Developments in conservation tillage in rainfed regions of North China

Carbon management in dryland agricultural systems. A review

“…If properly managed, livestock integration in dryland areas contributes to the increase in soil organic carbon contents long been recognized as an excellent means of decreasing soil erosion (Delgado et al 2013). For instance, given their potential in reducing soil degradation, the Chinese government is promoting the use of conservation tillage practices throughout vast dryland regions of northern China (Wang et al 2007). According to data from the Chinese national projects regarding conservation tillage, the last authors reported a 60 to 79 % decrease in soil erosion when using no-tillage.…”

Effects of conservation tillage on soil porosity in maize-wheat cropping system

“…Conventional soil management practices resulted in losses of soil, water and nutrients in the field, and degraded the soil with low organic matter content and a fragile physical structure, which in turn led to low crop yields and low water and fertilizer use efficiency (Wang et al 2007). Therefore, scientists and policy makers put emphasis on conservation tillage systems (Lal 2002).…”

“…Hence, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture formulated a plan for promoting a widespread application of conservation tillage in northern China. Demonstration areas covered 130 thousand km 2 in 2003 and are expected to reach 0.10 million km 2 in 2015 (Wang et al 2007).…”

Wind Erosion Induced Soil Degradation in Northern China: Status, Measures and Perspective

“…Conservation tillage is generally considered to be an economical, practical and feasible wind erosion control method [29]. The efficacy of conservation tillage and its application for dry lands of northern China have been addressed since the 1970s [30]. Many reports have shown that conservation tillage could efficiently mitigate wind-induced soil loss at field scales even at regional scales in China [9,31].…”

“…Many reports have shown that conservation tillage could efficiently mitigate wind-induced soil loss at field scales even at regional scales in China [9,31]. The Chinese government has been encouraging residents to adopt applicable conversation practices since 2002 [30]. However, at a national level, the traditional cultivation practices, such as intensive tillage, residue removal or burning, are still common [30].…”