Soil & Tillage Research最新文献

{"title":"Increasing the number of forest machinery passes and removing the organic layer reduces soil respiration on skid trails within clearcuts of boreal coniferous-deciduous stands","authors":"Andrey F. Osipov,&nbsp;Viktor V. Startsev,&nbsp;Alexey A. Dymov","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106867","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106867","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The movement of logging equipment damages forest soils along skid trails (ST), adversely affecting soil functions. Soil respiration (SR) is a key indicator of soil vitality, and assessing it in relation to the degree of anthropogenic disturbance improves understanding of the impacts of timber harvesting on the carbon cycle in ecosystems regenerating after clear-cutting. This study aims to characterize the effect of the number of forwarder passes and rut levelling on soil respiration of STs in a coniferous-deciduous clearcut in the Eastern European Plain. The study was conducted during the May–October over the first three years following clearcutting. Soil respiration was assessed on STs subjected to three forwarder passes (3ST), ten passes (10ST), and ten passes followed by rut levelling and forest floor removal (10 R). Undisturbed soil cover elements (UDE) were also investigated. Fewer forwarder passes had no significant effect on SR of 3ST compared to UDE in the initial two years post-harvest. Conversely, increased soil loading adversely affected SR from the 10ST, resulting in a reduction of 12–66 % during the first two years following harvesting. Inter-annual variation analysis revealed a decrease in the soil respiration rate in the second year post-clearcutting, while an increase was observed in the third year from 10ST, comparable to UDE, associated with the gradual overgrowth of herbaceous and tree vegetation. Soil respiration was reduced by 41–91 % in 10 R compared to UDE. The results obtained will be used to assess the carbon cycle of clearcuts during regenerative succession. For minimizing the negative impact on soil during logging requires selecting the logging area size to reduce the number of forwarder passes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106867"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049552","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":"Assessing the combined effect of tillage and nitrogen fertilizer rate on soil organic carbon sequestration using carbon isotope ratio","authors":"Hem C. Sharma ,&nbsp;Wei Ren ,&nbsp;Laura E. Lindsey ,&nbsp;Pierre-Andre Jacinthe","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tillage practices affect soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in agroecosystems, but information is limited regarding the interactive effects of tillage methods and nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates on SOC stocks. It was hypothesized that, by enhancing crop productivity, high rates of N fertilizer would increase crop residue input and ultimately result in higher SOC stock. To assess the merit and limitations of that hypothesis, a study was conducted using soil samples (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 and 15–30 cm depths) from long-term (52 years) experimental plots (Kentucky, USA) under continuous corn (<em>Zea mays</em> L.), managed with either no-till (NT) or moldboard plow (MB), and receiving N fertilizer at rates of 0, 84, and 168 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Soil C concentration and its ¹³C abundance was measured using IRMS, and the amount of corn residue-C input was derived from crop yield. Using the isotope mixing model, SOC was partitioned into corn-derived and non-corn-derived SOC pool. Results showed that the effect of tillage and N fertilization on SOC was largely limited to the top 10 cm soil layer. N fertilizer had a marginal effect on SOC under MB but resulted in substantial increase in SOC stock under NT. The SOC stock (0–10 cm) under NT exceeded the SOC stock under MB by 7.32, 15.79, and 18.1 Mg C ha⁻¹ at the 0, 84, and 168 kg N ha⁻¹ application rates. NT was more effective than MB in retaining new C input, storing 4.3 % of the corn residue C input (as opposed to only 0.7 % under MB). Corn-C sequestration rate (0–10 cm; Mg C ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) was between 0.1 and 0.15 under MB and 0.11–0.32 under NT. Further, the pool of pre-existing SOC (non-corn-derived) was 1.6–1.7-fold larger, and its depletion rate slower, under NT than under MB. This study results illustrate the effects of tillage and N fertilization in enhancing SOC stock, namely that N fertilization, when accompanied with NT, can be beneficial to SOC accumulation in agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106845"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050116","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":"Widespread depletion of inorganic carbon in Europe's topsoil revealed by spatiotemporal digital soil mapping","authors":"Chenxu Zhu ,&nbsp;Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Ren Wei ,&nbsp;Xiang Li ,&nbsp;Chenconghai Yang ,&nbsp;Wenkai Cui ,&nbsp;Chenghu Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106864","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106864","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a