Soil sodicity and salinization is a major issues concerning agricultural production in northeast China. The effects of six treatments—no tillage (NT), no tillage and subsoiling (NTS), rotary and ridge tillage (RT), rotary and ridge tillage and subsoiling (RTS), rotary and flat tillage (FT), and rotary and flat tillage and subsoiling (FTS)—on soil physical and chemical properties and yields were compared from 2016 to 2018. The results showed that compared with the RT treatment, which is the traditional tillage method in this area, and the FT treatment, the NT treatment increased the soil water content (SWC) during the first‐leaf growth stage (V1). The use of subsoiling increased the average daily temperature and the soil thermal time (TTsoil). Subsoiling contributed to the growth and development of deep roots and increased leaf area index (LAI) to intercept more radiation. The NTS treatment increased grain yield of maize (Zea mays L.) by 2.7–15.2%, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by 4.2–14.4%, and water use efficiency (WUE) by 5.4–16.5% compared with RT. In conclusion, NTS soil management practices appear to be a sustainable approach to farming in the semiarid region of the Songnen Plain.
Changes in agricultural management can potentially change the rate of C sequestration. The rain-fed agricultural areas of the Songnen Plain are China's main grain-producing areas, and this region has a temperate monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 2.0−5.6 • C, annual average rainfall of 350−460 mm, and annual evaporation of 1,000−1,600 mm. In a short-term experiment (2014−2019), the effects of no-tillage (NT), no-tillage and subsoiling (NTS), rotary and ridge tillage (RT), rotary and ridge tillage and subsoiling (RTS), rotary and flatten tillage (FT), and rotary and flatten tillage and subsoiling (FTS) on alkaline meadow soil in the surface 0−30 cm of soil was investigated. Measurements after 5 yr showed that, under NT at 0-to 30-cm depth, the bulk density of soil, soil water content, and soil nutrient content significantly increased when compared with RT and FT. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 0−30 cm were increased by 2.23% (0.99 Mg ha −1) under NT, and the annual accumulation rate of SOC stocks under NT reached 0.20 Mg ha −1. Under RT and FT, SOC stocks decreased by 2.11% (0.94 Mg ha −1) and 2.18% (0.97 Mg ha −1), respectively, when compared with the beginning of the experiment. This indicates that NT, compared with RT and FT, reduces soil C loss and is conducive to the C sequestration. 1 INTRODUCTION Soil organic matter is an important component of soil health and influences nutrient cycling, plant health, and greenhouse gas emissions (Hoyle, Barton, Stefanova, & Murphy, 2016; Jin et al., 2018). However, minor changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks could greatly affect atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (Wang et al., 2014).
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