Abstract
In this study, a fixed-site field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different combinations of tillage and straw incorporation management on carbon storage in different-sized soil aggregates and on crop yield after three years of rice-wheat rotation. Compared to conventional tillage, the percentages of >2 mm macroaggregates and water-stable macroaggregates in rice-wheat double-conservation tillage (zero-tillage and straw incorporation) were increased 17.22% and 36.38% in the 0–15 cm soil layer and 28.93% and 66.34% in the 15–30 cm soil layer, respectively. Zero tillage and straw incorporation also increased the mean weight diameter and stability of the soil aggregates. In surface soil (0–15 cm), the maximum proportion of total aggregated carbon was retained with 0.25–0.106 mm aggregates, and rice-wheat double-conservation tillage had the greatest ability to hold the organic carbon (33.64 g kg−1). However, different forms occurred at higher levels in the 15–30 cm soil layer under the conventional tillage. In terms of crop yield, the rice grown under conventional tillage and the wheat under zero tillage showed improved equivalent rice yields of 8.77% and 6.17% compared to rice-wheat double-cropping under zero tillage or conventional tillage, respectively.
Highlights
In this study, a fixed-site field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different combinations of tillage and straw incorporation management on carbon storage in different-sized soil aggregates and on crop yield after three years of rice-wheat rotation
In the 0–15 cm soil layer, the mean percentage of A1 was 12.77% higher for the three rice-wheat under zero tillage (RWzt) treatments (T1, T2, and T3) compared to the rice-wheat under conventional tillage (RWct) treatments (T7, T8, and T9)
Our results showed that regardless of tillage practice, the highest soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was found for the 0.25–0.106 mm microaggregates in the 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm soil layers, which is inconsistent with the result of Six et al.[15], who found that >2 mm aggregates had the highest SOC level compared to the other size classes of aggregates
Summary
A fixed-site field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different combinations of tillage and straw incorporation management on carbon storage in different-sized soil aggregates and on crop yield after three years of rice-wheat rotation. Small changes in soil organic carbon can cause dramatic changes in the concentration of atmospheric CO22 Before this problem was recognized, the primary purpose of soil tillage was to create suitable soil environmental conditions for crop growth, to conserve soil water, and to promote crop-yield increases[3]. The long-term application of a single tillage measure results in unfavourable soil conditions for crop growth[21] It is unclear whether conventional tillage or zero tillage and straw incorporation with conservation tillage can satisfy the demand of both ecological and production benefits, namely, increasing the capacity of soil carbon preservation and improving crop yields
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