Long-term no-tillage farming mitigates waterlogging during extreme rainfall events in black soil (Mollisols) region of Northeast China

The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events intensifies waterlogging-induced aeration stress on crops, highlighting the urgency for adaptive agricultural practices. This study evaluates the potential of long-term no-tillage (NT) farming to mitigate waterlogging risks on a silty clay loam in Northeast China by comparing with traditional moldboard plough (MP) farming using an 11-year field experiment. Rainfall simulation (40 mm h⁻¹) and dye-tracing were employed to study the dynamics water infiltration, and X-ray computed tomography (CT) was applied to examine soil pore characteristics (0–60 cm depth) and their responses (0–5 cm layer) to raindrop splashing. Results demonstrated that NT significantly enhanced water infiltration capacity, with a 161 % higher maximum infiltration depth (MID), an 65 % increase in total stained area (TSA), and 95 % less surface ponding compared to MP. Although MP exhibited higher total porosity (ε_total), macroporosity (>0.04 mm pores, ε_X-ray), and increased pore connectivity in the 0–20 cm layer, it had fewer biopores and greater vertical stratification of macroporosity compared to NT across the 0–60 cm profile. During rainfall events, the MP plot experienced a 28 % reduction in porosity of pores sized 0.2–1.0 mm and a 19 % increase in porosity of pores <0.2 mm in the surface layer, likely due to raindrop splashing, while NT maintained pore integrity through straw mulching. We conclude that long-term NT is effective in enhance soil resilience to waterlogging by developing continuous vertical pore networks and maintaining surface mulch, thereby improving climate adaptability in the black soil region of Northeast China.