Crops ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 152-159.doi: 10.16035/j.issn.1001-7283.2026.01.019

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Effects of No-tillage with Straw Mulching on Soil Aggregate Stability and Maize Yield in Semi-Arid Region

Ma Xiaoming1(), Qi Xiangkun1, Tan Xue1, Shi Mengyu1, Wang Yufeng1,2, Fu Jian1,2(), Yang Kejun1,2()   

  1. 1College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163319, Heilongjiang, China
    2Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Cultivation Techniques and Crop Germplasm Improvement, Daqing 163319, Heilongjiang, China
  • Received:2024-12-18 Revised:2025-03-29 Online:2026-02-15 Published:2026-02-10

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Abstract:

To address the issues of soil structure deterioration, decreased organic carbon content, and low maize yield caused by soil wind erosion in semi-arid aeolian sandy regions, a long-term field positioning experiment was conducted in Durbod Mongolian Autonomous County, Heilongjiang Province. Four treatments were established: rotary tillage with ridging (CK), no-tillage with straw mulching for one year (T1), continuous no-tillage with straw mulching for three years (T2), and continuous no-tillage with straw mulching for seven years (T3). The effects of each treatment on soil aggregate distribution characteristics, organic carbon accumulation, and maize yield across different soil layers were analyzed. The results showed that in the 0-30 cm soil layer, compared with the other treatments, the T3 treatment significantly reduced soil bulk density and significantly increased soil moisture content. Meanwhile, the T3 treatment enhanced the percentage of >0.25 mm water-stable aggregates, the organic carbon content, and the contribution rate within these aggregates, while also increasing the mean weight diameter and geometric mean diameter. No-tillage with straw mulching significantly increased maize yield, with the increase ranging from 14.98% to 39.54% compared with the CK treatment. In summary, no-tillage combined with straw mulching helps improve soil aggregate stability, the organic carbon content of aggregates across all size classes, and maize yield in semi-arid areas, with the T3 treatment yielding the best results.

Key words: Maize, No-tillage with straw mulching, Soil aggregate, Organic carbon, Mean weight diameter, Geometric mean diameter, Yield

Table 1

Changes of soil bulk density and moisture content under no-tillage with straw mulching and returning over different years"

土层深度
Soil depth
(cm)		 处理
Treatment		 容重
Bulk density
(g/cm3)		 含水量
Moisture
content (%)
0~10 CK 1.33±0.10a 12.01±0.27d
T1 1.32±0.03a 14.54±0.10c
T2 1.25±0.02b 17.19±1.01b
T3 1.10±0.02c 24.16±0.46a
10~20 CK 1.45±0.02a 8.56±0.35c
T1 1.50±0.02a 11.98±0.28b
T2 1.42±0.04a 13.85±0.07b
T3 1.26±0.01b 17.62±1.21a
20~30 CK 1.53±0.01a 6.48±0.31c
T1 1.52±0.01a 10.14±0.40b
T2 1.44±0.04b 12.44±0.65a
T3 1.38±0.01b 13.70±0.12a

Fig.1

Changes of soil aggregate content distribution in different particle size fractions under no-tillage with straw mulching and returning over different years Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (P < 0.05), the same below."

Table 2

Changes of organic carbon content in aggregates with different particle sizes under no-tillage with straw mulching and returning over different years g/kg"

