Subsoil tillage improved the maize stalk lodging resistance under high planting density.

Lodging reduces maize yield and quality. The improvement in maize lodging resistance has proven to be instrumental in maximizing the yield potential of maize varieties under high-density planting. Tillage practices accommodate larger groups by enhancing soil conditions. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of subsoil tillage in reducing the maize stalk lodging rate. The maize cultivars Xianyu 335 (XY335) and Zhongdan2 (ZD2) were selected for field experiments including two tillage methods, shallow rotary (RT) and subsoil (SS), and two densities, 75,000 plants ha-1 (D1) and 105,000 plants ha-1 (D2), were set up to investigate and analyze the changes of maize lodging rate and the related indexes of lodging resistance under SS and RT conditions. The findings revealed that under high density, as compared to rotary tillage, SS tillage decreased the plant and ear height by 9.01-9.20 cm and 3.50-4.90 cm, respectively. The stalk dry matter accumulation was enhanced by 8.98%-24.98%, while stalk diameter between two and seven internodes increased by 0.47- 4.15 mm. Stalk cellulose increased by 11.83% -12.38%, hemicellulose increased by 6.7%-15.97%, and lignin increased by 9.86%-15.9%. The rind puncture and crushing strength improved by 3.11%-20.06% and 11.90%-27.07%, respectively. The bending strength increased by 6.25%-27.96% and the lodging rate decreased by 1.20%-6.04%. Yield increased by 7.58%-8.17%. At SS tillage when density increased, the index changes in ZD2 were mostly less than those in XY335. The rind penetration strength, bending strength, crushing strength, stalk diameter, and dry matter accumulation all had a negative correlation with the lodging rate. It suggested that SS tillage was beneficial to lodging resistance and, in combination with stalk lodging-resistant varieties, can effectively alleviate the problem of stalk lodging after increased planting density.

Dynamic responses of soil microbial communities to seasonal freeze-thaw cycles in a temperate agroecosystem.

Soil freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) are common in temperate agricultural ecosystems during the non-growing season and are progressively influenced by climate change. The impact of these cycles on soil microbial communities, crucial for ecosystem functioning, varies under different agricultural management practices. Here, we investigated the dynamic changes in soil microbial communities in a Mollisol during seasonal FTCs and examined the effects of stover mulching and nitrogen fertilization. We revealed distinct responses between bacterial and fungal communities. The dominant bacterial phyla reacted differently to FTCs: for example, Proteobacteria responded opportunistically, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Choroflexi and Gemmatimonadetes responded sensitively, and Saccharibacteria exhibited a tolerance response. In contrast, the fungal community composition remained relatively stable during FTCs, except for a decline in Glomeromycota. Certain bacterial OTUs acted as sensitive indicators of FTCs, forming keystone modules in the network that are closely linked to soil carbon, nitrogen content and potential functions. Additionally, neither stover mulching nor nitrogen fertilization significantly influenced microbial richness, diversity and potential functions. However, over time, more indicator species specific to these agricultural practices began to emerge within the networks and gradually occupied the central positions. Furthermore, our findings suggest that farming practices, by introducing keystone microbes and changing interspecies interactions (even without changing microbial richness and diversity), can enhance microbial community stability against FTC disturbances. Specifically, higher nitrogen input with stover removal promotes fungal stability during soil freezing, while lower nitrogen levels increase bacterial stability during soil thawing. Considering the fungal tolerance to FTCs, we recommend reducing nitrogen input for manipulating bacterial interactions, thereby enhancing overall microbial resilience to seasonal FTCs. In summary, our research reveals that microbial responses to seasonal FTCs are reshaped through land management to support ecosystem functions under environmental stress amid climate change.

How a Long-Term Cover Crop Cultivation Impacts Soil Phosphorus Availability in a No-Tillage System?