critical yet overlooked carbon pool, soil inorganic carbon (SIC) links organic-inorganic processes in the global carbon cycle. However, large-scale assessments of SIC changes remain limited, restricting our knowledge of how and why SIC varies over years across broad spatial scale. In this study, we assessed the spatial distribution and temporal trends of surface SIC across the European Union and the United Kingdom using spatiotemporal digital soil mapping with 13,206 repeated Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) samples (2009, 2015, and 2018). We developed a binary classification random forest (RF) model to detect SIC presence (area under curve = 0.94, F1 score = 0.90) followed by a regression RF model to predict SIC content (R² = 0.57, Lin's consistent correlation coefficient = 0.64). The results revealed that surface SIC showed an average decline of 8.71 % from 2009 to 2018, with significant losses in Southern and Central Europe, reaching up to 50 % in coastal areas, while Spain’s Meseta Plateau increased. Spatially, SIC was concentrated in arid and semi-arid southern Europe, especially calcium-rich soils, but was nearly absent in humid northern soils. Shrubland exhibited the largest reductions of SIC, followed by cropland, while grassland and bare land showed slight increases. Soil pH emerged as the main driver of SIC changes, followed by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Topographic Wetness Index, Palmer Drought Severity Index, slope, and soil type. The study emphasizes the necessity of tracking SIC dynamics and supports the development of soil health monitoring frameworks and climate-smart land use strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106864"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050117","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":"A sulfate-palygorskite composite amendment for saline-alkali soil: Simultaneous alkalinity reduction, nutrient enrichment, and crop growth promotion","authors":"Yijue Fei ,&nbsp;Keren Jiao ,&nbsp;Xiaoyang Liu ,&nbsp;Baolong Wang ,&nbsp;Rui Song ,&nbsp;Zilin Meng ,&nbsp;Binbin Liu ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Wu ,&nbsp;Chenyu Qi ,&nbsp;Wenfeng Zhou ,&nbsp;Yuanlin Zhu ,&nbsp;Haixiang Gao ,&nbsp;Shuwen Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106872","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106872","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces a composite amendment, containing CaSO₄, MgSO₄, Fe₂(SO₄)₃, and Palygorskite (PGS), for concurrently improving saline-alkali soil physicochemical properties and promoting crop growth via in situ soil regulation and nutrient release. Experimental results demonstrated Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) structure formation within the amended soil after 20 days, a key in situ mineralization mechanism absent in the control. This process significantly reduced soil pH from 9.85 to 7.86 (a 20.2 % decrease) and drastically lowered CO₃²⁻ content from 33.43 g/kg to 5.12 g/kg (an 84.68 % reduction), effectively mitigating soil alkalinity. Concurrently, exchangeable Na⁺ content decreased markedly from 700.7 mg/kg to 183.67 mg/kg (a 73.8 % reduction), alleviating sodicity. Furthermore, the amendment substantially increased water-soluble nutrient ions: Ca²⁺ (1.17–30.35 mg/kg), Mg²⁺ (0.125–9.58 mg/kg), total available Fe (49.78–89.35 mg/kg), and available SO₄²⁻ (2.06–21.62 g/kg). Notably, the amendment enhanced Soil Organic Matter (SOM) retention after simulated leaching; SOM in amended soil (6.81 g/kg) remained significantly higher than the control (5.14 g/kg), indicating improved carbon stabilization. Pot experiments using ryegrass confirmed the amendment's efficacy, showing significantly enhanced germination, root length, and shoot length, even enabling immediate planting post-application. In summary, the composite amendment leverages in situ LDH formation for stable CO₃²⁻ immobilization and alkalinity reduction, while enriching the soil with essential nutrients (Ca, Mg, Fe, S). This dual action facilitates immediate crop establishment, integrating soil regulation with controlled fertilizer distribution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106872"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050118","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":"More frequent precipitation during the maize growth period offsets the yield increasing effect of straw mulching in China: A meta-analysis","authors":"Xuanyue Tong ,&nbsp;Xufei Liu ,&nbsp;Pute Wu ,&nbsp;Yuqing Hang ,&nbsp;Lin Zhang ,&nbsp;Bokun Jia ,&nbsp;Jiasen Zhang ,&nbsp;Peishen Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106870","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106870","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maize is the most widely cultivated crop in China, accounting for over 40 % of the total grain production. Straw mulching (SM) enhances crop production by improving soil moisture retention, nutrient efficiency, and overall soil health, yet it remains unclear how the effectiveness of maize yield under SM affects the response to meteorology, soil and management factors during maize growth period in China. This study combined meta-analysis and machine learning methods, using 106 paired field observations