Appropriate tillage regime for the improvement of winter wheat yield, soil water, and nutrients condition in Huanghuaihai Plain of China

Appropriate tillage practice can be beneficial to the water and nutrient supplying in wheat production in Huanghuaihai Plain of China. The long-term deep plough can induce the hardpan, leading to the significant influence on the nutrient cycling and crop yield. No-tillage has been proven an effective tillage practice in the nutrient supply with the low yield. A rotational tillage system incorporated no-tillage and deep tillage can greatly contribute to the wheat production in the yield advancement and nutrient cycling. The long-term field experiment was conducted from 2017 to investigate the deep tillage in consecutive years (DT), rotational tillage with three years cycle for one-year deep tillage and two years no tillage (RT), and no-tillage in consecutive years (NT) on winter wheat yield, soil water and nutrient content in wheat growing season of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. The results showed that the RT treatment significantly improved the soil water consumption in the 0-20 cm soil layer at seeding stage. And the soil water content in 0-20 and below 40 cm soil depth was significantly higher in the RT than in the DT and NT treatment at booting and filling stage. Soil water content of 20-40 cm soil layer in the RT treatment was significantly higher than in the DT and NT for 8.87%, 7.85%, 11.63% and 20.92% in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 respectively. Soil total nitrogen content, organic matter and C/N ratio was significantly higher in the RT than in DT and NT. In the end of wheat growing season of 2021-2022, soil total nitrogen content of 0-20 cm soil depth was significantly higher in the RT than in the DT and NT for 40.45% and 31.58% respectively, soil organic matter was significantly higher than in the RT than in the DT and NT for 56.66% and 45.34% respectively, and C/N ratio was significantly higher than in RT than in DT and NT for 11.62% and 9.91% respectively, while the soil available potassium content of 0-20 cm soil layer was significantly higher in the NT than in the DT and RT for 17.91%, 19.10%, 24.32% and 34.00% in the end of wheat growing season of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 respectively. Winter wheat yield of the RT treatment was significantly higher than the DT and NT treatment by 20.20%, 13.39%, 20.35% and 18.74% in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 respectively. The 1 000-grain weigh was significantly higher in the RT treatment than in the DT and NT treatment. The RT treatment had the lowest yield interannual variability (CV) and the highest yield sustainability index (SYI) among the three tillage treatments. The positive effect yield advancement and soil nutrients content in the RT treatment revealed that rotational tillage with one year no-tillage and two years deep tillage was an appropriate tillage practice for winter wheat production in Huanghuaihai Plain of China, particularly in the yield sustainability and soil nutrient improvement.