Characteristics of annual climate resource distribution and utilization for different cropping systems in the south of Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe Rivers plain

Clarifying the characteristics of annual yield, distribution and utilization of climatic resources, and establishing rational quantitative indexes of annual climatic resources distribution for different cropping systems are helpful to provide theoretical basis for further improving annual yield and resource use efficiency in the Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe Rivers plain. In this study, the experiment was conducted from 2011 to 2015 at Xinxiang, Henan province to analyze the grain yield, biomass, dry matter production energy, and distribution and utilization efficiency of climatic resources under four cropping systems, namely winter wheat–summer maize, winter wheat–summer soybean, double maize and one–season spring maize. There were no differences in the annual grain yield, total biomass, and dry matter production energy between the winter wheat–summer maize and double maize cropping systems, but they were significantly higher than those of the winter wheat–summer soybean and one-season spring maize cropping systems, with an average increase of 45.4%–61.5%, 37.3%–71.3%, and 35.77%–70.7%, respectively. The annual radiation production efficiency, radiation use efficiency of grain and total biomass for double maize and one-season spring maize cropping systems were significantly higher than those of the winter wheat–summer maize and winter wheat–summer soybean cropping systems, with an average increase of 11.8%–66.7% in the annual radiation production efficiency, and 0.13–0.42 and 0.18–0.69 percentage points increase in the radiation use efficiency of grain and total biomass, respectively. The accumulative temperature distribution rate for two seasons of winter wheat–summer maize was 45.6% and 54.4%, respectively, while those of double maize was 51.4% and 48.6%, respectively. The accumulative temperature ratio between two seasons was of winter wheat–summer maize 0.8, while that of double maize was 1.1. Considering both yield and resource use efficiency, winter wheat–summer maize and double maize cropping systems can be used to optimize the layout of planting patterns and support the sustainable development of agricultural production in the Yellow-Huaihe-Haihe Rivers plain. Furthermore, clarifying the accumulated temperature distribution rate and the accumulated temperature ratio between two seasons is helpful to optimize climate resource distribution, and further improve the yield potential and the resources use efficiency of double cropping system in the Yellow- Huaihe-Haihe Rivers plain.