Biennial subsoiling with ridge-furrow planting enhances soil quality, ecosystem multifunctionality and maize yield on the Loess Plateau

IF 6.8 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil & Tillage Research Pub Date : 2025-09-16 DOI:10.1016/j.still.2025.106871

Xiaoling Wang , Qingxuan Yang , Zhe Ji , Wenjing Li , Wenjing Feng , Peng Zhang , Xining Zhao , Tiening Liu , Enke Liu , Kadambot H.M. Siddique , Xiaoli Chen , Zhikuan Jia , Xiaolong Ren

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Dryland agriculture on the Loess Plateau has long faced the challenges of water scarcity and soil degradation, which severely threaten soil ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and crop yields. Biennial subsoiling tillage (ST) and ridge-furrow sowing (RS) can ensure sustainable agriculture production by regulating soil quality. However, their integrated effects of ST and RS on soil quality index (SQI), EMF, and crop yield remain poorly understood. A three-year field experiment was performed with two tillage methods, conventional tillage (CT) and ST, and two sowing patterns, flat sowing (FS) and RS, yielding four treatments: CT+FS, CT+RS, ST+FS and ST+RS. We examined the effects of tillage and sowing on crop yield, SQI, enzymatic stoichiometry, and EMF, as well as their interrelationships in topsoil and subsoil. Layers. The results showed that the combined ST+RS treatment significantly enhanced SQI by 13.8–40.6 % (topsoil) and 17.0–49.7 % (subsoil) compared to other treatments. Moreover, ST+RS enhanced the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enzyme activities. Furthermore, the integrated ST+RS management significantly alleviated microbial C and P limitations, and enhanced EMF by 76.8–203.0 % (topsoil) and 48.8–222.8 % (subsoil), while also enhancing crop yield by 9.5–24.5 % compared to other strategies (P < 0.05). Strong positive correlations were observed between SQI, EMF, and crop yield. Random forest analysis identified that ammonium nitrogen (

{NH}_{4}^{+}

) content and fungal biomass as key predictors of EMF in both topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) further revealed that tillage and sowing practices had a direct negative effect on EMF in the topsoil but a positive effect in the subsoil, indicating distinct ecological functional responses and restructuring processes across soil layers. Overall, the study suggests that the integrated ST+RS planting system synergistically improves soil quality, EMF, and crop yield, offering an effective strategy for enhancing the resilience of the soil ecosystem to climate change and improving crop production in dryland farming systems.

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两年一次垄沟深埋提高了黄土高原土壤质量、生态系统多功能性和玉米产量

黄土高原旱地农业长期面临水资源短缺和土壤退化的挑战，严重威胁着土壤生态系统的多功能性和作物产量。二年生深埋耕作和垄沟播种通过调节土壤质量来保证农业的可持续生产。然而，它们对土壤质量指数（SQI）、EMF和作物产量的综合影响尚不清楚。采用常规耕作（CT）和常规耕作（ST）两种耕作方式，平播（FS）和平播（RS）两种播种方式，进行了为期3年的田间试验，得到了CT+FS、CT+RS、ST+FS和ST+RS 4种处理。我们研究了耕作和播种对作物产量、SQI、酶化学计量学和EMF的影响，以及它们在表土和底土中的相互关系。层。结果表明，与其他处理相比，ST+RS联合处理显著提高了SQI，表土提高了13.8 ~ 40.6 %，底土提高了17.0 ~ 49.7 %。此外，ST+RS还提高了碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)酶的活性。此外，ST+RS综合管理显著缓解了微生物C和P的限制，并使EMF（表土）和底土分别提高了76.8-203.0 %和48.8-222.8 %，同时与其他策略相比，作物产量提高了9.5-24.5 % （P <； 0.05）。SQI、EMF与作物产量呈显著正相关。随机森林分析表明，铵态氮（NH4+）含量和真菌生物量分别是表土和底土EMF的关键预测因子。偏最小二乘路径模型（PLS-PM）进一步揭示，耕作和播种方式对表土EMF有直接的负面影响，但对底土有积极影响，表明不同土层的生态功能响应和重构过程不同。总体而言，该研究表明，ST+RS一体化种植系统协同改善了土壤质量、EMF和作物产量，为增强土壤生态系统对气候变化的适应能力和提高旱地农业系统的作物产量提供了有效的策略。

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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.