The growth of cover crops can contribute to the increase in phosphorus content at depth by root decomposition. The aim of this work was to verify the effect of cover crops on soil phosphorus availability and use by successive plants, and the accumulation of soil P in a no-tillage system conducted for 14 years. This research was carried out during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 crop seasons, whose treatments have been installed and maintained since 2003. The experimental design was a randomized block design, and the plots consisted of spring crops: pearl millet, forage sorghum, sunn hemp, and additionally, a fallow/chiseling area. The evaluation of available P was determined by P fractionation. In general, in the two years of evaluation, the accumulation of P in the shoot dry matter was higher in sunn hemp growth, on average 25% higher than pearl millet in 2016 and 40% higher than sorghum in 2017. The highest contents of labile inorganic P were in the sorghum-soybean and fallow/chiseling-soybean successions, with values higher than 50 mg kg-1 of P in the 0-0.1 m soil layer. However, in the other layers analyzed, the cover crops obtained higher availability of labile inorganic P. The systems using cover crops recovered 100% of the P fertilized in soybean.

Combining No-Tillage with Hairy Vetch Return Improves Production and Nitrogen Utilization in Silage Maize.

The combination of no-till farming and green manure is key to nourishing the soil and increasing crop yields. However, it remains unclear how to enhance the efficiency of green manure under no-till conditions. We conducted a two-factor field trial of silage maize rotated with hairy vetch to test the effects of tillage methods and returning. Factor 1 is the type of tillage, which is divided into conventional ploughing and no-tillage; factor 2 is the different ways of returning hairy vetch as green manure, which were also compared: no return (NM), stubble return (H), mulching (HM), turnover (HR, for CT only), and live coverage (LM, for NT only). Our findings indicate that different methods of returning hairy vetch to the field will improve maize yield and quality. The best results were obtained in CT and NT in HM and LM, respectively. Specifically, HM resulted in the highest dry matter quality and yield, with improvements of 35.4% and 31.9% over NM under CT, respectively. It also demonstrated the best economic and net energy performance. However, other treatments had no significant effect on the beneficial utilization and return of nutrients. The LM improved yields under NT by boosting soil enzyme activity, promoting nitrogen transformation and accumulation, and increasing nitrogen use efficiency for better kernel development. Overall, NTLM is best at utilizing and distributing soil nutrients and increasing silage maize yield. This finding supports the eco-efficient cultivation approach in silage maize production in the region.

Regulation of tillage on grain matter accumulation in maize.

Introduction: To address issues related to shallow soil tillage, low soil nutrient content, and single tillage method in maize production in the Western Inner Mongolia Region, this study implemented various tillage and straw return techniques, including strip cultivation, subsoiling, deep tillage, no-tillage, straw incorporation with strip cultivation, straw incorporation with subsoiling, straw incorporation with deep tillage, and straw incorporation with no tillage, while using conventional shallow spinning by farmers as the control. Methods: We employed Xianyu 696 (XY696) and Ximeng 6 (XM6) as experimental materials to assess maize 100-grains weight, grain filling rate parameters, and grain nutrient quality. This investigation aimed to elucidate how tillage and straw return influence the accumulation of grain material in different maize varieties. Results and discussion: The results indicated that proper implementation of tillage and straw return had a significant impact on the 100-grains weight of both varieties. In comparison to CK (farmer's rotary rotation), the most notable rise in 100-grains weight was observed under the DPR treatment (straw incorporation with deep tillage), with a maximum increase of 4.84% for XY696 and 6.28% for XM6. The proper implementation of tillage and straw return in the field resulted in discernible differences in the stages of improving the grain filling rates of different maize varieties. Specifically, XY696 showed a predominant increase in the filling rate during the early stage (V1), while XM6 exhibited an increase in the filling rates during the middle and late stages (V2 and V3). In comparison to CK, V1 increased by 1.54% to 27.56% in XY696, and V2 and V3 increased by 0.41% to 10.42% in XM6 under various tillage and straw return practices. The proper implementation of tillage and straw return had a significant impact on the nutritional quality of the grains in each variety. In comparison to CK, the DPR treatment resulted in the most pronounced decrease in the soluble sugar content of grains by 25.43% and the greatest increase in the crude fat content of grains by 9.67%. Conclusion: Ultimately, the proper implementation of soil tillage and straw return facilitated an increase in grain crude fat content and significantly boosted grain weight by improving the grouting rate parameters at all stages for various maize varieties. Additionally, the utilization of DPR treatment proved to be more effective. Overall, DPR is the most promising strategy to improve maize yield and the nutritional quality of grain in the long term in the Western Inner Mongolia Region.

