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<p>Organic amendments and cover crops are widely promoted for enhancing soil quality and sustaining crop productivity; however, their mechanistic contributions to yield improvements remain poorly understood across environmental gradients. This meta-analysis synthesized 53 independent observations from 43 field experiments published between 1990 and 2024 to evaluate the effects of cover crops (CC), poultry litter (PL), and their combined application (CC + PL) on yields of maize, wheat, and cotton, globally important cereal and fibre crops. The random-effects model revealed a pooled mean effect size of lnRR = 0.15 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), corresponding to an average yield increase of approximately 15% relative to unamended controls. Overall, soil and environmental factors exerted a stronger influence on amendment performance than climatic variables. Specifically, higher soil bulk density and elevation were associated with yield reductions of 0.04 units per 0.1&#xa0;g&#xa0;cm<sup>−3</sup> increment, while medium-textured soils enhanced amendment efficiency. Temperature and rainfall had no significant effects, suggesting that soil properties buffer climatic variability. The combined application of CC and PL produced the most consistent yield benefits by improving both nutrient availability and soil physical conditions. Thus, these findings suggest that the effectiveness of organic amendments depends more on improving soil properties, particularly soil bulk density, than on nutrient addition alone. Managing soil quality through integrated organic practices is therefore critical to increasing maize, wheat, and cotton productivity across diverse agroecological regions.</p>

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Interactive effects of cover crops and poultry litter on maize, wheat, and cotton yields across different climates and soils: a meta-analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月11日

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  • Yue Qi,
  • Jun Lei,
  • Heling Wang,
  • Runyuan Wang,
  • Erastus Mak-Mensah,
  • Peter Bilson Obour,
  • Kai Zhang,
  • Hong Zhao,
  • Funian Zhao,
  • Fei Chen,
  • Yang Yang,
  • XingXing Wei

摘要

Organic amendments and cover crops are widely promoted for enhancing soil quality and sustaining crop productivity; however, their mechanistic contributions to yield improvements remain poorly understood across environmental gradients. This meta-analysis synthesized 53 independent observations from 43 field experiments published between 1990 and 2024 to evaluate the effects of cover crops (CC), poultry litter (PL), and their combined application (CC + PL) on yields of maize, wheat, and cotton, globally important cereal and fibre crops. The random-effects model revealed a pooled mean effect size of lnRR = 0.15 (p < 0.05), corresponding to an average yield increase of approximately 15% relative to unamended controls. Overall, soil and environmental factors exerted a stronger influence on amendment performance than climatic variables. Specifically, higher soil bulk density and elevation were associated with yield reductions of 0.04 units per 0.1 g cm−3 increment, while medium-textured soils enhanced amendment efficiency. Temperature and rainfall had no significant effects, suggesting that soil properties buffer climatic variability. The combined application of CC and PL produced the most consistent yield benefits by improving both nutrient availability and soil physical conditions. Thus, these findings suggest that the effectiveness of organic amendments depends more on improving soil properties, particularly soil bulk density, than on nutrient addition alone. Managing soil quality through integrated organic practices is therefore critical to increasing maize, wheat, and cotton productivity across diverse agroecological regions.