of maize yield under SM in 27 articles to quantify the relationship between meteorology, soil and management factors and yield increasing effect of SM in China. We found that the SM had a positive effect on maize yield in China with an increase by 7.69 % and meteorological factors had a high correlation with the maize yield under SM. Specifically, mean temperature during maize growth period (MGTG) and total precipitation during maize growth period (TPG) indirectly impacted the percentage change (PC) of maize yield and precipitation frequency (PF) directly influenced the PC of maize yield under SM with a negative correlation, indicating that more frequent of precipitation events during the maize growth period might offset the yield increasing effect under SM. Meanwhile, the overall change ratio of maize yield under SM reduced by 0.34 % (regional difference from −5–5 %) under SSP245 and increased by 2.28 % (regional difference from −4–6 %) under SSP585, respectively. Moreover, predictions under future climate scenarios indicated that in Northeast and North China, where precipitation frequency (PF) is relatively high, the yield-promoting effect of SM on maize may be reduced. This suggests that potential changes in PF should be carefully considered when evaluating SM applicability in these regions, and that alternative or integrated mulching measures might be explored to sustain or enhance maize production under changing climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106870"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049551","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":"Organic amendment increases soil carbon sequestration by altering carbon stabilization pathways within soil aggregates","authors":"Shihao Ma ,&nbsp;Yudong Cao ,&nbsp;Jianwei Lu ,&nbsp;Zhifeng Lu ,&nbsp;Jun Zhu ,&nbsp;Wenjun Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaokun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106868","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106868","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic amendment has been proven to be an effective strategy for increasing soil carbon (C) sequestration. However, the pathways which different organic amendments regulate C accumulation and stabilization processes may vary due to their differing inherent properties. Field experiments with four treatments, viz. CK, no fertilizer; CF, conventional chemical fertilizer; CFM, chemical fertilizer with manure; CFB, chemical fertilizer with biochar were conducted to elucidate the differential mechanisms governing soil aggregate C flow pathways mediated by organic amendments. The results demonstrated that CFM and CFB treatments increased SOC content by 12 % and 21 % respectively compared to CF treatment. Specifically, biochar increased C stabilization through structural optimization of aggregates (&gt;2 mm macroaggregates increased by 4 %) and improved C sequestration across all aggregate sizes (5–24 % increase in SOC content). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis revealed distinct stabilization pathways: CFB preferentially elevated aromatic C proportions (15 %-29 % increase), while CFM promoted alkyl C accumulation (38 %-64 % increase). Biochar directly introduced recalcitrant aromatic compounds, whereas manure facilitated microbial conversion of labile C to alkyl C. δ¹³C fractionation analysis further delineated distinct stabilization pathways: CF accelerated native SOC depletion through preferential utilization of labile components, biochar facilitated C stabilization in via physicochemical protection, while manure balanced metabolic partitioning and kinetic fractionation during microbial processing. These findings underscore biochar's superiority in long-term C sequestration via physicochemical stabilization and manure's efficacy in optimizing C turnover efficiency, providing mechanistic foundations for precision organic amendment strategies in sustainable soil management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106868"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049553","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":"A novel and simple method for accurate prediction of soil particle-size distribution from limited soil texture data","authors":"Hasan Mozaffari ,&nbsp;Ali Akbar Moosavi ,&nbsp;José A.M. Demattê ,&nbsp;Wim Cornelis","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106858","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106858","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The full range of soil particle-size distribution (PSD) is not often readily accessible in most soil databases and conventional studies. In the present work, an Exponential Model (EM) was developed to predict PSD in the particle diameter range of 0.002–0.05 mm. Furthermore, its combination with two cubic polynomial-based models (Very Coarse Sand-Dependent, VCS-D, and Very Coarse Sand-Independent, VCS-I) that accurately predict PSD in the particle diameter range of 0.05–2 mm was tested. The VCS-D and VCS-I models (for 0.05–2 mm diameter range) were also combined with the Revised Skaggs (R-Skaggs) model, as a logistic function (for 0.002–0.05 mm diameter range) to predict PSD. These combinations thus allow us to predict the full range of PSD from 0.002 to 2 mm, which was tested using 665 measured