No-tillage with straw retention influenced maize root growth morphology by changing soil physical properties and aggregate structure in Northeast China: A ten-year field experiment

• Published in: Geoderma Regional 2024-09, Vol.38, p.e00840, Article e00840
• Main Authors: Wang, Yang, Zou, Laidi, Lou, Chenchen, Geng, Xuedong, Zhang, Shixiu, Chen, Xuewen, Zhang, Yan, Huang, Dandan, Liang, Aizhen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Maize root growth morphology; Soil aggregates; Soil physical properties; Straw retention; Tillage
• ISSN: 2352-0094; 2352-0094
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geodrs.2024.e00840

Conservation tillage, particularly the implementation of no-tillage and straw retention (NTS), has been proposed as an effective practice to enhance soil structure and improve soil quality in Northeast China. However, the impact of NTS on maize (Zea mays L.) root growth morphology and the influence of tillage practices on maize root morphology through soil physical properties and structure in Northeast China remain understudied. To address this knowledge gap, a continuous ten-year experiment was conducted to assess the effects of NTS on soil physical properties, aggregate structure, maize root morphology, and their interconnections. Our findings demonstrate that the NTS treatment significantly increased soil water content and soil bulk density at depths of 0–5 cm (1.6%) and 5–10 cm (2.2%), while decreasing soil porosity at depths of 0–5 cm (1.4%) and 5–10 cm (2.0%) compared to conventional tillage (CT). Additionally, NTS resulted in a higher content of soil macro-aggregates (> 0.25 mm) and improved soil aggregate stability compared to CT. Notably, root length, root surface area, root volume, and root biomass in the NTS treatment were 6.04%, 22.15%, 10.04%, and 9.29% higher than those in CT, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in root diameter between the two tillage practices. These results reveal that NTS induces alterations in soil physical properties, aggregate size distribution and aggregate stability, thereby affecting maize root growth morphology. •Tillage practice can cause variability in maize root growth morphology.•NTS induces alterations in soil physical properties, aggregate size distribution and stability.•Changes in the root growth morphology were related to changes in soil physical properties and structure.