Low-disturbance Farming Regenerates Healthy Deep Soil towards Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

SummaryIntensive conventional farming has degraded farmland topsoil and seriously threaten food and environment security globally. Although low-disturbance practices have been widely adapted to restore soil health, whether this measure in a long run can potentially recover the critical deep soil to meet sustainable intensification of crop production are still unclear. Here we compared soil microbiome, physiochemical parameters along 3-m deep soil profiles, and crop yield in Northeast China subjected to ten years of farming practices at 3 levels of disturbance, including conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage without stover mulching (NTNS), and no-tillage with stover mulching (NTSM). We found that low-disturbance practices (NTNS and NTSM) promoted the ability of the deep soil to retain water and nitrogen, regenerated whole-soil microbial diversity and function, and significantly improved corn yield in the drought year. This study implies that the low-disturbance practices could dig deeper for agricultural resource and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, thus regenerating highly efficient, sustainable agriculture.Science for SocietyBy 2050, how to feed 10 billion people on limited land without destroying the environment has become a global challenge. Prior research has shown that low-disturbance farming enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes in farmland topsoil, which benefit crop production. However, whether long-term low-disturbance farming could regenerate deep-soil health to meet sustainable intensification of crop production remains unclear. We evaluate the impact of low-disturbance practices on 3-meter soil profile after 10-year manipulations and provide an underneath mechanism on how long-term low-disturbance farming regenerate deep healthy soil. We found that low-disturbance farming not only promoted soil nutrient and water holding capacities, restored microbial diversity, richness, and ecological function in the whole 3-m soil profile, but also improved crop production (especially during drought) and potentially reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, thus promoting sustainable agriculture and ensuring food and environment security.Graphical Abstract