Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"The accumulation of mineral nitrogen in soil during drying events is affected by soil management","authors":"Eduardo Vázquez ,&nbsp;Nikola Teutscherová ,&nbsp;Javier Almorox ,&nbsp;Joaquín Cámara ,&nbsp;Kristin D. Kasschau ,&nbsp;Marta Benito","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106623","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106623","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil drying events play a critical role in shaping nitrogen (N) cycling in drylands by influencing N availability and the risk of N losses. This study examines how different soil management practices (no-tillage (NT) and traditional tillage (TT), with and without liming)affect N mineralization and the accumulation of inorganic N during drying periods in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. Using soils from a long-term field experiment in southwestern Spain, we evaluated changes in inorganic N, enzymatic activities, and the abundance of genes related to N cycling during a summer fallow under field conditions, and in a complementary laboratory incubation under controlled temperature conditions. Field results showed a significant accumulation of inorganic N (from 6.47 to 11.43 mg N kg⁻¹) during drying, with a synergistic effect of NT and liming. Enzymatic activities (β-glucosaminidase, leucine aminopeptidase, proteases) and gene abundances (chiA, pepA, apr) declined with drying but remained higher under NT than TT. The laboratory study confirmed that management-induced differences in N cycling were mainly due to changes in soil biogeochemical properties (organic matter, pH), rather than changes in microclimatic conditions (soil temperature and moisture). While NT and liming enhanced N mineralization and microbial resilience, they also promoted inorganic N accumulation, increasing the potential for N losses (e.g., via N₂O emissions) upon rewetting. These results highlight the importance of integrating adaptive practices, such as summer cover cropping, into conservation agriculture to reduce N losses and improve nutrient use efficiency under increasingly frequent drought conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106623"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143878954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Title: Flue gas desulfurization gypsum amelioration affects the salinealkali soil microbial community on the temporal scale","authors":"Bangyan Liu ,&nbsp;Shujuan Wang ,&nbsp;Jia Liu ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Lizhen Xu ,&nbsp;Zhentao Sun ,&nbsp;Enbo Mo ,&nbsp;Yonggan Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106607","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106607","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although the physicochemical processes of saline<img>alkali soil amelioration via flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum have been well substantiated, the underlying mechanisms of soil microbial community succession and feedback on the temporal scale of amelioration remain unclear. To elucidate this mechanism, we investigated the microbial community response to the physicochemical properties change with saline<img>alkali soil ameliorated by FGD gypsum for 1 year, 3 years, and 10 years (the corresponding bare saline<img>alkali soil was used as the control). With increasing years of FGD gypsum amelioration in saline<img>alkali soil, the proportion of homogeneous selection (determinism process) in bacterial and fungal communities significantly increased from 37.5 % to 50.3 % and from 10.0 % to 31.8 %, respectively, but the proportion of dispersal limitation (stochastic process) significantly decreased. Thus, the microbial species composition and community structure were significantly changed, thus increasing microbial community β-diversity and ecological co-occurrence network complexity with increasing years of amelioration, as did the predict functions of prokaryotes in the dark oxidation of sulfide and sulfur compounds. Furthermore, the random forest and structure equation modules indicated that the changes in bacterial and fungal community assembly processes, structures, and co-occurrence networks were dominated by soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen, exchangeable sodium percentage, SO₄^2-, HCO₃^-, and pH. Our findings suggest that the soil microbial community succession process and complexity increase with increasing years of FGD gypsum reclamation by mediating the salinity and soil available carbon and nitrogen content in saline<img>alkali paddy soils on the temporal scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106607"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143878953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil salt crusts greatly reduce wind erosion and PM10 emission on sandy loam","authors":"Qingzhu Liu ,&nbsp;Ruoxuan Shi ,&nbsp;Brenton Sharratt ,&nbsp;Muhammad Tauseef Jaffar ,&nbsp;Xiong Li ,&nbsp;Jianguo Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106619","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wind erosion leads to significant loss of soil and soil organic carbon in arid and semi-arid desert ecosystems, posing a serious threat to sustainable agriculture and ecological security. Soil salt crusts (SSCs),<span><span>¹</span></span> widely distributed on soil surfaces in these regions, have a notable impact on surface processes, including the initiation, release, and transport of soil particles. However, there is limited understanding of the role of SSCs in reducing wind erosion and PM10 emission, as well as the surface changes of crust-covered soils during wind erosion. In this study, we used wind tunnels to evaluate the influence of artificial SSCs