Qingjie Wang

Effect of ridge tillage, no-tillage, and conventional tillage on soil temperature, water use, and crop performance in cold and semi-arid areas in Northeast China

In cold and semi-arid Northeast China, insufficient soil accumulative temperature and low water use efficiency (WUE) are the limiting factors for the further development of agriculture. Ridge tillage (RT) has been proposed to improve soil temperature and water conservation. Data from a 3-year field experiment conducted at two locations (Sujiatun and Lanxi) in Northeast China were used to compare RT, no-tillage (NT), and conventional tillage (CT) in a spring maize cropping system. At both sites, RT and NT significantly (P < 0.05) increased mean soil temperature to 0.10 m depth, relative to CT, by 0.7–2.4°C in the cold season during the spring maize growing stage. Mean soil moisture depletion in the RT treatment was greater by 1.2–4.1% (Sujiatun) and 0.6–3.0% (Lanxi) than in NT and CT, respectively. Mean maize yields over 3 years for RT were ~9.9% greater than for CT, whereas the yield advantage in the NT treatment was only slight. In Sujiatun, WUE was 8.0% and 8.6% greater under RT than under NT and CT, respectively, and in Lanxi, WUE was 7.7% and 9.6% greater under RT than NT and CT. Ridge tillage is recommended to the farmers to obtain higher crop yield and WUE in Northeast China.

Traffic and tillage effects on wheat production on the Loess Plateau of China: 1. Crop yield and SOM

Challenges for dryland farming on the Loess Plateau of China are continuous nutrient loss, low soil organic matter and crop yield, and soil degradation. Controlled traffic, combined with zero or minimum tillage and residue cover, has been proposed to improve soil structure and crop yield. From 1998 to 2006, we conducted a field experiment comparing soil organic matter and wheat productivity between controlled traffic and conventional tillage farming systems. The field experiment was conducted using 2 controlled traffic treatments (zero tillage with residue cover and no compaction, shallow tillage with residue cover and no compaction) and a conventional tillage treatment. Results showed that controlled traffic treatments significantly increased soil organic matter and microbial biomass in the 0–0.30 m soil profile. Controlled traffic with zero tillage significantly increased total N in the 0–0.05 m soil profile. The mean yield over 8 years of controlled traffic treatments was >10% greater than that of conventional tillage. Controlled traffic farming appears to be a solution to the cropping problems faced on the Loess Plateau of China.

Soil structure and crop performance after 10 years of controlled traffic and traditional tillage cropping in the dryland Loess Plateau in China

Soil degradation and the accompanying decline in crop yields are the main limiting factors for the further development of agriculture on the Chinese Loess Plateau. A 10-year experiment was conducted in Linfen on the Loess Plateau to assess the potential benefits of controlled traffic on agricultural production. In this region, long-term traditional ploughing with straw removal has resulted in a decline of soil productivity and poor soil structure. Several treatments were compared: controlled traffic with no-tillage and straw cover (NTSC), controlled traffic with shallow tillage and straw cover, and traditional tillage (TT) in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) monoculture. Results show clear benefits of controlled traffic farming. Winter wheat growth in ploughed plots was much slower than in controlled traffic plots. Mean yield from 1998 to 2007 was 11.2% lower for traditional tillage than for controlled traffic plots. The best results were achieved by a no-tillage straw cover and controlled traffic system (NTSC), which resulted in the greatest benefits to soil structure after 10 years. The NTSC significantly improved soil organic matter content in the top 30 cm by 27.2%, total N by 10.8%, and available P (top 10 cm) by 92.3% compared with TT. Aeration (>60 &mgr;m) and capillary porosity (2-60 &mgr;m) were 155.0% and 16.1% greater, respectively, in NTSC plots than in TT plots. Consequently, for NTSC, final water infiltration rates were 67.4% greater than for TT, whereas water content in the top 130 cm was 14.9% higher than in TT, respectively. We conclude therefore that controlled traffic combined with no-tillage and straw cover is a valuable system for restoring soil productivity and quality of seriously degraded soils on the Loess Plateau for the sustainable development of agriculture in dryland China.