Mapping and quantifying medium-term soil loss rates in mountain olive groves using unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

Olive groves are one of the main agroecosystems in the Mediterranean region, but water erosion, aggravated by inappropriate soil management, is compromising the environmental sustainability of these crops. National and international public organisations, including the European Union via its Common Agricultural Policy, have acknowledged the problem and recognise the need to quantify the effects of this process. However, the variability of currently available short-term soil erosion measurements, together with limited understanding of the underlying processes, mean there is considerable uncertainty about the long-term effects of soil erosion. This paper presents an innovative procedure called SERHOLIVE4.0 designed to measure and model long-term soil erosion rates in olive groves, by means of structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques by which image information is obtained from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For the present study, the procedure was evaluated in mountain olive groves, where the erosion rate was calculated from historical surface reconstructions. Overall, this approach was found to be practical and effective. The method includes the following steps: [1] measure the current relief using UAV technology; [2] reconstruct the historical relief from field measurements; [3] calculate soil truncation (h) and obtain a soil erosion rate map; [4] determine the erosive dynamics of the slope and establish the relation between tree truncation, slope and mounds. The method we describe presents the following advantages:•it quantifies soil losses by reference to existing tree mounds;•it is straightforward to apply;•its application enhances the calibration of erosion models.

Effects of Short-Term Tillage on Rhizosphere Soil Nitrogen Mineralization and Microbial Community Composition in Double-Cropping Rice Field.

Soil extracellular enzyme plays a vital role in changing soil nitrogen (N) mineralization of rice field. However, the effects of soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEA) and microbial community composition response to N mineralization of rice field under short-term tillage treatment needed to be further explored. In this study, we investigated the impact of short-term (8-year) tillage practices on rhizosphere soil N transformation rate, soil enzyme activities, soil microbial community structure, and the N mineralization function gene abundances in double-cropping rice field in southern China. The experiment consisted of four tillage treatments: rotary tillage with crop straw input (RT), conventional tillage with crop straw input (CT), no-tillage with crop straw retention (NT), and rotary tillage with all crop straw removed as a control (RTO). The results indicated that the rhizosphere soil N transformation rate in paddy field under the NT and RTO treatments was significantly decreased compared to RT and CT treatments. In comparison to the NT and RTO treatments, soil protease, urease, ß-glucosaminidase, and arginase activities were significantly improved by the CT treatment, as were abundances of soil sub, npr, and chiA with CT and RT treatments. Moreover, the overall diversity of soil bacterial communities in NT and RTO treatments was significantly lower than that in RT and CT treatments. Soil chitinolytic and bacterial ureolytic communities were also obviously changed under a combination of tillage and crop straw input practices.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the growing season are regulated by precipitation events in conservation tillage farmland ecosystems of Northeast China.

