LAUSR

BACKGROUND Pears, as an important cash crop, are currently facing great issues due to unsustainable management practices. Cover cropping is a sustainable management strategy that can improve soil fertility and increase fruit yield, while it may also stimulate greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, synergizing multiple indicators to achieve sustainable development is critical. This study introduces a new management system, namely the planting and mowing of ryegrass as a livestock feed system (PRSS), and analyzes its impact on soil quality, economic benefits, and environmental burdens. RESULTS Our results indicated that PRSS could increase soil pH from 5.08 to 5.48 and decrease the content of soil alkali-hydrolyzable N, total phosphate, and available phosphate (26.96%-59.89%) while also enhancing yield (+38.51%) compared to the traditional natural grass management system (TMS). The average soil CH4 fluxes in PRSS were 72.67 ug m-2 d-1 , higher than those of TMS (61.28 ug m-2 d-1 ). However, the gross primary production was lower than TMS (-37.24%), and no significant difference was observed in soil N2 O fluxes. In different scenarios, the total profit of PRSS mode 1 (mowing ryegrass and selling to a livestock company) and PRSS mode 2 (mowing ryegrass and feeding own sheep) were 10706.21 $ ha-1 and 26,592.87 $ ha-1 , respectively. These values are 2.36 times and 5.85 times higher than that of TMS. The total global warming potential (GWP) of TMS (18.19 t CO2 -eq ha-1 ) was 1.29 t CO2 -eq ha-1 higher and 2.89 t CO2 -eq ha-1 lower than that of PRSS mode 1 and mode 2, respectively. CONCLUSION Compared to traditional natural grass, planting and mowing ryegrass in pear orchards can optimize soil properties, increase fruit yield, and reduce GWP. Different modes can greatly increase revenue but have varying impacts on environmental burdens. These findings can help rebuild the links between farmland and specialized livestock production, contributing to sustainable development in the pear industries. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.