Plant Soil Environ., 2016, 62(6):279-285 | DOI: 10.17221/66/2016-PSE

Tillage effect on soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and crop yield in spring wheat-field pea rotationOriginal Paper

S. Yeboah1,2, 4, R. Zhang1,2, L. Cai1,2, L. Li1, 3, J. Xie1, 3, Z. Luo1,2, J. Liu1, 3, J. Wu1,2
1 Gansu Provincial Key Lab of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, P.R. China
2 College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University,

This research was conducted to assess the influence of long-term tillage system on soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, root biomass and crop yield in spring wheat-field pea rotation fields in a rainfed semi-arid environment from 2013 through 2015. The treatments were; conventional tillage with stubble removed (T); no-till with stubble removed (NT); no-till with stubble retained (NTS) and conventional tillage with stubble incorporated (TS) arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replicates. The soil organic carbon in NTS increased by 16% and 14% over T and NT. Compared with the T and NT, NTS increased soil microbial biomass carbon by 42% and 38% in 0-30 cm depth, respectively. Root biomass was significantly increased in NTS by 47% and 54% over T and NT, respectively. Across the three years, NTS had an average grain yield of 53% and 41% higher than T and NT, respectively. Compared with NTS, T and NT decreased root biomass by 54% and 48%, respectively. In view of the limited and erratic biomass production in this region, integration of no-till with straw mulching is recommended for soil fertility improvement, environmental quality and sustainable crop production.

Keywords: soil organic matter; straw recycling; carbon sequestration; crop productivity

Published: June 30, 2016  Show citation

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Yeboah S, Zhang R, Cai L, Li L, Xie J, Luo Z, et al.. Tillage effect on soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and crop yield in spring wheat-field pea rotation. Plant Soil Environ. 2016;62(6):279-285. doi: 10.17221/66/2016-PSE.
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