1.Shanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming,Shanxi Agricultural University,Key Laboratory of Organic Dryland Agriculture (Co-construction by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Shanxi Province),Shanxi Key Laboratory of Organic Dryland Farming,Taiyuan 030031,China
2.College of Agriculture,Shanxi Agricultural University,Taiyuan 030031,China
Objective Through a 6-year fixed-site field experiment, this study investigates the effects of different conservation tillage treatments on soil structure, water storage, maize yield, precipitation, and water use efficiency, thereby revealing the intrinsic relationships between soil structure, crop water use, and yield under different treatments. Methods Four tillage treatments were set up: traditional rotary tillage (TR), rotary tillage+ mechanically crushed straw incorporation (TRS), deep loosening+ mechanically crushed straw incorporation (DLS), and no tillage+ mechanically crushed straw stubble mulching (NTC). Results Compared with TR, both DLS and TRS reduced soil bulk density and compaction in the 0~30 cm surface layer, while NTC increased soil bulk density and compaction in the 0~20 cm surface layer. DLS increased soil capillary porosity in the 20~40 cm subsoil layer, which was more conducive to rainfall infiltration and retention. Compared to TR, three conservation tillage treatments all improved mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), and the content of >0.25 mm aggregates, thereby enhancing their stability and reducing aggregate breakdown rate. Compared with TR, TRS, DLS, and NTC treatments increased soil water storage in the 0~200 cm layer during the fallow period by 7.7, 12.8, and 12.0 mm, respectively, while improving water storage efficiency by 9.3%, 17.5%, and 17.2%, respectively. Despite fluctuations in soil water content due to varying precipitation during the fallow period in different years, the soil water content before sowing under the three conservation tillage treatments was effectively enhanced. In the 0~20 cm soil layer, the ranking was NTC > DLS > TRS > TR, and in the 20~40 cm soil layer, the ranking was DLS > TRS > NTC > TR. The DLS treatment increased the subsoil-layer water content, outperforming the other two conservation tillage practices. Over six years, it significantly increased average yield by 9.3%, precipitation use efficiency by 10.2%, and water use efficiency by 11.2% compared with TR. Especially in the extremely dry year of 2019, DLS enhanced drought resistance resilience, resulting in greater yield gain and efficiency improvement. Correlation analysis showed that maize yield was significantly positively correlated with soil water content before sowing and precipitation use efficiency, but not significantly correlated with bulk density, porosity, or soil aggregate structure. Soil water storage during the fallow period and the content of >0.25 mm water-stable aggregates were significantly positively correlated with soil water content before sowing in the 0~20 cm soil layer. Furthermore, soil water content before sowing in the 0~20 cm layer showed significant positive correlations with the soil aggregate stability indicators, including MWD, GMD, and the content of >0.25 mm, water-stable aggregates while showing a significant negative correlation with the aggregate breakdown rate. Conclusion Conservation tillage can effectively improve the structural properties of topsoil, enhance water storage efficiency during the fallow period, and increase soil water content before sowing, thereby improving maize yield, precipitation use efficiency, and water use efficiency. In particular, DLS can maximize the synergistic effects of soil structure optimization and crop yield increase, proving to be the most effective tillage practice. These findings provide a theoretical basis for promoting and implementing conservation tillage in the semi-arid regions of the Loess Plateau.
JIAX H. Discussion on the present situation and countermeasures of transformation and utilization of middle and low yield fields in Shanxi Province[J].China Agricultural Technology Extension,2018,34(11):12-15.
HUJ M, CHENS N, WEIX H, et al. Effects of tillage model on healthy plough layer structure and its development trends[J].Journal of Agricultural Resources and Environment,2018,35(2):95-103.
LIR, YANH F, ZHANGL, et al. Effects of different tillage practices on soil physical properties and crop yield in the region of southern Ningxia[J].Scientia Agricultura Sinica,2023,56(18):3543-3555.
PENGZ K, LIL L, XIEJ H, et al. Effects of different tillage practices on water consumption structure and water use efficiency during crop growth period in arid farmland[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2018,32(5):214-221.
SUIP X, LUOY, LIR P, et al. Research progress on the effects of tillage on soil structure in dry farming regions[J].Journal of Maize Sciences,2022,30(4):83-89.
EJ F, YANGS Q, ZHANGW F, et al. Effects of tillage mode on structural stability and maize yield in soda saline alkali soils[J].Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering,2025,41(6):98-106.