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural ecosystems is vital to mitigate global warming. Conservation tillage is widely used in farmland management to improve soil quality; however, its effects on soil GHG emissions remain poorly understood, particularly in high-yield areas. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the effects of no-tillage (NT) combined with four straw-mulching levels (0 %, 33 %, 67 %, and 100 %) on GHG emission risk and the main influencing factors. We conducted in-situ observations of GHG emissions from soils under different management practices during the maize-growing season in Northeastern China. The results showed that NT0 (705.94 g m-2) reduced CO2 emissions by 18 % compared to ridge tillage (RT, 837.04 g m-2). Different straw mulching levels stimulated N2O emissions after rainfall, particularly under NT combined with 100 % straw mulching (2.89 kg ha-1), which was 45 % higher than that in any other treatments. The CH4 emissions flux among different treatments was nearly zero. Overall, straw mulching levels had no significant effect on the GHG emissions. During the growing season, soil NH4+-N (< 20 mg kg-1) remained low and decreased with the extension of growth stage, whereas soil NO3--N initially increased and then decreased. More importantly, the results of structural equation modeling indicate that: a) organic material input and soil moisture are key factors affecting CO2 emissions, b) nitrogen fertilizer and soil moisture promote N2O emissions, and c) climatic factors exert an inexorable influence on the GHG emissions process. Our conclusions emphasize the necessity of incorporating precipitation-response measures into farmland management to reduce the risk of GHG emissions.

Fungal Saprotrophic Promotion and Plant Pathogenic Suppression under Ditch-Buried Straw Return with Appropriate Burial Amount and Depth.

Fungi as heterotrophs are key participants in the decomposition of organic materials and the transformation of nutrients in agroecosystems. Ditch-buried straw return as a novel conservation management strategy can improve soil fertility and alter hydrothermal processes. However, how ditch-buried straw return strategies affect the soil fungal community is still unclear. Herein, a 7-year field trial was conducted to test the influences of burial depth (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm) and the amount of ditch-buried straw (half, full, double) on the diversity, composition, and predicted functions of a soil fungal community, as well as the activities of carbon-degraded enzymes. Under the full amount of straw burial, the abundance of phylum Ascomycota was 7.5% higher as compared to other burial amount treatments. This further increased the activity of cellobiohydrolase by 32%, as revealed by the positive correlation between Ascomycota and cellobiohydrolase. With deeper straw burial, however, the abundance of Ascomycota and ß-D-glucopyranoside activity decreased. Moreover, genus Alternaria and Fusarium increased while Mortierella decreased with straw burial amount and depth. FUNgild prediction showed that plant fungal pathogens were 1- to 2-fold higher, whilst arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were 64% lower under straw buried with double the amount and at a depth of 40 cm. Collectively, these findings suggest that ditch-buried straw return with a full amount and buried at a depth less than 30 cm could improve soil nutrient cycles and health and may be beneficial to subsequent crop production.

Monitoring the Spatial Distribution of Cover Crops and Tillage Practices Using Machine Learning and Environmental Drivers across Eastern South Dakota.

The adoption of conservation agriculture methods, such as conservation tillage and cover cropping, is a viable alternative to conventional farming practices for improving soil health and reducing soil carbon losses. Despite their significance in mitigating climate change, there are very few studies that have assessed the overall spatial distribution of cover crops and tillage practices based on the farm's pedoclimatic and topographic characteristics. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to use multiple satellite-derived indices and environmental drivers to infer the level of tillage intensity and identify the presence of cover crops in eastern South Dakota (SD). We used a machine learning classifier trained with in situ field samples and environmental drivers acquired from different remote sensing datasets for 2022 and 2023 to map the conservation agriculture practices. Our classification accuracies (>80%) indicate that the employed satellite spectral indices and environmental variables could successfully detect the presence of cover crops and the tillage intensity in the study region. Our analysis revealed that 4% of the corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) fields in eastern SD had a cover crop during either the fall of 2022 or the spring of 2023. We also found that environmental factors, specifically seasonal precipitation, growing degree days, and surface texture, significantly impacted the use of conservation practices. The methods developed through this research may provide a viable means for tracking and documenting farmers' agricultural management techniques. Our study contributes to developing a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) solution that could help used to monitor various climate-smart agricultural practices.

