; 2025; IF 8.1

DOI:10.1038/s43247-025-02280-7

Abstract

As the world's largest wheat producer, China's stable wheat production is crucial for global food security. However, climate change has increased yield variability, while excessive water and nitrogen (N) inputs threaten resource sustainability and environmental health. Here, we explored the possibility of yield gap reduction through efficient agronomic practices. A 3-year field experiment was conducted at 22 different sites in major wheat-producing regions in China, combined with modeling approaches to perform a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of wheat productivity. Results show that efficient agronomic practices could enhance wheat yields by about 7%-14% without expanding current cultivation areas in China. In the Huang-Huai-Hai region, adopting more efficient practices could reduce N fertilizer use by about 6% while maintaining current yields, thereby improving resource efficiency and minimizing environmental harms. This study highlighted the potential of optimized management strategies to enhance wheat production and reduce excessive resource inputs. The findings provided a scientific basis for developing sustainable agronomic practices in the major wheat-growing regions of China.