Effects of different tillage methods on soil properties and maize seedling growth in alternating wide and narrow rows rotation mode in the Songliao Plain of China

• Published in: Geoderma 2024-12, Vol.452, p.117120, Article 117120
• Main Authors: Wang, Yueyong, Zhang, Yongguang, Liu, Yuanyuan, Wang, Libin, Dong, Yonglu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: China; Conservation agriculture; corn; dry matter accumulation; field experimentation; Grain yield; Maize straw mulching; nitrogen; No-tillage; nutrient availability; organic matter; phosphorus; plant height; potassium; ridge tillage; seed germination; Seeding trait; seedling emergence; seedling growth; soil pH; Soil structure; soil temperature; soil water; soil water content; spring; strip tillage; Zea mays
• ISSN: 0016-7061; 1872-6259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117120

•We pioneered the research on RT and ST in the wide and narrow rows rotation mode.•RT and ST can solve the problem of cold and wet seedbed compared to NT.•RT and ST can promote maize seed germination and seedling growth compared to NT.•NT and ST can improve maize yield compared to NT. The Songliao Plain is the main maize (Zea mays L.) producing region in Northeast China. The no-tillage22NT: no-tillage. (NT) method in alternating wide and narrow rows rotation mode is widely used for maize planting in this region. However, in spring, the NT method in this mode suffer from low soil temperature and high soil water content33SWC: soil water content. (SWC), which severely restrict maize seed germination and seedling growth. We pioneered the research and practice of the ridge tillage44RT: ridge tillage. (RT) method and strip tillage55ST: strip tillage. (ST) method in this mode. We developed a new tillage machine to enable the implementation of RT and ST methods in alternating wide and narrow rows rotation mode, which has not been previously reported in this region. In this mode, the relative research of the RT method and ST method has not been conducted, and the effects of the RT method and ST method on the soil properties and maize seedling growth have not been clarified. Therefore, a 3-year field experiment was conducted at 7 randomly selected experimental sites in this region to research the effects of RT, ST, and NT methods on soil properties and maize seedling growth. During the spring sowing period, for soil pH, organic matter66OM: organic matter. (OM), available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium, both the RT method and ST method resulted in greater values than the NT method, and there was no significant difference between the RT method and ST method. This indicated that prolonged NT was not conducive to even distribution of OM, resulting in slightly lower available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compared to the RT and ST methods. Within 30 days after spring sowing, for soil temperature, RT method value > ST method value > NT method value; for SWC, NT method value > RT method value > ST method value. For mean seedling emergence time77MET: mean seedling emergence time. (MET), RT method value  NT method value. Higher soil temperature, more suitable