Effects of tillage on soil organic carbon and crop yield under straw return

Zhang, Xintan; Wang, Jie; Feng, Xiangyan; Yang, Haishui; Li, Yanling; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Liu, Shiping; Li, Feng Min

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2023.108543

Cited by 41 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Wheat and rice seasons received N, P 2 O 5 , and K 2 O with 180, 72, and 97 and 225, 72, and 97 kg ha −1 , respectively. The crop varieties, pesticide use, and irrigation remained consistent across all plots, with specific application rates and management practices detailed in prior research (Zhang, Dang, & Li, 2023; Zhang, Wang, et al, 2023).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 57%

“…The “4 per 1000” initiative aims to sequester 0.4% of soil organic carbon (SOC) annually to offset global carbon emissions. Furthermore, SOC is instrumental in enhancing soil quality and boosting agricultural productivity (Dang, 2023; Lin et al, 2023; Zhang, Dang, & Li, 2023; Zhang, Wang, et al, 2023). Thus, enhancing SOC accumulation as a potential leverage point is an effective approach to mitigate global warming and ensure food security.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

Yu,

Xu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

Self Cite

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Microbial necromass is a crucial contributor to the formation of soil aggregates and serves as a key source of stable soil organic carbon (SOC). However, how tillage practices regulate microbial necromass accumulation within aggregate fractions at different soil depths remains unclear. Thus, a 20‐year field experiment was carried out to identify how microbial necromass carbon (MC) is distributed in aggregates and its contribution to SOC under no‐till (NT) and plow tillage (PT) in a rice‐wheat rotation system. The results showed that NT significantly increased bacterial and fungal necromass carbon (C) concentrations in both macro‐ and micro‐aggregates (>0.25 and <0.25 mm), and enhanced the contribution of MC to SOC compared with PT at 0–5 cm topsoil depth. However, NT decreased SOC concentration in micro‐aggregates by 12.4% mainly attributed to lower bacterial and fungal necromass C in micro‐aggregates by 21.6% and 27.6% compared with PT at 5–15 cm subsoil depth. There was no significant difference for SOC mineralization per unit SOC concentration between NT and PT, which can be attributed to the equilibrium between microbial necromass C and labile C (e.g., dissolved organic C). Random forest and partial least squares path model demonstrated that soil total nitrogen, available NH4+, and NO3− positively regulated β‐glucosidase activity, and thus affected MC and SOC concentration. NT decreased soil nitrogen concentration and β‐glucosidase activity in micro‐aggregates, and thus lowered MC formation at 5–15 cm depth. Our findings highlights that NT reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

Yu,

Xu,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

Self Cite

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“…As initially hypothesized that other additional agricultural management practices will impact SOC pool changes under CCs, we obtained a significant negative impact of maximum tillage depth on MBC in response to CCs in our study (Figure 9e). A deeper tillage depth corresponds to a higher degree of soil disruption (Zhang, Wang, et al, 2023), which, in turn, has the potential to interfere with microorganisms and associated processes (Babujia et al, 2010; Sae‐Tun et al, 2022). However, our findings, in contrast to Kim et al (2020), did not reveal any apparent impact of tillage type on changes in MBC under CCs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover crops affect pool specific soil organic carbon in cropland – A meta‐analysis

