Impacts of tillage treatments on soil physical properties and maize growth at two sites under different climatic conditions in black soil region of Northeast China

Abstract

The escalating soil degradation and consequent decline in crop yield are critical factors jeopardizing the sustainable development of agriculture in the black soil region of Northeast China. Conservation tillage offers a potential solution for protecting this vital soil resource, but its effect on soil physical properties and crop yields in different climatic regions is still debated. Therefore, it is essential to determine the effects of different tillage treatments on soil quality and maize yield across black soil region under different climatic conditions. This study conducted a two-year field experiment at two sites (Hailun, HL; Gong Zhuling, GZL) under two climatic conditions (cool and warm) in Northeast China to evaluate the impact of no tillage (NT), rotary tillage (RT), deep ploughing (DP), and strip tillage (ST) on soil physical properties and maize growth. The results indicate that at the cooler HL site, DP effectively decreased soil bulk density (BD) and improved soil air capacity (AC), air permeability (AP), available water capacity (AWC), and soil temperature during the early stage of maize growth, which facilitated maize emergence and root growth, resulting in a 10.5 % yield increase compared to RT. However, NT reduced maize emergence due to lower soil temperatures, leading to a yield reduction (-2.6 %) compare to RT. Conversely, at the warmer and windy GZL site, DP showed limited improvement in soil physical properties, resulting in the lowest yield among the four treatments. NT significantly enhanced soil aeration and water retention capacity compared to DP, achieving higher yield comparable to RT. Notably, ST demonstrated good adaptability at both sites, achieving the highest yield increase (+11.1 % compared to RT) especially at the HL site, indicating its potential as a strategy to balance crop yield and soil conservation. Our findings suggest that DP or ST is preferable for the HL region, while conservation tillage (NT and ST) is more suitable for the GZL region. This study provides valuable insights into selecting appropriate tillage treatments based on local soil and climate conditions in the Northeast China.