Dry farmland practice involving multi-conservation tillage measuresin the Loess Plateau

An experiment was set up since 2001 to study the effects of a series of conservation tillage measures on the Loess Plateau farmland ecosystem. The studied tillage measures included non-tillage without mulching (NT), conventional tillage with straw incorporation (TS), non-tillage with straw mulching (NTS), conventional tillage with plastic film mulching (TP) and non-tillage with plastic film mulching (NTP). The study was carried out by researchers from Gansu Agricultural University in Lijiabu Town, Dingxi City, Gansu Province. Two sequences of wheat/peas rotation system were adopted, wheat→ peas and peas → wheat, under different conservation tillage systems. The experiment was significant for screening appropriate local farming methods to improve regional soil quality and promote sustainable agricultural development. This paper summarized the key findings of the experimental study. It also discussed the response of soil physical and chemical properties, soil microbial activities, greenhouse gas emissions, crop physiology and ecology to different conservation tillage systems under specific soil, climate and farming system. The conclusions were as follows: NTS measure contributed to the formation of good soil structure, reduced soil erosion, improved soil water retention characteristics, improved soil nutrient use efficiency, enhanced soil microbial flora, enhanced crop photosynthetic efficiency and increased crop yield. On this basis, the identified problems and proposed future directions were: 1) soil carbon cycle mechanisms under conservation tillage; 2) innovation of coverage modes; 3) improvements in greenhouse gas emission measurement methods.