Changes in the taxonomic composition of soil bacterial communities under different inter-row tillage managements in a sloping vineyard of the Balaton Uplands (Hungary).

The common grape (Vitis vinifera L.) has been cultivated for thousands of years. Nowadays, it is cultivated using a variety of tillage practices that affect the structure of the soil microbial communities and thus the health of the vine. The aim of this study was to explore and compare the effects of tillage (shallow tillage with bare soil) and no-tillage (perennial grass cover) practices on soil physical and chemical properties and soil bacterial community diversities in a small catchment. Soil samples were taken in July and October 2020 at different slope positions of two vineyards exposed to erosion. The two sampling sites were separated by the agricultural inter-row management type: tilled and no-tilled slopes. The taxonomic diversity of bacterial communities was determined using 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing method on Illumina MiSeq platform. Based on the examined soil properties, the sampling areas were separated from each other according to the positions of the upper and lower slopes and the sampling times. Both the tilled and no-tilled soil samples were dominated by sequences assigned to phyla Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Actinobacteriota, and Gemmatimonadota. The results showed that tillage had no significant effect compared to the no-tilled samples in the studied area. Water runoff and seasonally changed soil physical and chemical properties affected mainly the bacterial community structures.

Impact of crop rotation and tillage operations on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and evaluation of sustainability index in rice- wheat-green gram cropping system of north Bihar.

In North Bihar (NB), the conventional rice-wheat cropping system has led to soil, water, and environmental degradation, alongside low profitability, threatening sustainability. To address these concerns, a thorough field research was conducted over the course of three years to assess different methods of tillage and crop establishment in a rice, wheat, and greengram cycle. The experiment involved five scenarios with different combinations of crop rotation, tillage techniques, seeding procedures, fertilizer use, and irrigation strategies. Uncertainty analysis showed no significant change in mean and variance estimation among seven scenario replications at 5% significance level. Compared to traditional farming (SN-1), managing DSR-rice (SN-5) increased profitability by 17.56%, improved energy use efficiency (EUE) by 32.16%, and reduced irrigation by 24.76% and global warming potential (GWP) by 23.46%. Similarly, substituting zero tillage wheat (ZTW) SN-5 resulted in comparable profitability gains (18.25%) and significant improvements in irrigation (10 %), EUE (+48.65%), and GWP (-20 %) compared to SN-1. Green gram ZT also showed increased profitability (17.35%), with notable improvements in EUE (+38.31%) and GWP (-12.92%) compared to SN-1. Principal component and correlation analyses revealed relationships between total energy inputs, yields, economic returns, and sustainability indices, highlighting the benefits of crop rotation and tillage practices in optimizing resource use. The study suggests that compared to conventional systems, significant improvements in productivity, profitability, energy-use efficiency, and environmental mitigation can be achieved with Crop Rotation and Tillage Operations techniques.

Long-term effects of conventional cultivation on soil cation exchange capacity and base saturation in an arid desert region.

Land reclamation and subsequent management affect soil condition, which is critical for sustainable agricultural production. Soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS%) play an important role in the assessment of soil fertility and buffering capacity. However, the variation of these indicators in the evolution of oasis farmland in arid desert areas remains unclear. Therefore, this study was carried out aiming to evaluate the effect of desert reclamation and following long-term conventional cultivation on the CEC and BS%. For the study, we investigated the CEC and exchangeable bases (ExBas) content in oasis farmlands along a chronosequence (0-100 years) of cultivation in arid region and identified the key factors affecting CEC and BS%. The results showed that soil CEC and ExBas significantly increased after desert reclamation, whereas the BS% dramatically decreased. However, all these changes were alleviated with the conventional cultivation age. Regression analysis showed that soil CEC, ExBas, and BS% all exponentially changed with cultivation years. Based on our findings, CEC and ExBas were closely related to soil particle size composition, total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM) and soil water content (SWC). The multiple stepwise regression further indicated that the changes in CEC and ExBas after reclamation mainly depended on the silt content, SWC, SOM, and TN. Our findings highlight that although desert reclamation increases soil CEC and ExBas in arid area, this effect tends to disappear after about 100 years of conventional cultivation, and meanwhile, the decline in BS% due to increased acids should also be noted.

