Wei Huang^1,2

1 Changshan Qiaojia Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Changshan, 324200, Zhejiang,China
2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Soil Biology, 2026, Vol. 17, No. 4   
Received: 18 Jun., 2026    Accepted: 23 Jul., 2026    Published: 05 Aug., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Straw returning has been widely recognized as an effective agricultural practice for improving soil quality and promoting sustainable crop production. Legume crops play an important role in agroecosystems due to their biological nitrogen fixation capacity and contribution to soil fertility. This review summarizes the effects of straw returning on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in legume cropping systems. Straw incorporation improves soil structure, enhances aggregate stability, increases water-holding capacity, and reduces soil compaction. Meanwhile, straw-derived organic carbon promotes soil organic matter accumulation, regulates nutrient cycling, and improves the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, straw returning stimulates microbial activity, alters microbial community composition, and enhances soil enzyme activities involved in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transformations, thereby improving rhizosphere ecological functions and biological nitrogen fixation. Case studies of maize straw returning in soybean fields, wheat straw returning in faba bean systems, and long-term straw management in legume rotations demonstrate its potential for enhancing soil fertility and crop productivity. However, challenges such as slow decomposition, nutrient immobilization, and management optimization remain. Future research should integrate multi-omics approaches and precision management strategies to develop efficient straw returning systems for sustainable legume production.

Straw returning; Legume cropping systems; Soil properties; Soil microbial community; Sustainable agriculture