1.College of Natural Resources and Environment,Northwest A&F University,Yangling,Shaanxi 712100,China
2.Engineering Laboratory for Yellow River Delta Modern Agriculture,Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China
3.Zhongke Shandong Dongying Institute of Geography,Dongying,Shandong 257509,China
4.College of Soil and Water Conservation (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation),Northwest A&F University,Yangling,Shaanxi 712100,China
Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of different tillage practices on soil structure and rainfed maize growth in sandy soil in semi-arid regions, and to clarify how different tillage practices affect crop yield by altering soil structure, soil water-holding capacity, and root growth characteristics. Methods Taking sandy loess in Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province as the research object, three tillage practices were set up: ploughing (depth 30 cm), rotary tillage (depth 15 cm), and no-tillage + straw mulching, to investigate their effects on soil physical properties and maize growth. Results 1) Different tillage practices significantly changed the vertical profile of soil penetration resistance. The soil penetration resistance under ploughing was generally low, with no obvious plow pan, while pronounced subsurface compaction was observed under both rotary tillage and no-tillage. 2) Soil bulk density in the 0-20 cm soil layer was lower under ploughing and rotary tillage than under no-tillage. In the 20-40 cm layer, rotary tillage and no-tillage had higher bulk density than ploughing. In the 40-60 cm layer, no-tillage showed lower bulk density than ploughing. 3) Soil water-holding capacity in the 0-20 cm layer followed the order: no-tillage > rotary tillage > ploughing. In the 20-40 cm layer, ploughing had the highest water-holding capacity. During the maize growing season, soil water storage in the 0-40 cm layer was highest under no-tillage. 4) Ploughing reduced penetration resistance in the ploughing layer, improved soil aeration, and promoted maize root growth. Aboveground biomass and ear dry weight were 1.33 and 2.10 times greater than those under rotary tillage, and 1.94 and 3.39 times greater than those under no-tillage, respectively. Conclusion Ploughing improves maize yield by optimizing the soil structure of the ploughing layer and root growth environment, while no-tillage has advantages in water conservation in deep soil but suffers from high surface soil compaction in the short term.
ZHANGJ L, TANVEERS K, XUEJ, et al. Effects of different tillage systems on soil temperature and moisture in dryland field and summer maize yield[J].Acta Agriculturae Boreali-occidentalis Sinica,2017,26(10):1446-1452.
WANGT, XIAOW F, HUANGZ L, et al. Characteristics of typical rainstorm-runoff nitrogen and phosphorus loss on purple soil slope in Three Gorges Reservoir area[J].Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment,2022,38(3):367-374.
[5]
彭正凯,杨宏伟,宋展树,等.耕作措施对陇东旱塬玉米产量的影响[J/OL].分子植物育种,2025.
[6]
PENGZ K, YANGH W, SONGZ S, et al. Effects of tillage practices on maize yield Longdong dryland[J].Molecular Plant Breeding,2025.
LIM, HEH, WUD L, et al. The spatial-temporal evolution of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau under the context of climate change[J].Acta Ecologica Sinica,2025,45(16):7793-7807.
YANGH Z, FUQ, LIT X, et al. Effects of tillage practices on soil physicochemical properties and root growth of soybean in black soil region of northeast China[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2025,39(3):288-302.
LIUM, ZHAOC, FANH, et al. Effects of long-term intercropping and no-tillage on soil physical properties and crop yield[J].Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin,2023,39(2):28-35.
[13]
ZHANGW S, LIH, LIANGL Y, et al. An integrated straw-tillage management increases maize crop productivity, soil organic carbon, and net ecosystem carbon budget[J].Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment,2022,340:e108175.
CHENX W, ZHANGX P, LIANGA Z, et al. Effects of tillage mode on black soil′s penetration resistance and bulk density[J].Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology,2012,23(2):439-444.
WUY H, HAOX S, TIANX H, et al. Effect of straw returning combined with NPK fertilization on soil carbon sequestration and economic benefits under rice-wheat rotation in Hanzhong basin[J].Acta Agronomica Sinica,2020,46(2):259-268.
[18]
RAMADHANM N. Yield and yield components of maize and soil physical properties as affected by tillage practices and organic mulching[J].Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences,2021,28(12):7152-7159.