Development of a Method for Soil Tilth Quality Evaluation from Crumbling Roller Baskets Using Deep Machine Learning Models.

A combination tillage with disks, rippers, and roller baskets allows the loosening of compacted soils and the crumbling of soil clods. Statistical methods for evaluating the soil tilth quality of combination tillage are limited. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and machine learning models (Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Neural Network (NN)) are proposed to investigate roller basket pressure settings on soil tilth quality. Soil profiles were measured using LiDAR (stop and go and on-the-go) and RGB visual images from a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) tillage experiment on clay loam soil with treatments of roller basket down, roller basket up, and no-till in three replicates. Utilizing RF, SVM, and NN methods on the LiDAR data set identified median, mean, maximum, and standard deviation as the top features of importance variables that were statistically affected by the roller settings. Applying multivariate discriminatory analysis on the four statistical measures, three soil tilth classes were predicted with mean prediction rates of 77% (Roller-basket down), 64% (Roller-basket up), and 90% (No till). The LiDAR data analytics-inspired soil tilth classes correlated well with the RGB image discriminatory analysis. Soil tilth machine learning models were shown to be successful in classifying soil tilth with regard to onboard operator pressure control settings on the roller basket of the combination tillage implement.

Conservation tillage: a way to improve yield and soil properties and decrease global warming potential in spring wheat agroecosystems.

Climate change is one of the main challenges, and it poses a tough challenge to the agriculture industry globally. Additionally, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the main contributor to climate change; however, croplands are a prominent source of GHG emissions. Yet this complex challenge can be mitigated through climate-smart agricultural practices. Conservation tillage is commonly known to preserve soil and mitigate environmental change by reducing GHG emissions. Nonetheless, there is still a paucity of information on the influences of conservation tillage on wheat yield, soil properties, and GHG flux, particularly in the semi-arid Dingxi belt. Hence, in order to fill this gap, different tillage systems, namely conventional tillage (CT) control, straw incorporation with conventional tillage (CTS), no-tillage (NT), and stubble return with no-tillage (NTS), were laid at Dingxi, Gansu province of China, under a randomized complete block design with three replications to examine their impacts on yield, soil properties, and GHG fluxes. Results depicted that different conservative tillage systems (CTS, NTS, and NT) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the plant height, number of spikes per plant, seed number per meter square, root yield, aboveground biomass yield, thousand-grain weight, grain yield, and dry matter yield compared with CT. Moreover, these conservation tillage systems notably improved the soil properties (soil gravimetric water content, water-filled pore space, water storage, porosity, aggregates, saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon, light fraction organic carbon, carbon storage, microbial biomass carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen storage, microbial biomass nitrogen, total phosphorous, available phosphorous, total potassium, available potassium, microbial counts, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase, cellulase, and catalase) while decreasing the soil temperature and bulk density over CT. However, CTS, NTS, and NT had non-significant effects on ECe, pH, and stoichiometric properties (C:N ratio, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio). Additionally, conservation-based tillage regimes NTS, NT, and CTS significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the emission and net global warming potential of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) by 23.44, 19.57, and 16.54%, respectively, and decreased the greenhouse gas intensity by 23.20, 29.96, and 18.72%, respectively, over CT. We conclude that NTS is the best approach to increasing yield, soil and water conservation, resilience, and mitigation of agroecosystem capacity.

Conservation tillage facilitates the accumulation of soil organic carbon fractions by affecting the microbial community in an eolian sandy soil.

