Li Xiangdong, Mao Na, Liu Tong, Jiang Heng
Key Laboratory in Shaanxi Province of Applied Ecology for Loess Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Yan'an University, Yan'an, 716000, Shaanxi, China.
National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 22;15(1):17848. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02772-8.
Conservation tillage has become an increasingly important practice for addressing soil degradation in agricultural systems, but its effectiveness on crop production remains uncertain, especially under humid conditions. Besides, earthworm bioturbation, a natural form of bio-tillage, can impact soil quality and crop production, but previous studies have failed to isolate and quantify the specific contribution of earthworm bioturbation in conservation tillage systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of conservation tillage on subtropical farmland, with the goal of evaluating its suitability and recommending appropriate practices for humid conditions. A two-year field experiment was conducted on subtropical Ultisols and tested three tillage types (no-tillage, earthworm bio-tillage, and traditional rotary tillage) along with three organic matter inputs (none, straw return, and composted cow manure addition). Maize (Zea mays L.) yield and soil samples (0-10 cm) were collected after four growing seasons to determine the maize production, soil properties and microbial communities. Results showed that tillage type and organic matter input generally did not impact yield or aboveground biomass, except for a 14.4% and 33.5% reduction, respectively, under earthworm bio-tillage compared to traditional tillage under the straw input condition (p < 0.05). Tillage mainly affected soil phosphorus dynamic, while organic matter influenced pH and nitrogen dynamics. Both no-tillage and earthworm bio-tillage increased soil pH, organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents, especially with cow manure additions, and increased the general bacteria and gram-positive bacteria under none input. No-tillage significantly increased microbial biomass carbon, especially with none and straw inputs (over 6.3 times, p < 0.05). This study addresses a critical gap by evaluating the effects of no-tillage and earthworm bio-tillage with organic matter inputs. Here we show that conservation tillage practices, such as no-tillage and earthworm bio-tillage combined with appropriate organic matter inputs, are effective strategies for enhancing soil quality without adversely affecting crop production in subtropical sustainable agriculture.
保护性耕作已成为农业系统中应对土壤退化的一项日益重要的措施，但其对作物生产的有效性仍不确定，尤其是在湿润条件下。此外，蚯蚓生物扰动作为一种自然的生物耕作形式，会影响土壤质量和作物生产，但以往的研究未能分离和量化蚯蚓生物扰动在保护性耕作系统中的具体贡献。本研究的目的是调查保护性耕作对亚热带农田的影响，以评估其适用性并为湿润条件推荐合适的做法。在亚热带老成土上进行了为期两年的田间试验，测试了三种耕作方式（免耕、蚯蚓生物耕作和传统旋耕）以及三种有机物质投入（无、秸秆还田和添加堆肥牛粪）。在四个生长季节后采集玉米（Zea mays L.）产量和土壤样本（0-10厘米），以测定玉米产量、土壤性质和微生物群落。结果表明，耕作方式和有机物质投入一般不会影响产量或地上生物量，但在秸秆投入条件下，与传统耕作相比，蚯蚓生物耕作分别使产量降低了14.4%和33.5%（p < 0.05）。耕作主要影响土壤磷动态，而有机物质影响土壤pH值和氮动态。免耕和蚯蚓生物耕作均提高了土壤pH值、有机碳、氮和磷含量，尤其是添加牛粪时，且在无有机物质投入时增加了总细菌和革兰氏阳性菌数量。免耕显著增加了微生物生物量碳，尤其是在无有机物质投入和秸秆投入时（超过6.3倍，p < 0.05）。本研究通过评估免耕和蚯蚓生物耕作与有机物质投入的影响，填补了一个关键空白。我们在此表明，免耕和蚯蚓生物耕作等保护性耕作措施与适当的有机物质投入相结合，是提高亚热带可持续农业土壤质量而不负面影响作物生产的有效策略。
