Soil carbon, aggregation and crop residue dynamics under different tillage and nitrogen fertilization strategies in rainfed Mediterranean conditions

IF 6.1 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil & Tillage Research Pub Date : 2025-05-12 DOI:10.1016/j.still.2025.106650

Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes , Carlos Cantero-Martínez , María Alonso-Ayuso , Fernando Gómez , María Concepción Ramos

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In rainfed Mediterranean croplands, the interactive effects of fertilization and tillage types on soil aggregation and soil organic carbon (SOC) have been rarely studied. The objective of this study was to assess the interactive effects of tillage and nitrogen (N) fertilization strategies on different soil and crop properties in a long-term rainfed experiment established in semiarid NE Spain in 2010. During two cropping seasons (2020–2021 and 2021–2022) the following variables were assessed: SOC, particulate organic matter C (POM-C) and mineral-associated organic matter C (Min-C) contents in the 0–5, 5–10 and 10–30 cm depths; soil aggregate stability in the topsoil (0–5 cm); crop yield; and crop residue dynamics (crop residue biomass and the percent residue cover). Two tillage treatments were compared: conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), and five N fertilization strategies: unfertilized, medium and high N rates of mineral fertilizer, and medium and high N rates of organic fertilizer. In both cropping seasons, the crop yield, crop residue biomass and percent residue cover were greater in NT compared with CT (2148 and 1319 kg ha ⁻¹ crop residue biomass and 72.0 and 49.7 % residue cover for NT and CT, respectively). Regarding N fertilization, crop yields tended to be greater in the organic fertilizer than in the mineral fertilization treatments (1600 vs 1168 kg ha⁻¹, respectively). Differences between N fertilization treatments were more marked in the residue biomass parameter than in the percent residue cover. The SOC, POM-C and Min-C contents decreased in the next order across soil depths: 0–5 > 5–10 > 10–30. The greatest soil C values were observed in the treatments with the greatest N rate of organic fertilizer. The soil aggregate stability in the topsoil (0–5 cm) increased under NT and the application of organic fertilizers. This study has demonstrated that in rainfed semiarid conditions, long-term NT adoption and the use of organic fertilizers are promising strategies for enhancing SOC buildup and the formation of stable aggregates in the topsoil.

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地中海雨养条件下不同耕作和氮肥策略下土壤碳、团聚体和作物残茬动态

在地中海雨养农田，施肥和耕作方式对土壤团聚体和土壤有机碳（SOC）的交互作用研究很少。本研究旨在通过2010年在西班牙东北部半干旱地区建立的长期旱作试验，评估耕作和氮肥策略对不同土壤和作物特性的交互效应。在2020-2021年和2021-2022年两个种植季，对0-5、5-10和10-30 cm深度的有机碳、颗粒有机质C （POM-C）和矿物伴生有机质C （Min-C）含量进行了评价；表层土团聚体稳定性（0-5 cm）；作物产量;作物残茬动态（作物残茬生物量和残茬覆盖百分比）。比较了常规耕作（CT）和免耕（NT）两种耕作方式，以及不施肥、矿物肥中、高施氮和有机肥中、高施氮5种施肥策略。在两个种植季节，北垦区的作物产量、作物残茬生物量和残茬盖度均高于试验区（分别为2148和1319 kg ha−1作物残茬生物量和72.0和49.7 %残茬盖度）。在施氮方面，有机肥处理的作物产量往往高于矿肥处理（分别为1600 vs 1168 kg ha−1）。不同施肥处理在残茬生物量参数上的差异比残茬盖度差异更显著。SOC、POM-C和Min-C含量依次递减：0-5 >； 5-10 >； 10-30。土壤C值在有机肥施氮量最大的处理中最高。施用氮肥和有机肥提高了表层土壤（0 ~ 5 cm）团聚体稳定性。本研究表明，在雨养半干旱条件下，长期采用NT和施用有机肥是促进表层土壤有机碳积累和稳定团聚体形成的有希望的策略。

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来源期刊

Soil & Tillage Research 农林科学-土壤科学

CiteScore

13.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

266

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Soil & Tillage Research examines the physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil caused by tillage and field traffic. Manuscripts will be considered on aspects of soil science, physics, technology, mechanization and applied engineering for a sustainable balance among productivity, environmental quality and profitability. The following are examples of suitable topics within the scope of the journal of Soil and Tillage Research: The agricultural and biosystems engineering associated with tillage (including no-tillage, reduced-tillage and direct drilling), irrigation and drainage, crops and crop rotations, fertilization, rehabilitation of mine spoils and processes used to modify soils. Soil change effects on establishment and yield of crops, growth of plants and roots, structure and erosion of soil, cycling of carbon and nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, leaching, runoff and other processes that affect environmental quality. Characterization or modeling of tillage and field traffic responses, soil, climate, or topographic effects, soil deformation processes, tillage tools, traction devices, energy requirements, economics, surface and subsurface water quality effects, tillage effects on weed, pest and disease control, and their interactions.