Conservation tillage (CT) is an important agronomic measure that facilitates soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation by reducing soil disturbance and plant residue mulching, thus increasing crop yields, improving soil fertility and achieving C neutrality. However, our understanding of the microbial mechanism underlying SOC fraction accumulation under different tillage practices is still lacking. Here, a 6-year in situ field experiment was carried out to explore the effects of CT and traditional tillage (CK) practices on SOC fractions in an eolian sandy soil. Compared with CK, CT increased the particulate OC (POC) content in the 0-30 cm soil layer and the mineral-associated OC (MAOC) content in the 0-20 cm soil layer. Moreover, tillage type and soil depth had significant influences on the bacterial, fungal and protistan community compositions and structures. The co-occurrence network was divided into 4 ecological modules, and module 1 exhibited significant correlations with the POC and MOC contents. After determining their topological roles, we identified the keystone taxa in the network. The results indicated that the most common bacterial taxa may result in SOC loss due to low C use efficiency, while specific fungal (Cephalotrichum) and protistan (Cercozoa) species could facilitate SOC fraction accumulation by promoting macroaggregate formation and predation. Therefore, the increase in keystone fungi and protists, as well as the reduction in bacteria, drove module 1 community function, which in turn promoted SOC sequestration under CT. These results strengthen our understanding of microbial functions in the accrual of SOC fractions, which contributes to the development of conservation agriculture on the Northeast China Plain.

Impact of varied tillage practices and phosphorus fertilization regimes on wheat yield and grain quality parameters in a five-year corn-wheat rotation system.

Choosing appropriate tillage methods and applying the right amount of chemical fertilizers are pivotal for optimizing wheat management and enhancing wheat quality. This study investigated the influence of conservation agriculture and phosphorus levels on nutrient content, yield components, and quality traits of wheat in a corn-wheat rotation. Conducted over five years in field conditions, the study employed a randomized complete block design with tillage treatments (conventional tillage, CT; minimum tillage, MT; and no tillage, NT) and phosphorus levels (no fertilizer use, P0; and 100% fertilizer recommendation, PR) as factors. Soil samples were collected during the fourth year (2021-2022). Results revealed significant impacts of tillage methods and phosphorus levels on wheat straw and grain nutrient composition, yield components, and quality traits. Conventional tillage yielded the highest values for protein content (12%), Zeleny sedimentation volume (20.33 mL), hardness index (45), water absorption (64.12%), and wet gluten content (25.83%). Additionally, phosphorus fertilizer application positively influenced protein percentage, gluten weight, and gluten index. The study highlights the potential of strategic soil management, particularly conventional tillage combined with phosphorus fertilization, to enhance wheat quality and yield. By elucidating these relationships, the findings contribute to optimizing wheat cultivation practices and advancing the development of superior wheat cultivars for baking applications.

Impacts of conservation agriculture on crop yield and soil carbon sequestration: a meta-analysis in the Indian subcontinent.

In the quest of achieving sustainable crop productivity, improved soil health, and increased carbon (C) sequestration in the soil, conservation agriculture (CA) is increasingly being promoted and adopted in the Indian subcontinent. However, because some researchers from different regions of the world have reported reduced crop yield under CA relative to agriculture based on conventional tillage (CT), a meta-analysis has been conducted based on published research from India to evaluate the effects of CA on the yield of crops, accumulation of soil organic C as an index of soil health, and C sequestration in the soil in different regions and soil textural groups in the country. The meta-analysis is based on 544 paired observations under CA and CT from 35 publications from India was carried out using Meta Win 2.1 software. The results showed an overall significant (p < 0.05) reduction of 1.15% crop yield under CA compared to CT. Yearwise data showed a reduction of yields under CA from 2009 to 2016, but an increase from 2017 to 2020. Yield reduction was observed in the eastern, north-eastern, and southern regions of India but in western, northern, and north-western regions of the country, an increase was observed under CA rather than CT. Sandy loam and clayey soils exhibited higher crop yield under CA than under CT. Compared to CT, soil organic C content and soil C sequestration under CA increased by 8.9% and 7.3%, respectively. Also, in all the regions and soil textural groups both soil organic C accumulation and soil C sequestration were higher under CA than under CT. Factors such as rainfall, soil depth, available nitrogen (N), and total N significantly influenced the extent of yield increase/decrease and soil organic C accumulation under CA. Overall, results of the meta-analysis suggest that the promotion of CA in India will have to be location-specific taking into consideration the crops, soil attributes, and climatic conditions.