Fohrafellner,

Keiblinger,

Zechmeister‐Boltenstern

et al. 2024

European J Soil Science

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Cover crops (CC) offer numerous benefits to agroecosystems, particularly in the realm of soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual and loss mitigation. However, uncertainties persist regarding the extent to which CCs, in co‐occurrence with environmental factors, influence SOC responses and associated C pools. We therefore performed a weighted meta‐analysis on the effects of CCs on the mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC), the particulate organic carbon (POC) and the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) pool compared to no CC cultivation in arable cropland. Our study summarized global research of comparable management, with a focus on climatic zones representative of Europe, such as arid, temperate and boreal climates. In this meta‐analysis, we included 71 independent studies from 61 articles published between 1990 and June 2023 in several scientific and grey literature databases. Sensitivity analysis was conducted and did not identify any significant publication bias. The results revealed that CCs had an overall statistically significant positive effect on SOC pools, increasing MAOC by 4.8% (95% CI: 0.6%–9.4%, n = 16), POC by 23.2% (95% CI: 13.9%–34.4%, n = 39) and MBC by 20.2% (95% CI: 11.7%–30.7%, n = 30) in the top soil, compared to no CC cultivation. Thereby, CCs feed into the stable as well as the more labile C pools. The effect of CCs on MAOC was dependent on soil clay content and initial SOC concentration, whereas POC was influenced by moderators such as CC peak biomass and experiment duration. For MBC, for example, clay content, crop rotation duration and tillage depth were identified as important drivers. Based on our results on the effects of CCs on SOC pools and significant moderators, we identified several research needs. A pressing need for additional experiments exploring the effects of CCs on SOC pools was found, with a particular focus on MAOC and POC. Further, we emphasize the necessity for conducting European studies spanning the north–south gradient. In conclusion, our results show that CC cultivation is a key strategy to promote C accrual in different SOC pools. Additionally, this meta‐analysis provides new insights into the state of knowledge regarding SOC pool changes influenced by CCs, offering quantitative summary results and shedding light on the sources of heterogeneity affecting these findings.

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“…Among them, straw incorporation is recognized as an effective method to maintain or improve rice yield and soil quality [12]. In the short term, straw incorporation offered the advantages of mitigating environmental pollution caused by straw burning and piling [13], while simultaneously improving soil structure and microbial activity [12,14]. The long-term consequences of straw incorporation on the soil quality in paddy fields have not, however, been thoroughly studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Straw Incorporation under Controlled Irrigation Improves Soil Quality of Paddy Field and Rice Yield in Northeast China

Zhang,

Chen,

Nie

et al. 2024

Plants

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Soil quality is an indicator of the ability to ensure ecological security and sustainable soil usage. The effects of long-term straw incorporation and different irrigation regimes on the yield and soil quality of paddy fields in cold regions remain unclear. This study established four treatments: controlled irrigation + continuous straw incorporation for 3 years (C3), controlled irrigation + continuous straw incorporation for 7 years (C7), flooded irrigation + continuous straw incorporation for 3 years (F3), and flooded irrigation + continuous straw incorporation for 7 years (F7). Analysis was conducted on the impact of various irrigation regimes and straw incorporation years on the physicochemical characteristics and quality of the soil. The soil quality index (SQI) for rice fields was computed using separate datasets for each treatment. The soil nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, soil organic carbon, and soil organic matter contents of the C7 were 93.51%, 5.80%, 8.90%, and 8.26% higher compared to C3, respectively. In addition, the yield of the C7 treatment was 5.18%, 4.89%, and 10.32% higher than those of F3, C3, and F7, respectively. The validity of the minimum data set (MDS) was verified by correlation, Ef and ER, which indicated that the MDS of all treatments were able to provide a valid evaluation of soil quality. The MDS based SQI of C7 was 11.05%, 11.97%, and 27.71% higher than that of F3, C3, and F7, respectively. Overall, long-term straw incorporation combined with controlled irrigation increases yield and soil quality in paddy fields in cold regions. This study provides a thorough assessment of soil quality concerning irrigation regimes and straw incorporation years to preserve food security and the sustainability of agricultural output. Additionally, it offers a basis for soil quality diagnosis of paddy fields in the Northeast China.

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Effects of tillage on soil organic carbon and crop yield under straw return

Cited by 41 publications

References 46 publications

No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

No‐till reduced subsoil organic carbon due to decreased microbial necromass in micro‐aggregates

Cover crops affect pool specific soil organic carbon in cropland – A meta‐analysis

Long-Term Straw Incorporation under Controlled Irrigation Improves Soil Quality of Paddy Field and Rice Yield in Northeast China

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