Influence of conservation tillage practices on soil properties and crop yields for maize and wheat cultivation in Beijing, China

Conservation tillage is becoming increasingly attractive to farmers because it involves lower production costs than does conventional tillage. The long-term effects of sub-soiling tillage (ST), no tillage (NT), and conventional tillage (CT) on soil properties and crop yields were investigated over an 8-year period (2000–07). The study was conducted in a 2-crop-a-year region (Daxing) and a 1-crop-a-year region (Changping) of the Beijing area in China. At 0–0.30 m soil depth, water stability of macro-aggregates (>0.25 mm) was much greater for ST (22.1%) and NT (12.0%) than for CT in Daxing, and the improvements in Changping were 18.9% and 9.5%, respectively. ST and NT significantly (P   CT at both sites. Consequently, crop yields in ST and NT plots were higher than in CT plots due to improved soil physical and chemical properties. Within the conservation tillage treatments, despite similar economic benefit, the effects on crop yields for ST were better than for NT. Mean (2000–07) crop yields for ST were 0.2% and 1.5% higher than for NT at Daxing and Changping, respectively. We therefore conclude that ST is the most suitable conservation tillage practice for annual 2-crop-a-year and 1-crop-a-year regions in the Beijing area.

Spring wheat performance and water use efficiency on permanent raised beds in arid northwest China

Permanent raised beds have been proposed as a more productive and water-efficient alternative to the conventional system of flat, flood-irrigated bays for planting narrow-spaced crops in arid north-west China. Data from a field experiment (2005–2007) conducted in the Hexi Corridor at Zhangye, Gansu Province, China, were used to compared the effects of traditional tillage (TT), zero tillage (ZT), and permanent raised beds (PRB) on crop growth, yield, and water use in a spring wheat monoculture. The results show that PRB significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil water content to 0.30 m depth by 7.2–10.7% and soil temperature to 0.05 m depth by 0.2–0.9°C during the wheat-growing period relative to TT and ZT treatments. Bulk density in 0–0.10 m soil layer under PRB was also 5.8% less than for flat planting treatments. Mean wheat yields over 3 years on PRB plots were slightly greater and furrow irrigation in permanent beds was particularly effective in increasing irrigation water use efficiency (~18%), compared with TT and ZT treatments. This increase in water use efficiency is of considerable importance for these arid areas where irrigation water resources are scarce.

Traffic and tillage effects on wheat production on the Loess Plateau of China: 2. Soil physical properties

Controlled traffic zero and minimum tillage management with residue cover has been proposed as a solution to erosion and other soil degradation challenges to the sustainability of dryland farming on the Loess Plateau of China. This was assessed between 1998 and 2007 in a field experiment involving a conventional tillage treatment, and 2 controlled traffic treatments, no tillage and shallow tillage, with full straw cover in both cases. This paper reports the soil physical properties after 9 years of dryland wheat production under these treatments, and the substantial improvements seen in soils under controlled traffic. Compared with conventional tillage, controlled traffic significantly reduced soil bulk density in the 0–0.15 m soil layer, and increased total porosity in the 0–0.60 m soil layer, where macroporosity (>60 µm) and mesoporosity (0.2–60 µm) increased at the expense of microporosity (<0.2 µm). Readily available water content and saturated hydraulic conductivity were greater in controlled traffic treatments. Controlled traffic farming appears to be an improvement on current farming systems on the Loess Plateau, and valuable for the sustainable development agriculture in this region.

The adoption of conservation tillage in China

Conservation tillage (CT) has been recognized as an advanced agricultural technology that may reduce drought and improve the physical condition of soils worldwide. An increase in water infiltration and a reduction in water and wind erosion can be achieved through the use of no‐tillage, minimum tillage, and residue cover. In China, CT research started with support from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), China and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in 1992. By the end of 1990s, CT research had expanded across China and achieved several important results. In 1999, MOA established the Conservation Tillage Research Centre (CTRC) to lead the national CT research programs in China, and since 2002 some CT demonstration projects have been established in northern China. By the end of 2008, CT has been demonstrated in 226 national and 365 provincial demonstration counties, covering more than 3 Mha. The CTRC of the MOA has established 10 sites within those counties to monitor project results. Some sites have shown consistently that the use of CT resulted in higher yields and net incomes, reduced soil erosion, and improved soil conditions. CT has been widely accepted in China and will be further adopted over wider areas as the development and highbred of indigenous no‐tillage seeders.

