Conservation agriculture has been shown to have multiple benefits for soils, crop yield and the environment, and consequently, no-till, the central practice of conservation agriculture, has rapidly expanded. However, studies show that the potential for carbon (C) sequestration in no-till farming sometimes is not realized, let alone the ability to maintain or improve crop yield. Here we present a global analysis of no-till-induced changes of soil C and crop yield based on 260 and 1,970 paired studies; respectively. We show that, relative to local conventional tillage, arid regions can benefit the most from conservation agriculture by achieving a win-win outcome of enhanced C sequestration and increased crop yield. However, more humid regions are more likely to increase SOC only, while some colder regions have yield losses and soil C loss as likely as soil C gains. In addition to site-specific characteristics and management, a careful assessment of the regional climate is needed to determine the potential benefits of adopting conservation agriculture. K E Y W O R D S climate, conservation agriculture, crop yield, meta-analysis, soil organic carbon, win-win outcome See also the Commentary on this article by Hunt et al. 26, 3188-3189

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of poly (5-(2-(4-((4-hexylphenyl)azo)phenoxy)ethyl) L-glutamate) (P2) and poly (5-(6-(4-((4-hexylphenyl)azo)phenoxy)hexyl) L-glutamate) (P6) polymers with a stiff backbone and flexible side chains ("hairy rods"), have been investigated at different steps of the photoisomerization and annealing process by means of X-ray reflection and U V-vis spectroscopy. From the absorption spectra the amount of aggregated chromophores was estimated using a peak-fitting procedure. The original LB structure, which is characterized by deformed "hairy rods" arranged in bilayers, is destroyed upon photoisomerization or annealing. The side chains relax to a more symmetrical distribution around the main chain helix. Furthermore the aggregation of the chromophores as well as their orientation in respect to the main chain helix is changed. The changes are more pronounced upon irradiation and depend on the length of the spacer used to tether the chromophores to the polymer backbone.

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