Effects of Deep and Shallow Tillage with Straw Incorporation on Soil Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen and Enzyme Activities in Northeast China

Ping Tian, Hongli Lian, Zhengyu Wang, Ying Jiang, Congfeng Li, Pengxiang Sui and Hua Qi
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Ping Tian: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Hongli Lian: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Zhengyu Wang: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Ying Jiang: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Congfeng Li: Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Pengxiang Sui: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Hua Qi: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: The characterization of soil physicochemical properties and the resulting soil enzyme activity changes are crucial for understanding the effects of various tillage and straw management techniques on crop grain yield. In 2018–2019, we conducted a field micro–plot experiment to determine the effects of tillage depth and straw management on the soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activity, and maize grain yield. Six treatments were employed, including straw removal (CK), straw mixed with (SM), and straw buried (SB) into the soil under tillage depths of 10 (D10) and 30 cm (D30). The results demonstrated that SM and SB significantly increased the soil nitrate (NO 3 – –N) content and decreased the ammonium (NH 4 + –N) content in the 0–20 cm soil layer in 2018 relative to CK. SM had greater soil urease (URE) and acid phosphatase (APH) activities in the 0–20 cm soil layer, and SB improved the soil APH activity at the 30–40 cm depth in both seasons. D30 obtained a lower penetration resistance in the 10–40 cm soil profile and higher soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) contents at the 30–40 cm soil depth relative to D10. The soil enzyme activity was positively related to the soil nutrient content and negatively related to the soil penetration resistance in the 0–20 cm soil layer, particularly in D30. Compared with CK, the grain yield was higher by 2.48–17.51% for SM and 7.48–24.46% for SB in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The structural equation model analysis suggested that the tillage depth mainly affected the soil penetration resistance (PR) and pH; however, straw management dominantly influenced the soil mineral N levels, leading to other soil property changes and crop production results. In conclusion, straw incorporation with deeper plow tillage might be an optimal straw return approach for soil quality improvement and sustainable maize production in northeast China.

Keywords: straw return; SOC; soil enzyme activity; grain yield (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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