Soil physical properties and infiltration after long‐term no‐tillage and ploughing on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Abstract Water is the most limiting factor for crop production in dryland farming. A better understanding of the long‐term impact of tillage and residue management systems on soil structure and water infiltration is necessary for the further development of conservation tillage practice to improve water use efficiency. The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of no‐till with residue retention (NT) and conventional (plough) tillage with residue removal (CT) on soil properties and soil water transmission characteristics in a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) monoculture system in Shanxi, on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Soil physical parameter measurements were made in the top 30 cm depth in September 2007 after 16 years under the two tillage treatments. Compared with CT treatment, NT significantly (P < 0.05) reduced soil bulk density (7.1%) in the 20–30 cm soil layer, and increased macroporosity (>60 μm, 17.0%) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (249%) in the 15–30 cm soil layer. There were no significant differences in these soil physical properties between tillage systems in the 0–15 cm layer. In addition, plant available water and water infiltration rate were greater in the NT treatment. The improved soil quality parameters and water infiltration from this long‐term experiment indicate that no‐tillage with residue retention is a promising farming system for the dryland farming areas of northern China.

Influence of no tillage controlled traffic system on soil physical properties in double cropping area of North China plain

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of tillage on soil properties in the field of maize ( Zea mays L.) and winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) annual double cropping region in North China Plain. Measurements were made following six years (2005 to 2010) of three tillage treatments; no till with controlled traffic (NTCT), no till random trafficking (NTRT) and conventional tillage (CT) on a silt loam according to the USDA texture classification system soil in Daxing district, which lies in the suburb of Beijing. Long term no till with controlled traffic significantly (P < 0.05) increased macro-aggregates, infiltration rate, soil moisture, together with reductions in soil bulk density, soil compaction in different layers compared with the no till random traffic and traditional mould board tillage treatment currently used in this region. Consequently, mean winter wheat and summer maize yields for the NTCT treatment were improved by 2.8 and 7.1% when compared with the soils under no till random traffic, while huge improvement was found when it was compared with conventional ploughing management (4.2 and 12.08% for wheat and maize, respectively). The long-term experiment demonstrated that no-tillage controlled traffic with residues retained, offers a potentially significant improvement over the current farming systems in annual double cropping areas of North China Plain. Key words : No tillage, controlled traffic, soil physical properties, North China Plain.

Seed Zone Properties and Crop Performance as Affected by Three No-Till Seeders for Permanent Raised Beds in Arid Northwest China

Abstract The no-till seeders of various soil opener configurations have been shown to produce various soil physical responses in relation to soil and climate conditions, thus affecting crop performance in permanent raised beds (PRB) systems. This is particularly important in arid Northwest China where large volumes of residue are retained on the soil surface after harvest. In Zhangye, Gansu Province, China, a field trial assessed the effects of three typical (powered-chopper, powered-cutter and powered-disc) PRB no-till seeders and one traditional seeder on soil disturbance, residue cover index, bulk density, fuel consumption, plant growth, and subsequent yield. In general, seedbed conditions and crop performance for PRB no-till seeders seeded plots were better than for traditional seeded plots. In PRB cropping system, the powered-chopper seeder decreased mean soil disturbance and increased residue cover index compared to powered-disc and -cutter seeders. However, the results indicated that soil bulk density was 2.3–4.8% higher, soil temperature was 0.2–0.6°C lower, and spring wheat emergence was 3.2–4.7% less. This was attributed to greater levels of residue cover and firmer seedbeds. Spring maize and wheat performance in the powered-cutter and -disc treatments was better (non-significant) than powered-chopper treatment. So powered disc no-till seeder, which generally provided the best planting condition and the highest yield, appeared to be the suitable seeder in heavy residue cover conditions. Considering the precision requirements for soil disturbance and residue cover, the powered strip-chopping no-till seeder could be a suitable option for PRB cropping system in Northwest China. Although these results are preliminary, they are still valuable for the design and selection of no-till seeders for PRB cropping systems in arid Northwest China.