2026-05-08 中国科学院（CAS）
＜関連情報＞
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research-news/202605/t20260508_1158610.shtml
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378429026001553
Trade-offs between maize yield and soil fertility under different straw mulching amounts in no-tillage systems: Evidence from a 15-year experiment in Northeast China
Yue Lu, Hainan Huo, Fangbo Deng, Yali Yang, Hongbo He, Hongtu Xie, Xudong Zhang, Xuelian Bao
Field Crops Research Available online: 15 April 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110479
Graphical Abstract
Highlights
- No-tillage combined with straw mulching optimized the soil-plant-productivity pathway.
- No-tillage with straw mulching enhanced source strength, translocation, and sink capacity.
- No-tillage with 33% straw is sink-limited, while 67% and 100% are source-sink unlimited.
- No-tillage with 67% and 100% straw input synergistically improved fertility and yield.
Abstract
Context
Conservation tillage is widely recognized as an agricultural practice that not only preserves arable land quality but also enhances maize (Zea mays L.) productivity, thereby facilitating the attainment of long-term agricultural sustainability. However, the cascade pathway and intrinsic mechanisms of soil-plant-productivity interactions driving yield improvement under long-term no-tillage with different straw mulching amounts, as well as the trade-off relationships between maize yield optimization and soil fertility regulation, remain inadequately elucidated.
Objective
This study aimed to investigate the yield-enhancing pathways and mechanisms of long-term no-tillage combined with varying amounts of straw mulching, clarify the trade-offs between soil fertility and maize yield, and thereby identify the optimal straw return amount for maize production.
Methods
A long-term in situ experiment initiated in 2007 included five treatments: conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage without straw mulching (NT0), and no-tillage with 33% (NT33), 67% (NT67), and 100% (NT100) straw mulching. Soil fertility index (SFI), maize group net photosynthesis rate (Group Pn), carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation and translocation between source and sink organs, and grain yield were determined at the seedling, jointing, silking, and maturity stages in 2021.
Results
No-tillage with straw mulching optimized the soil-plant-productivity pathway compared to CT, as evidenced by increased SFI (5.78%-10.17%), Group Pn (33.67%-99.70%), source strength (5.85%-11.95%), source-sink translocation (47.06%-116.18%), and sink capacity (7.80%-107.34%), ultimately boosting grain yield by 3.54%-6.79%. These effects on soil fertility and plant growth were straw mulching amount-dependent, with maize growth indicators generally improving as straw mulching increased. Regarding maize source-sink relationships, CT and NT0 are both source- and sink-limited, while NT33 is sink-limited, and NT67 and NT100 are source- and sink-unlimited. For soil fertility indicators, NT100 and NT33 outperformed NT67, and all of them exceeded both NT0 and CT. Further analysis revealed trade-offs between maize yield and soil fertility: CT and NT0 were subject to both aboveground and belowground limitations, with no notable improvement in SFI or yield. Straw mulching improved soil fertility, but plant growth under NT33 remained restricted, thereby limiting its potential for further yield gains. In contrast, NT67 and NT100 mitigated these dual limitations, significantly enhancing the synergy between SFI and yield, with NT100 showing the greatest improvement.
Conclusions and significance
No-tillage combined with straw mulching, particularly NT100 and NT67, optimizes the soil-plant-productivity pathway and effectively coordinates the trade-off between maize yield enhancement and soil fertility improvement. Thus, it represents an ideal agricultural management practice for the Mollisol region of Northeast China.
