YIELD STABILITY AND FERTILIZER EFFICIENCY OF LONG-TERM TRIPLE CEREAL CROPPING IN PADDY FIELDS OF CHINA

Triple cereal cropping is an important grain production pattern which has been adopted on a vast area of paddy fields in Southern China. A long-term triple cereal cropping (barely With double-cropped rice) experiment has been conducted for 18 years (1974-1991) in paddy fields on the southern coastal plain of Zhejiang. The results showed that long-term triple cereal cropping has a high and stable grain yield level if certain improved crop varieties are used. Furthermore, the use of organic manure to reduce yield fluctuations and promote N-use efficiency was evaluated.