[13]
SEKARANU, SAGARK L, KUMARS. Soil aggregates, aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen, and water retention as influenced by short and long-term no-till systems[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2021,208:e104885.
[14]
WANGJ L, PANZ H, PANF F, et al. The regional water-conserving and yield-increasing characteristics and suitability of soil tillage practices in northern China[J].Agricultural Water Management,2020,228:e105883.
LIZ K, XIEJ H, YANGT, et al. Effects of tillage methods and nitrogen application rate on soil aggregate stability and maize yield in dry farmland[J].China Industrial Economics,2025,39(4):313-323.
ZHANGW J, LIS Y, XUY D, et al. Advances in research on relationships between soil pore structure and soil miocroenvironment and organic carbon turnover[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2019,33(4):1-9.
LIUM, FUW, FANJ, et al. Effects of tillage and mulching methods on soil water and gas transport in spring maize field on the Loess Plateau[J].Journal of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers,2021,27(5):814-825.
[21]
WANGS L, WANGH, HAFEEZM B, et al. No-tillage and subsoiling increased maize yields and soil water storage under varied rainfall distribution: A 9-year site-specific study in a semi-arid environment[J].Field Crops Research,2020,255:e107867.
[22]
VIZIOLIB, CAVALIERI-POLIZELIK M V, TORMENAC A, et al. Effects of long-term tillage systems on soil physical quality and crop yield in a Brazilian Ferralsol[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2021,209:e104935.
WANGJ, XUEY, PANJ J, et al. Effects of tillage and straw incorporation on sequestration of organic carbon and crop yields[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2018,32(5):121-127.
[25]
LIJ, WANGY K, GUOZ, et al. Effects of conservation tillage on soil physicochemical properties and crop yield in an arid Loess Plateau, China[J].Scientific Reports,2020,10(1):e4716.
WANGY K, GUOZ C, ZHANGZ B, et al. Effect of tillage practices on soil physical properties and maize growth in Shajiang black soil (vertisol)[J].Acta Pedologica Sinica,2019,56(6):1370-1380.
WANGC L, LIY J, ZHOUB Y, et al. Full straw return combined with subsoiling improves water storage in soil and water use efficiency of maize[J].Journal of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers,2025,31(5):904-914.
LIY X, ZHANGX Y, WUK X, et al. Effect of sub-soiling on the physical properties of limestone red soil and maize growth[J].Journal of Yunnan Agricultural University (Natural Science),2021,36(2):189-196.
[32]
SONGK, ZHENGX Q, LVW G, et al. Effects of tillage and straw return on water-stable aggregates, carbon stabilization and crop yield in an estuarine alluvial soil[J].Scientific Reports,2019,9(1):e4586.
WUL J, QIC, YANQ Y, et al. Effects of tillage methods on soil aggregation and aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen fractions in dryland wheat fields[J].Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas,2023,41(2):193-200.
BAID X, CHENX Y, ZHANGX Q, et al. Effects of different tillage methods on soil moisture dynamic changes and maize yield[J].Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica,2025,40(2):67-80.
[37]
ZHANGQ, WANGS L, SUNY G, et al. Conservation tillage improves soil water storage, spring maize (Zea mays L.) yield and WUE in two types of seasonal rainfall distributions[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2022,215:e105237.
ZHENGH B, LIUW R, LUOY, et al. Effect of different tillage methods on soil water content and water use efficiency in cropland[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2018,32(3):264-270.
[40]
PAGEK L, DANGY P, DALALR C, et al. Changes in soil water storage with no-tillage and crop residue retention on a Vertisol: Impact on productivity and profitability over a 50 year period[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2019,194:e104319.
[41]
SUNL, WANGS L, ZHANGY J, et al. Conservation agriculture based on crop rotation and tillage in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China: Effects on crop yield and soil water use[J].Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment,2018,251:67-77.
[42]
YANGX, ZHENGL N, YANGQ, et al. Modelling the effects of conservation tillage on crop water productivity, soil water dynamics and evapotranspiration of a maize-winter wheat-soybean rotation system on the Loess Plateau of China using APSIM[J].Agricultural Systems,2018,166:111-123.
[43]
ZHANGY J, WANGR, WANGS L, et al. Effects of different sub-soiling frequencies incorporated into no-tillage systems on soil properties and crop yield in dryland wheat-maize rotation system[J].Field Crops Research,2017,209:151-158.