biostudies-literatureUnknown17Kong W<h4>Introduction</h4>Optimizing water and nitrogen management is crucial for the sustainable development of wheat-maize rotation system. This study systematically examined the impacts of various water and nitrogen management strategies on the wheat-maize rotation system, with the aim of identifying integrated practices that can simultaneously improve yield, resource use efficiency, economic returns, and environmental outcomes.<h4>Methods</h4>A field experiment was conducted from 2022 to 2024 in Tai'an, Shandong Province, China. Strategies involved different nitrogen fertilizers (compound fertilizer, urea, and controlled-release fertilizer) and irrigation methods (flood, drip irrigation DI, and micro-sprinkler irrigation SI). Outcomes were assessed based on yield, water and nitrogen use effFrontiers in plant science1769742https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12932497biostudies-literatureOptimizing water and nitrogen management in a wheat-maize rotation system: synergistic increases in grain yield, resource use efficiency, and economic and environmental benefits.PMC12932497Ju FLi ZLiu KLiu PZhao FGao CKong WZhao HfalseOptimizing water and nitrogen management in a wheat-maize rotation system: synergistic increases in grain yield, resource use efficiency, and economic and environmental benefits.<h4>Introduction</h4>Optimizing water and nitrogen management is crucial for the sustainable development of wheat-maize rotation system. This study systematically examined the impacts of various water and nitrogen management strategies on the wheat-maize rotation system, with the aim of identifying integrated practices that can simultaneously improve yield, resource use efficiency, economic returns, and environmental outcomes.<h4>Methods</h4>A field experiment was conducted from 2022 to 2024 in Tai'an, Shandong Province, China. Strategies involved different nitrogen fertilizers (compound fertilizer, urea, and controlled-release fertilizer) and irrigation methods (flood, drip irrigation DI, and micro-sprinkler irrigation SI). Outcomes were assessed based on yield, water and nitrogen use eff2026-01-01T00:00:00Z20262026-07-16T22:12:16.656Z2026-07-12T03:06:50.116ZS-EPMC129324974175665810.3389/fpls.2026.1769742