on wind erosion rate (WER),<span><span>²</span></span> surface characteristics, and PM10 emission during wind erosion processes. The results showed that as the salt concentration of irrigation water increased, the hardness and shear resistance of SSCs also increased, the structure became denser, but the thickness decreased. The effectiveness of SSCs in reducing WER and inhibiting PM10 emission also improved with the increasing salt concentrations. Additionally, SSCs delayed and reduced the geomorphological changes in the soil surface during wind erosion. We conclude that irrigation water salinity affects SSC formation, altering the structure and strength of the soil surface. Once SSCs are destroyed, WER and PM10 emissions may increase significantly. Thus, in addition to supporting plant growth, saline water irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions can form soil salt crusts (SSCs) that serve as an effective measure against wind erosion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106619"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency and its fate in the spring wheat-soil system under varying N-fertilizer rates: A two-year field study using 15N tracer","authors":"Aixia Xu ,&nbsp;Khuram Shehzad Khan ,&nbsp;Xuexue Wei ,&nbsp;Yafei Chen ,&nbsp;Yixun Zhou ,&nbsp;Chongrui Sun ,&nbsp;Zechariah Effah ,&nbsp;Lingling Li","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) is a globally significant staple crop and a primary source of food. Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization in wheat farming systems has resulted in lower N use efficiency (NUE) in arid regions of China. We hypothesize that prolonged N fertilization alters the fate of fertilizer-derived N, thus affecting NUE. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two on-farm ¹⁵N tracer experiments during the 2021–2022 growing seasons, within a long-term N fertilization trial on a monoculture spring wheat field. The trial included five N-fertilizer rate treatments: N1 (0 kg N ha⁻¹), N2 (52.5 kg N ha⁻¹), N3 (105 kg N ha⁻¹), N4 (157.5 kg N ha⁻¹), and N5 (210 kg N ha⁻¹). The results showed that the majority of N absorbed by spring wheat was sourced from soil N, accounting for 65.90–81.45 % at maturity, while fertilizer-derived N contributed 18.55–34.10 %. The fertilizer N recovery rate (N_fr) ranged from 21.47 % to 43.98 %, the residual N in 0–100 cm soil varied between 14.32 % and 46.59 %, and the loss rate ranged from 9.43 % to 62.41 %. As N fertilizer rates increased, N_fr declined, while residual and loss rates significantly increased. The optimal N fertilization rate was approximately 105 kg N ha⁻¹, at which we observed a high N fertilizer contribution rate (30.59 %), N fertilizer physiological efficiency of 10.28 kg kg⁻¹, and a soil N dependency rate of 53.97 %. These findings suggest that the balance between external N accumulation and soil N utilization is a key determinant for maintaining sustainable soil N fertility. Future research should prioritize the investigation of long-term dynamics of fertilizer NUE, with a particular emphasis on the role of nitrogen fertilizers in soil nitrogen depletion and accrual.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106612"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-dimensional evaluation of site-specific tillage using mouldboard ploughing","authors":"Yongjing Wang,&nbsp;Abdul M. Mouazen","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106604","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to the lack of high-resolution data on soil compaction using proximal sensing technology, mouldboard (MB) ploughing is carried out at uniform speed and depth, which does not necessarily respond to tillage needs due to compaction level and depth that are spatially variable across the field area. This study aims at simulating the comparative performance of different site specific tillage (SST) schemes (e.g., speed and depth) and uniform tillage of a MB plough using a high resolution soil packing density (PD) maps. An on-the-go soil sensing platform was used to predict and map topsoil PD in a Luvisol field in Belgium and two Cambisol fields in Spain. All fields were divided into three management zones, to each of which different tillage speed and depth were assigned based on PD maps. A MATLAB simulation code was developed to predict and compare the power efficiency, fuel consumption, emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from diesel combustion and total operating time of uniform, SST depth, SST speed, and hybrid SST depth and speed MB ploughing schemes. Results revealed that the degree of soil compaction varies from field to field and within fields, which necessitates SST tillage practices. It was found that the depth control was the best performing SST in fields having large areas with low (PD &lt; 1.55) and medium (PD = 1.55 – 1.70) compaction levels, resulting in the largest reduction in draught (33.7 % – 57 %), fuel consumption and CO₂ emission (29.6 % - 50.1 %), while using the same operational time as that of the uniform tillage. However, in cases when the majority of the field area was highly compacted (PD &gt; 1.70), potential savings were smaller at 22.5 %, with the speed control emerged as a more effective control scheme. It is recommended to validate the simulation results of SST of MB ploughing in fields to enable assessing the impacts they have on crop responses and soil quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106604"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rice straw returning under winter green manuring enhances soil carbon pool via stoichiometric regulation of extracellular enzymes","authors":"Shun Li ,&nbsp;Guodong Zhou ,&nbsp;Guopeng Zhou ,&nbsp;Jun Nie ,&nbsp;Jianglin Zhang ,&nbsp;Songjuan Gao ,&nbsp;Weidong Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106617","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The combined application of green manure and rice straw (GMS) effectively enhances carbon sequestration in paddy fields. