Xianqing Hou;Rong Li;Zhikuan Jia;Qingfang Ha

Key Laboratory of Crop Physi-Ecology and Tillage Science in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China); School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021 (China);Key Laboratory of Crop Physi-Ecology and Tillage Science in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China

st;nt;tillage;cm;40;so

In rain-fed semi-arid agroecosystems, continuous conventional tillage can cause serious problems in soil quality and crop production, whereas rotational tillage (no-tillage and subsoiling) could decrease soil bulk density, and increase soil aggregates and organic carbon in the 0-40 cm soil layer. A 3-year field study was conducted to determine the effect of tillage practices on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), water-stable aggregate size distribution and aggregate C and N sequestration from 0 to 40 cm soil in semi-arid areas of southern Ningxia. Three tillage treatments were tested: no-tillage in year 1, subsoiling in year 2,. and no-tillage in year 3 (NT-ST-NT); subsoiling in year 1, no-tillage in year 2, and subsoiling in year 3 (ST-NT-ST); and conventional tillage over years 1-3 (CT). Mean values of soil bulk density in 0-40 cm under NT-ST-NT and ST-NT-ST were significantly decreased by 3.3% and 6.5%, respectively, compared with CT, while soil total porosity was greatly improved. Rotational tillage increased SOC, TN, and water-stable aggregates in the 0-40 cm soil, with the greatest effect under ST-NT-ST. In 0-20 and 20-40 cm soils, the tillage effect was confined to the 2-0.25 mm size fraction of soil aggregates, and rotational tillage treatments obtained significantly higher SOC and TN contents than conventional tillage. No significant differences were detected in SOC and TN contents in the > 2 mm and <0.25 mm aggregates among all treatments. In conclusion, rotational tillage practices could significantly increase SOC and TN levels, due to a fundamental change in soil structure, and maintain agroecosystem sustainability in the Loess Plateau area of China.