Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 220-229 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/tgg 225 Figure 2 Irrigation and fertilization scheduling during the three growing seasons (Adopted from Gao et al., 2023) 8 Challenges and Knowledge Gaps 8.1 Variability in soil nutrient dynamics across regions Soil conditions vary greatly from place to place. For example, some places have high organic matter content, while others have low. The pH value and precipitation are also different. These differences will affect wheat's response to fertilizers and will also make the fertilization effect different. For example, in Africa and China, nitrogen fertilizers can help increase yields, but because the soil and climate in the two places are different, the optimal amount of nitrogen fertilizer is different, and the utilization efficiency is also very different. In Africa, wheat yields are often affected by insufficient nitrogen; in China, the problem is just the opposite, that is, too much nitrogen fertilizer is used, and too much nitrogen accumulates in the soil. This shows that different regions must have different fertilization plans, and management measures must be formulated in a targeted manner (Lollato et al., 2019; Feyisa et al., 2024). 8.2 Lack of site-specific recommendations and decision tools Many farmers do not have fertilization plans tailored to their land conditions and crop needs. Although some have developed expert systems and decision-making tools that can provide regional fertilization guidance, these tools are not widely used. Some tools have not been widely used or verified in practice, so it is difficult for farmers to rely on them to guide fertilization. Many times, farmers either apply too much fertilizer, too little fertilizer, or use the wrong proportions. These problems will affect wheat yields and may also bring risks of environmental pollution (Cao et al., 2017; Hajjarpoor et al., 2018). 8.3 Limited farmer access to precision fertilization technologies Some new precision fertilization technologies, such as variable rate fertilization or using machine learning to draw pictures to guide fertilization, have been shown to improve fertilizer utilization and reduce waste. But these technologies are not easy to promote to farmland now. There are several reasons: high cost, high technical barriers, and few training opportunities. Many farmers still use the old way to farm. Although training is important, traditional classroom lectures are not as effective as field guidance. Especially in terms of reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, field teaching is more useful, but many places have not yet done it well (Pan et al., 2017; Uribeetxebarria et al., 2022).
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