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing straw carbon incorporation into soil organic carbon (SOC) pools under this practice remain unclear. A two-year study was conducted based on a long-term field experiment to investigate soil organic carbon storage, decomposition patterns of rice straw (S) and green manure (GM), extracellular enzyme stoichiometry, and carbon flux dynamics between straw and soil pools. Over seven years, GMS exhibited annual carbon sequestration rates surpassing those of GM, S, and winter fallow without S return (CF) by 518, 451, and 766 kg/ha/year, respectively. Regulated by nutrient stoichiometry, extracellular enzyme activities associated with residue decomposition and carbon limitation of microbial metabolism were enhanced in GMS, thereby accelerating decomposition processes. Following the two-year experimental period, decomposition rates in GMS were elevated by 23.4 % and 32.7 % relative to GM and S treatments, respectively. This accelerated decomposition promoted the translocation of straw carbon into stable SOC pools via microbial residue pathways, as substantiated by 54.2 %, 25.5 %, and 18.4 % greater amino sugar accumulation in GMS relative to CF, GM, and S treatments, respectively. In summary, GMS regulates microbial resource allocation through stoichiometric modulation of residues, functioning as a critical interface governing straw carbon transfer to SOC pools, thus ultimately enhancing SOC sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106617"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of negative consequences of traffic on subsoil properties depends on measurement type and scale: The case of a Calcaric Chernozem","authors":"Maliheh Fouladidorhani ,&nbsp;Mathieu Lamandé ,&nbsp;Gerhard Moitzi ,&nbsp;Muhammad Mohsin Nawaz ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Arthur","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Larger, heavier agricultural machinery compacts subsoil, degrading structure, impairing hydraulic properties, and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The impacts of traffic-induced compaction can be assessed in the laboratory or the field, though results from these methods often differ. This study aimed to quantify changes in subsoil properties caused by field traffic using lab and field methods, compare traffic-induced pore structure alterations at two sample size scales, and explore links between pore structure and greenhouse gas emissions. A compaction experiment was conducted on a Calcaric Chernozem loam soil, comparing a trafficked treatment (TF) with a 3 Mg wheel load to a non-trafficked (NT) reference. Six months later, we evaluated the impact of the traffic event on the subsoil (30–35 cm depth) by conducting field measurements [saturated hydraulic conductivity (<em>K</em>_<em>s</em>), visual evaluation of subsoil structure (SubVESS), and penetration resistance (PR)]. Different laboratory measurements conducted on intact soil cores (100 cm³ and 580 cm³) included soil water retention curve (SWC), air-filled porosity (ε_a), Darcy air permeability (k_a-Darcy), gas diffusivity (D_p/D₀), and bulk density (BD), X-ray computed tomography (CT) analysis of soil pore structure, and potential N₂O and CO₂ emissions. Both field and laboratory measurements indicated negative impacts of traffic. In the field, traffic reduced <em>K</em>_<em>s</em> by 31 % (p = 0.45), increased PR by 22 % (p = 0.2), and lowered SubVESS structural quality (p = 0.001). Laboratory measurements showed that traffic significantly (p &lt; 0.05) increased BD by 4 %, and at pF 2, it decreased ε_a, k_a-Darcy, and D_p/D₀ by 23 %, 71 %, and 48 %, respectively, alongside a decrease (p &gt; 0.05) in CT-derived macroporosity volume. Potential greenhouse gas emissions were higher in the trafficked (TF) treatment. The effect of compaction on BD, ε_a, and k_a-Darcy was similar regardless of sample size, though, for a given treatment, the 100 cm³ samples were denser and had lower ε_a, and slower airflow (k_a-Darcy) compared to 580 cm³samples. The effect of traffic on soil properties, relative to established thresholds indicating harmful deterioration of soil functions, varied depending on whether the variable was measured in the field or laboratory, and whether small or large rings were used. Further research is needed to establish critical limits for soil properties and functions using different sample scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106615"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen addition induces microbial phosphorus limitations in bulk soil but not in rhizospheric soil: A global analysis","authors":"Huihui Liu ,&nbsp;Xueping Gao ,&nbsp;Tingting Ren ,&nbsp;Han Y.H. Chen ,&nbsp;Xiaoming Zou ,&nbsp;Yuan Sun ,&nbsp;Guobing Wang ,&nbsp;Honghua Ruan","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increased nitrogen (N) deposition can regulate ecosystem stability by enhancing plant photosynthesis, elevating transpiration, acidifying soil, and altering microbial metabolic limitations. Higher N deposition can alleviate ecosystem-level N limitation, yet its impact on microbial phosphorus (P) limitations in both the bulk and rhizospheric soils remains debated. For this study, we conducted a global meta-analysis based on 372 paired bulk and rhizospheric soils observations derived from 46 field studies. We found that the responses of enzyme stoichiometries and microbial P limitations determined by vector model to N addition differed between bulk and rhizospheric soils. Specifically, N addition