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Shallow plough tillage with straw return increases rice yield by improving nutrient availability and physical properties of compacted subsurface soils

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Abstract

Tillage and straw management are important factors affecting soil quality and crop productivity. However, long-term rotary tillage may form a plough pan in the subsurface (0.1–0.2 m) soil, which limits root growth and crop yields, especially in rice production in the Yangtze and Huai River regions. A 5-year lasting field experiment was conducted to study the effects of three tillage treatments [RT, rotary tillage; SPT, shallow plough tillage (0.15–0.2 m); DPT, deep plough tillage (0.25–0.3 m)], with or without straw return (S) on soil fertility, soil physical properties and rice yields. Olsen phosphorus and available potassium values of the 0.1–0.2 m soil layer were significantly higher (by 36 and 24%, respectively) in SPT + S compared to RT. The soil bulk density of the 0.1–0.2 m soil layer was 13% lower in SPT + S and 9% lower in DPT + S than in RT. Factor analysis revealed that SPT + S had the highest integrated scores of soil fertility for the 0.1–0.2 m soil layer. Rice yields were 10–43% higher in SPT + S compared to RT during the 5-year period. Rice yields were positively correlated with the integrated scores of soil fertility for the 0–0.1 and 0.1–0.2 m soil layers. Our results indicate that shallow plough tillage plus straw return is a promising management strategy for paddy fields following long-term rotary tillage.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Number 2018YFD0200505), the Anhui Province Key Research & Development Plan of China (2022107020004) and the Second Level Youth Development Fund from Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (QNYC-202115).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China

    Pingping Wu, Lujiu Li & Xiao Wang

  2. Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrient Recycling, Resources and Environment, Hefei, 230031, China

    Pingping Wu, Lujiu Li & Xiao Wang

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  1. Pingping Wu
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Wu, P., Li, L. & Wang, X. Shallow plough tillage with straw return increases rice yield by improving nutrient availability and physical properties of compacted subsurface soils. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 127, 69–83 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10265-1

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