soil PSD data from Iran (245), UNSODA (143), Brazil (116), and Belgium (161). The EM, VCS-I, and R-Skaggs methods use clay, silt, and sand fractions to predict PSD, while the VCS-D utilizes the mentioned fractions along with the fraction of very coarse sand particles. It was shown that the PSD predicted between 0.05 and 2 mm by the VCS-D and VCS-I methods and between 0.002 and 0.05 mm by the EM method, well-matched with the measured ones in all studied textural classes. The PSD curves predicted by the R-Skaggs method were closely matched with the measured values only within specific ranges of particle diameter and soil textures. Combining the VCS-D or VCS-I methods with EM showed superior performances in predicting the full range of PSD in a wide range of textural components compared to the other investigated models. The mentioned combination of models predicted the full range of PSD with excellent (root mean square error, RMSE &lt; 5 %) performance in most soils containing &gt; ∼33 % clay content and excellent to good (RMSE &lt; 10 %) accuracies in most soils with ∼20–33 % clay, &lt; ∼65 % silt, and &gt; ∼25 % sand contents. The obtained mean values of RMSE from the combination of VCS-D or VCS-I methods with EM to predict PSD were significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) lesser than those obtained from VCS-D or VCS-I methods alone and also their combination with R-Skaggs in the mentioned ranges of textural components. In soils with &gt; ∼65 % silt content, irregular patterns of the predicted PSD curves were observed. Generally, we recommend using the combination of VCS-I and EM methods to predict the full range of PSD due to their high simplicity, applicability, and accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106858"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050114","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":"Deep tillage alters the structure of bacterial subcommunity to improve crop yield in a rice-wheat annual rotation system","authors":"Xinhu Guo ,&nbsp;Zhenzhen Li ,&nbsp;Sihan Wu ,&nbsp;Kelsang Chodron ,&nbsp;Yaxuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Luoya Yin ,&nbsp;Zhengrong Kan ,&nbsp;Huaxin Dai ,&nbsp;Haishui Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106862","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106862","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil bacteria play vital roles in maintaining the functionality and stability of agroecosystems. However, how the bacterial subcommunity (abundant <em>versus</em> rare) responds to agricultural management and the subsequent impacts on crop productivity remain poorly understood. To address this question, a split-plot experiment [tillage practice (rotary tillage, RT; no-tillage, NT; deep tillage, DT) was conducted as the main plot and soil compartment (rhizosphere soil, RS; bulk soil, BS) as the subplot] was conducted to investigate the responses of bacterial subcommunity assembly processes, as well as their subsequent impacts on wheat and rice yield. Our results demonstrated that the removal of abundant taxa significantly improves the robustness of bacterial network structure (78.86 %∼103.08 %) compared to the removal of rare taxa, indicating that rare taxa are more important in maintaining the stability of bacterial community. Moreover, the rare taxa subcommunity showed higher diversity than the abundant taxa, and the assembly of rare taxa was primarily driven by stochastic process, while it was mainly determined by niche process for abundant taxa. Furthermore, DT greatly increased the relative abundance of <em>Bacteroidota</em> in the abundant and rare taxa of the bulk soil during the rice season. The wheat and rice grain yield was also increased by DT (6.98 %∼19.36 %) compared to RT. Structural equation modeling further demonstrated that soil nutrients directly enhanced enzymatic activity to increase rice yield, while also exerting indirect effects through mediation of the structure of both dominant and rare bacterial subcommunities, ultimately influencing wheat productivity. Collectively, these findings shed new lights on the structure and assembly of bacterial subcommunities in agroecosystems and underscore their potential influence on crop productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106862"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050163","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":"Endophytic fungi-mediated drought tolerance in spring wheat under no-tillage with straw cover on the Loess Plateau, China","authors":"Changliang Du ,&nbsp;Lingling Li ,&nbsp;Junhong Xie ,&nbsp;Khuram Shehzad Khan ,&nbsp;Linlin Wang ,&nbsp;Zhuzhu Luo ,&nbsp;Lingzhi Li ,&nbsp;Zechariah Effah ,&nbsp;Muhammad Zahid Mumtaz","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106857","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106857","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A field study was performed in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China, to explore how different tillage methods improve drought tolerance in wheat by examining plant growth, fungal communities, and soil properties. Four tillage methods were applied for wheat cultivation: (1) T (conventional tillage with no straw), (2) NT (no-tillage with no straw cover), (3) TS (conventional tillage with straw incorporated), and (4) NTS (no-till with straw cover) and data were collected in 2020 and 2021. The results showed that NTS treatment remarkably improved soil physicochemical properties during 2020 and 2021, increasing soil water content by 13.7–62.1 % compared to T at 0–50 cm soil depth. The NTS treatment had the lowest soil bulk density and pH and the highest total N, NO₃^--N, and available P. Compared to T, NTS treatment significantly increased endophytic fungal Sobs index and genera like <em>Alternaria</em>, <em>Peyronellaea</em>, <em>Sarocladium</em>, and <em>Schizothecium.