increased the enzymatic carbon:N ratio by 14 % in the bulk soil, but had no impact in the rhizospheric soil. Meanwhile, N addition increased available N:P ratio by 85 % in the bulk soil but no effect on the rhizospheric soil, and decreased the enzymatic N:P ratio by 24 % and 12 % in the bulk and rhizospheric soils, respectively. Microbial P limitations in the bulk soil also intensified, as reflected by a 4 % increase in the vector angle. Conversely, N addition did not lead to microbial P limitations in the rhizospheric soil. Furthermore, the response of vector angle in the bulk soil was negatively correlated with the response of soil organic carbon, which suggested that the intensified microbial P limitations induced by N deposition might accelerate its decomposition. This work provides insights into the predictive modeling of the relationships between microbial nutrient limitations and terrestrial carbon sinks under global N deposition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106609"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143868234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial analysis of soil quality in agricultural land using machine learning and environmental covariates: A case study of Khuzestan Province","authors":"Kazem Rangzan ,&nbsp;Zeinab Zaheri Abdehvand ,&nbsp;Seyed Roohollah Mousavi ,&nbsp;Danya Karimi","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Soil Quality Index (SQI) serves as a comprehensive assessment tool, encompassing various soil properties and providing a holistic measure of soil health and productivity. This study aimed to analyze the spatial variation of SQI at the regional level in the agricultural areas of Khuzestan province, employing a random forest (RF) machine learning (ML) algorithm along with environmental covariates. A total of 811 soil composite samples were collected from depths of 0–25 cm, and the physical and chemical soil properties including total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P_av), exchangeable potassium (K_ex), soil acidity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), silt, sand, and clay were analyzed in the laboratory. Additionally, remote sensing (RS) data, topographic attributes and climatic factors were used as environmental covariates. Two approaches, the total data set (TDS) and the minimum data set (MDS) were applied, along with linear (L) and non-linear (NL) scoring functions, to assess SQI, resulting in four SQI-IQI outputs (MDS_L, MDS_NL, TDS_L and TDS_NL) and two Nemero Quality Index (NQI) (MDS_L, TDS_L). The results demonstrated that the RF algorithm, in conjunction with selected environmental covariates, accurately predicted the SQI map, achieving an R² of 0.70 (IQI_TDSNL) and 0.79 (IQI_MDSNL) with low uncertainty. Furthermore, the relative importance emphasizes the significant role of climatic factors in SQI prediction, followed by RS indices. The developed mapping approach for SQ provides a valuable tool for sustainable agricultural development, contributing to food security and facilitating agricultural assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106591"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plastic film mulching ensures maize climate resilience: A perspective of temperature suitability and optimal sowing period window","authors":"Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Ling Zhao ,&nbsp;Bao-Zhong Wang ,&nbsp;Fei Mo ,&nbsp;Ning Wang ,&nbsp;Shu-Tong Liu ,&nbsp;Yuan Song ,&nbsp;Ai-Tian Ren ,&nbsp;Fu-Jian Mei ,&nbsp;Yang Wang ,&nbsp;Qi Lu ,&nbsp;You-Cai Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is crucial to enhance crop climate resilience using simple but efficient farming strategy. A two-year maize field experiment was conducted to examine the potentials of ridge-furrow mulching (RFM) and flat mulching (FM) with plastic films in a semiarid rainfed site, with flat planting without mulching as CK. Five sowing dates (SD1–5) were arranged with interval of two weeks, and SD2 was normal sowing date. The results showed that the increase in soil temperature under plastic film mulching effectively compensated for the insufficient effective accumulated air temperature across growing seasons. Moreover, plastic mulching significantly enhanced the temperature suitability degree (TSD) for maize growth during both vegetative and reproductive growth periods. And the sowing dates significantly influenced the TSD during reproductive growth period. Regardless of sowing dates, the biomass in FM and RFM was 25.7 % and 32.2 % higher (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) in 2019, and 37.2 % and 45.3 % higher (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) in 2020, respectively, relative to CK. The maximum biomass was observed in the SD1 or SD2 of RFM group, up to 22,146.8 kg ha⁻¹ . The dynamics of grain yield followed similar trends as those of biomass. Notably, the higher TSD turned to evidently favor biomass accumulation and yield formation. Furthermore, the optimal sowing date window (OSDW) for biomass and grain yield were longer under FM and RFM, relative to CK. Therefore, plastic film mulching resulted in greater promotion potentials to enhance maize climate resilience. Despite of a concern about residual pollution, a relatively complete management system, including the reasonable use of plastic film and timely recycling of residual film, has been established over last 10 years. The implementation of relevant policies can minimize environmental risks. This study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of high and stable yielding under film mulching planting from the perspectives of TSD and OSDW for maize production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106611"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}