Article
(PDF Available)
in
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
·
August 2015
with
25 Reads
Gansu Agricultural University
Abstract
This study determined the long-term effect of tillage systems on soil properties and crop yields in a semiarid environment. Field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were alternately grown in six tillage systems at Dingxi (35°28'N, 104°44'E), northwest China starting in 2001. After the first 6 years of experiments, conventional tillage with stubble incorporating (TS) and no-till with stubble cover (NTS) increased soil organic matter by 9.9% and 13.0%, respectively, compared to the conventional tillage with stubble removed (T); both TS and NTS also increased soil microbial counts, available K and P, and total N. No-till with stubble removed (NT), NTS, and NTP (no-till with plastic mulching) had 20.7%, 62.6% and 43.7% greater alkaline phosphatase activity compared to the T treatment. Soil catalase, urease and invertase activities were all greater in the no-till treatments than in the T treatment. Averaged across 6 years, both wheat and pea achieved highest grain yields under NTS treatment. No-till with stubble retention is the most promising system for improving soil physical, biological and chemical properties, and increasing crop yields, and thus, this system can be adopted in areas with conditions similar to the semiarid northwest China. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
conventional tillage; crop yields; no-till; soil properties; stubble retention