</em> The NTS and TS treatments significantly increased antioxidant enzymes, including CAT, POD, and soluble protein by 1.26–25.52 % compared to T. NTS treatment significantly increased yield by 23.64 and 24.28 % and water use efficiency by 16.06–19.97 % compared to T in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The endophytic fungal abundance (Sobs and Chao indices), diversity, and composition (<em>Alternaria</em>, <em>Peyronellaea</em>, <em>Sarocladium</em>, and <em>Schizothecium</em>) in wheat roots were positively correlated with the drought tolerance index, with soil water content, total N, and NO₃^--N, being considered as key influencing factors. Collectively, NTS treatment showed the highest drought tolerance in wheat crop by improving soil physicochemical properties and utilizing the microbiome potential, ultimately enhanced water use efficiency and crop yields. Our study findings suggest that the NTS treatment is a promising practice for the semi-arid Loess Plateau area and may further guide future research on harnessing the emergent functions of microbial communities to enhance drought tolerance in wheat cultivated in drylands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106857"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050115","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 fertilizer strategies modulate gaseous nitrogen losses and improve maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency under saline-alkali stress in coastal reclaimed farmland","authors":"Xiaoqing Wang ,&nbsp;Jiayi Xie ,&nbsp;Wenjing Li ,&nbsp;Lijie Pu ,&nbsp;Pengjun Chen ,&nbsp;Jijun Han ,&nbsp;Chenliang Du ,&nbsp;Sihua Huang ,&nbsp;Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Rui Zhong ,&nbsp;Ye Yuan ,&nbsp;Jiahao Zhai ,&nbsp;Yumeng Lu ,&nbsp;Jian Hu ,&nbsp;Qiang Liu ,&nbsp;Yun Ge ,&nbsp;Yuanqing Miao ,&nbsp;Danling Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.still.2025.106842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saline-alkali stress poses a growing threat to soil fertility and nitrogen (N) efficiency in coastal reclaimed farmlands, yet the interactive effects of salinity, alkalinity, and fertilization practices on gaseous N losses and crop performance remain poorly understood under field conditions. In this study, a two-year field experiment was conducted in Rudong County, eastern China, to evaluate how different N fertilizer strategies modulate ammonia (NH₃) volatilization, nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, maize yield, and N use efficiency under contrasting levels of saline-alkali stress. Five fertilization treatments, no urea (CK), urea alone (NU), urea with 3,4-dimethyl pyrazole phosphate (DMPP) (ND), urea with coated slow-release fertilizer (NUS), and urea with organic fertilizer (NUM), were applied in two field (S1, low saline-alkali stress; S2, high saline-alkali stress) with distinct salinity-alkalinity intensities. Results showed that high saline-alkali stress significantly increased N₂O and NH₃ emissions across all fertilization treatments, with cumulative N₂O emissions up to 75 % higher in field S2. Among the treatments, ND most effectively reduced N₂O emissions by 74.7 % (field S1) and 73.7 % (field S2), while NUM achieved the highest maize yield and apparent N recovery efficiency (RE_N), improving RE_N by over 16 % compared to NU. Compared with field S2, the maize yields in field S1 were higher by 16.8 %, 17.1 %, 7.8 %, 8.1 %, and 17.6 % under the CK, NU, ND, NUS, and NUM treatments, respectively. Stable isotope ¹⁵N tracing confirmed that NUM and NUS enhanced fertilizer N uptake and retention. Mantel test and Pearson correlation analyses revealed that soil enzyme activities and mineral N contents were key factors regulating NH₃ and N₂O emissions, as well as yield formation. Specifically, urease (UE), nitrate reductase (NR), and nitrite reductase (NiR) activities were positively correlated with NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^--N, and yield (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), but also drove higher N gaseous losses. The study demonstrates that integrated N management strategies, particularly the use of organic fertilizer and nitrification inhibitors, can mitigate gaseous N losses and improve maize productivity in degraded saline-alkali farmland. The findings provide practical insights for designing resource-efficient fertilization schemes to ensure agricultural sustainability in coastal reclamation regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49503,"journal":{"name":"Soil & Tillage Research","volume":"256 ","pages":"Article 106842"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027118","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}