Long-Term Straw Return Strategies Shape Soil Properties and Bacterial Community Structure in a Mollisol: A Nine-Year Field Trial

Siyang Wu, Jiale Zhao, Chengliang Zhang, Lixing Ren, Yanpeng Wei, Yingjie Guo () and Mingzhuo Guo ()
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Siyang Wu: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Jiale Zhao: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Chengliang Zhang: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Lixing Ren: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Yanpeng Wei: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Yingjie Guo: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Mingzhuo Guo: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-22

Abstract: Returning crop residues to soil is fundamental to sustainable agriculture, yet its adoption in cold-climate regions is hampered by an agronomic paradox: surface mulching conserves water but suppresses the spring soil temperatures required for crop establishment. In the present study, through a nine-year field experiment in a Mollisol under continuous maize cultivation, it was demonstrated that the method of maize straw incorporation, not merely its rate, is the decisive factor in resolving this conflict. While surface mulching maximized water conservation, it induced severe soil cooling and showed minimal gains in soil fertility. In contrast, incorporation via rotary tillage or deep plowing mitigated this cooling effect and proved superior for nutrient cycling. Among all strategies, rotary tillage of 50% residue (ROT-50) delivered the most balanced performance: it achieved the highest total nitrogen, substantially increased soil microbial biomass, and maintained one of the highest levels of Shannon diversity among incorporation treatments. These biogeochemical enhancements were driven by a fundamental, method-induced shift in the bacterial community from an oligotrophic to a copiotrophic structure. These findings shift the paradigm from a focus on residue quantity to one on incorporation method, providing a robust framework for reconciling crop productivity with long-term soil health in temperate agroecosystems.

Keywords: maize straw; straw return; soil health; bacterial community; incorporation method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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