Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41162380›Full record

SynthesisNature communications2025

Crop rotations synergize yield, nutrition, and revenue: a meta-analysis.

Shingirai Mudare, Jingying Jing, David Makowski, Xueqing He, Zhengyuan Liang, Zoe Sims, Thomas Cherico Wanger, David Tilman, Fusuo Zhang, Wen-Feng Cong

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Shingirai MudareState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; Key Laboratory of Plant‑Soil Interactions, MOE; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6352-4886
Jingying JingCollege of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agriculture University, Beijing, China. jingying.jing@cau.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8970-8579
David MakowskiApplied mathematics and computer science (MIA-PS), Université Paris-Saclay AgroParisTech INRAE, 91120 Palaiseau, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6385-3703
Xueqing HeDepartment of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9530-2030
Zhengyuan LiangState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; Key Laboratory of Plant‑Soil Interactions, MOE; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Zoe SimsBren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Thomas Cherico WangerSustainable Agricultural Systems & Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0435-1153
David TilmanBren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6395-7676
Fusuo ZhangState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; Key Laboratory of Plant‑Soil Interactions, MOE; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-0129
Wen-Feng CongState Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management; Key Laboratory of Plant‑Soil Interactions, MOE; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. wenfeng.cong@cau.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6615-7241

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Increasing agricultural yields through crop diversification may help achieve food and nutrition security. However, the benefits of a transition from monoculture to crop rotation may be reduced if trade-offs exist between yields, dietary energy, nutrients, and revenue. Here, we synthesize 3663 paired field-trial yield observations (1980-2024) and show that globally, crop rotation increased subsequent crop yield, with legume pre-crops outperforming non-legume pre-crops (23% and 16% average increases, respectively). Considering the entire sequence (i.e., pre-crop plus main crop), rotations increased total yields, dietary energy, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, and revenue by 14-27% relative to continuous monoculture. Notably, win-win relationships among yield, nutrition, and revenue were consistently higher (33-54%) than trade-offs. Different high-performing crop rotations have been identified for several major agricultural production regions worldwide. These findings establish crop rotations as a strategic pathway to enhance synergies among agricultural yields, nutrition, and revenue compared to monoculture, offering scalable solutions for sustainable intensification.

Indexed as

AgricultureCrop ProductionCrops, AgriculturalFabaceae

Identifiers

PMID41162380
PMCPMC12572145

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.