CHENJ, PANGD W, HANM M, aleet. Effects of tillage patterns on soil biological activity, availability of soil nutrients and grain yield of winter wheat[J].Acta Agronomica Sinica,2017,43(8):1245-1253.
[21]
DONGL, WANGJ, LIJ R, et al. Assessing the impact of grazing management on wind erosion risk in grasslands: A case study on how grazing affects aboveground biomass and soil particle composition in Inner Mongolia[J].Global Ecology and Conservation,2022,40:e02344.
LIANGG M, WUW H, LIZ L, et al. Effects of conservation tillage in loess soil on farmland soil structure, water content, and maize yield[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2025,39(.6):369-382.
[24]
VAN GENUCHTENM T.A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils[J].Soil Science Society of America Journal,1980,44(5):892-898.
[25]
WHITER E. Principles and Practice of Soil Science: The soil as a natural resource[M]. 4th Edition. England: Blackwell Pub.,2006.
[26]
REYNOLDSW D, DRURYC F, TANC S, et al. Use of indicators and pore volume-function characteristics to quantify soil physical quality[J].Geoderma,2009,152(3/4):252-263.
[27]
DAS A, SCHNEIDERH, BURRIDGEJ, et al. Digital imaging of root traits (DIRT): A high-throughput computing and collaboration platform for field-based root phenomics[J].Plant Methods,2015,11(1):e51.
HUANGL, BAOW K, LIF L, et al. Effects of soil structure and vegetation on microbial communities[J].Chinese Journal of Applied and Environmental Biology,2021,27(6):1725-1731.
[30]
WANGY X, CHENS P, ZHANGD X, et al. Effects of subsoiling depth, period interval and combined tillage practice on soil properties and yield in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China[J].Journal of Integrative Agriculture,2020,19(6):1596-1608.
[31]
ÇELIKİ, GÜNALH, ACARM, et al. Strategic tillage may sustain the benefits of long-term no-till in a Vertisol under Mediterranean climate[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2019,185:17-28.
ZHANGX, ZHANGY L, LIUD, et al. Effects of planting methods and tillage systems on soil structure and water use efficiency[J].Transactions of the Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery,2019,50(3):250-261.
ZHANGJ Q, LIF, SUNF C, et al. Effects of different tillage methods on soil physical properties under the condition of straw returning[J].Acta Agriculturae Universitatis Jiangxiensis,2022,44(3):759-772.
LIUH G, LIZ J, LIL, et al. Effects of deep vertical rotary tillage depth on the improvement of soil physicochemical properties and cotton yield in the current year and the following year in severe saline land in southern Xinjiang of China[J].Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering,2024,40(13):45-57.
WANGC B, WENM J, YANGS C, et al. Effects of different tillage practices on physical characteristics of irrigated sierozem soil and maize yield[J].Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas,2022,40(3):170-177.
ZHAOJ H, LIY, QIANB C, et al. Effects of straw return and tillage on soil properties and yield of multi-cropping peanut after wheat[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2019,33(5):272-280.
WANGY H, XUANQ X, WANGL L, et al. Soil organic carbon mineralization and soil enzyme activities under different tillage methods[J].Chinese Journal of Soil Science,2020,51(4):876-884.
LIN N, LIZ Q, HUANGX F, et al. Effects of straw returning on spatio-temporal distribution of water and maize yield under different tillage methods in Jinzhong[J].Journal of Soil and Water Conservation,2023,37(5):312-319.
LIUY J, BAID X, ZHANGX Q, et al. Effects of tillage methods on soil physical characteristics and organic carbon storage in soil farmland at the southern foot of the Daxing′an Mountains[J].Chinese Journal of Soil Science,2025,56(2):409-419.
[48]
YANGH K, WUG, MOP, et al. The combined effects of maize straw mulch and no-tillage on grain yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency of dry-land winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)[J].Soil and Tillage Research,2020,197:e104485.
WANGY L, XUZ H, LIS, et al. Effects of different mulching measures on moisture and temperature of soil and yield and water use efficiency of spring maize[J].Acta Agronomica Sinica,2024,50(5):1312-1324.
JIANGF H, WANGY K, GUOZ C, et al. Effect of "rotary-subsoiling" tillage on soil physical properties and crop growth in fluvo-aquic soil and Shajiang black soil[J].Chinese Journal of Soil Science,2021,52(4):801-810.