Dependency of Long-Term Soil Quality Controls on Summer Fallow Tillage and Soil Layers for Dryland Winter Wheat in Loess Plateau

Hui Li, Xinjun Dai and Zhiqiang Gao ()
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Hui Li: Department of Biology, Xinzhou Normal University, Xinzhou 034000, China
Xinjun Dai: Department of Biology, Xinzhou Normal University, Xinzhou 034000, China
Zhiqiang Gao: College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: The capacity for winter wheat to produce sufficient yield may be influenced by soil tillage practices and soil quality. However, determining how to quantify the impact of long-term tillage on soil quality is crucial. Here, we address this issue by comparing soil properties and wheat yield under four tillage systems during summer fallow in the Loess Plateau. Twenty-two soil properties were explored to estimate soil quality. Results showed that a rotational tillage (PT/ST) during summer fallow decreased soil bulk density ( ρ b ) and improved soil gravimetric water content ( θ g ), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil capillary porosity ( P c ), and total porosity ( P t ) in 0–50 cm soil layers. A minimum dataset (MDS) of thirteen indicators was selected to calculate soil quality index (SQI). Treatment of PT/ST had higher SQI value in soil layers of 0–10 cm and 20–50 cm, and PT/ST showed a significant increase in yield since the third year. No tillage (NT) during summer fallow decreased soil physical and chemical indicators, thus decreasing soil quality. These findings suggest that a rotation tillage of PT/ST during summer fallow could enhance soil chemical and biological properties concurrently, and PT/ST may provide a promising management strategy to sustain soil quality and grain yield for dryland winter wheat in the Loess Plateau.

Keywords: soil quality index; principal component analysis; soil physical properties; soil chemical properties; Triticum aestivum L. (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: 2024
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