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To provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the high-yield and high-efficiency production of wheat, we examined the effects of different tillage patterns on wheat grain yield of Jimai 22 and the physiological mechanisms in an experiment with three treatments: 14 years in rotary tillage (R), minimal and no tillage (S), and minimal and no tillage with a 2-year subsoiling interval (SS). We assessed the light interception by wheat plant canopy, the distribution of photosynthate transport, and grain yield for the three cultivation modes. The results showed that leaf area index was significantly higher for SS treatment than the other treatments at 14-28 days after anthesis. The interception rate and amount of photosynthetically active radiation in the upper and middle layers of wheat canopy were significantly higher for SS treatment than R and S treatments at 21 days after anthesis. The contribution rate of grain assimilation and the distribution proportion of 13C assimilated in grain, and the maximum and average filling rates, were the highest under SS treatment. The 1000-kernel weight for SS treatment increased by 8.7% and 9.6%, and the grain yield increased by 14.2% and 19.4% compared with R and S treatments, respectively. SS treatment significantly improved light energy utilization by wheat canopy, promoted the accumulation and transport of dry matter, increased the grain-filling rate, increased grain weight, which together contributed to the highest grain yield. Therefore, SS was the optimal tillage pattern under the conditions of this experiment.

Combined subsoiling and ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting during the summer fallow season improves wheat yield, water and nutrient use efficiency, and quality and reduces soil nitrate-N residue in the dryland summer fallow-winter wheat rotation.

Both subsoiling tillage (ST) and ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RF) are widely implemented and play an important role in boosting wheat productivity. However, information about the effects of ST coupled with RF during the summer fallow season on wheat productivity and environmental issues remains limited. This study aims to explore the effects of ST coupled with RF on water harvesting, wheat productivity-yield traits, water and nutrient use efficiency and quality, and soil nitrate-N residue in dryland winter wheat-summer fallow rotation at the intersection of southern Loess Plateau and western Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in China in 2018-2022. Three tillage practices-deep plowing with straw turnover (PTST), subsoiling with straw mulching (STSM), and STSM coupled with RF (SRFSM)-are conducted during the summer fallow season. The results indicated that tillage practices during the summer fallow season significantly impacted wheat productivity and soil nitrate-N residue. Compared to PTST, STSM significantly enhanced rainfall fallow efficiency and water use efficiency by 7.0% and 14.2%, respectively, as well as N, P, and K uptake efficiency by 16.9%, 16.2%, and 15.3%, and thus increased grain yield by 14.3% and improved most parameters of protein components and processing quality, albeit with an increase in nitrate-N residue in the 0- to 300-cm soil depth by 12.5%. SRFSM, in turn, led to a further increase in water storage at sowing, resulting in an increase of water use efficiency by 6.8%, as well as N, P, and K uptake efficiency and K internal efficiency by 11.8%, 10.4%, 8.8%, and 4.7%, thereby significantly promoting grain yield by 10.2%, and improving the contents of all the protein components and enhancing the processing quality in grain, and simultaneously reducing the nitrate-N residue in the 0- to 300-cm soil layer by 16.1%, compared to STSM. In essence, this study posits that employing subsoiling coupled with ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting (SRFSM) during the summer fallow season is a promising strategy for enhancing wheat yield, efficiency, and quality, and simultaneously reducing soil nitrate-N residue within the dryland summer fallow-winter wheat rotation system.