土层深度
Soil depth (cm)		 处理
Treatment		 粒径Particle size (mm)
>5.00 (2.00,5.00] (1.00,2.00] (0.50,1.00] (0.25,0.50] ≤0.25
0~10 CK 15.38±0.51b 14.27±0.32c 14.10±0.39b 11.86±0.50b 9.89±0.26c 9.57±0.43c
T1 16.59±0.48b 15.98±0.69b 15.07±0.26b 15.30±1.07a 14.54±0.31b 13.14±0.50b
T2 18.27±0.61a 16.80±0.31b 15.23±0.56b 15.21±0.31a 14.63±0.24b 13.64±0.52b
T3 19.16±0.34a 18.59±0.55a 16.77±0.29a 16.34±0.53a 16.00±0.60a 15.37±0.48a
10~20 CK 12.63±0.46b 12.30±0.26b 10.84±0.50c 9.86±0.36c 9.75±0.32b 9.67±0.31b
T1 13.14±0.31b 12.48±0.35b 12.47±0.12b 11.57±0.27b 10.94±0.18a 10.55±0.61ab
T2 13.23±0.46b 13.22±0.35b 12.90±0.38b 11.84±0.46b 11.68±0.26a 11.26±0.52ab
T3 16.05±0.48a 15.79±0.57a 14.28±0.43a 13.59±0.50a 11.74±0.52a 11.54±0.43a
20~30 CK 10.71±0.51c 10.67±0.47b 10.36±0.45b 9.40±0.27b 9.38±0.31a 9.03±0.35b
T1 11.18±0.35bc 11.21±0.51b 11.10±0.70b 10.38±0.41b 9.51±0.43a 9.78±0.16ab
T2 12.11±0.21b 11.39±0.47b 11.15±0.71b 11.21±0.92b 10.63±0.54a 10.04±0.23ab
T3 15.02±0.42a 14.46±0.39a 13.90±0.35ab 13.16±0.47a 10.99±0.68a 10.51±0.48a

Table 3

Contribution rate of organic carbon in soil aggregates of different particle sizes under no-tillage cover measures %"

土层深度
Soil depth (cm)		 处理
Treatment		 粒径Particle size (mm)
>5.00 (2.00,5.00] (1.00,2.00] (0.50,1.00] (0.25,0.50] ≤0.25
0~10 CK 16.88±1.99b 11.16±0.45a 11.92±1.08a 15.52±0.89a 14.70±0.30b 29.03±1.84a
T1 18.24±1.58ab 10.22±1.68a 9.98±1.59a 16.29±1.56a 17.92±0.95a 27.46±1.85ab
T2 21.85±0.68a 10.37±0.93a 9.80±1.39a 16.11±0.42a 17.55±0.81a 23.68±0.77b
T3 22.25±0.69a 10.94±0.57a 9.94±0.72a 15.92±0.33a 17.81±0.80a 22.81±0.92b
10~20 CK 13.60±0.86c 9.17±1.29a 9.46±1.04a 13.60±1.41a 14.48±1.13a 38.32±2.74a
T1 17.12±1.35bc 9.13±0.63a 10.09±0.73a 14.95±0.76a 15.14±0.26a 34.22±2.35ab
T2 18.54±0.57ab 9.67±0.77a 9.97±0.33a 15.13±0.81a 16.23±1.03a 30.61±1.78bc
T3 21.67±1.65a 10.56±1.43a 10.07±0.75a 15.87±1.30a 15.34±0.88a 26.58±1.39c
20~30 CK 14.08±2.02c 8.45±0.23b 8.94±0.81a 14.60±1.04a 15.74±0.44a 37.89±2.60a
T1 16.69±1.49bc 8.90±0.64b 9.24±0.70a 15.96±0.45a 15.98±0.47a 33.39±2.25ab
T2 19.03±0.55ab 8.73±0.11b 8.87±0.75a 16.33±0.62a 17.26±1.77a 28.82±0.30bc
T3 22.98±0.79a 10.57±0.61a 10.32±0.71a 17.39±1.22a 16.41±1.14a 25.97±1.61c

Fig.2

Changes of soil MWD and GMD under no-tillage with straw mulching and returning over different years"

Fig.3

Correlation between soil organic carbon content and MWD and GMD “**”indicates extremely significant correlation at P < 0.01 level."

Table 4

Maize yield and its components under no-tillage with straw mulching and returning over different years"

处理
Treatment		 穗长
Ear length (cm)		 穗行数
Kernel row number		 行粒数
Grains per row		 百粒重
100-grain weight (g)		 含水量
Moisture content (%)		 产量
Yield (kg/hm2)
CK 18.35±0.24d 14.00±1.15a 31.00±1.52b 32.57±0.09a 29.80±0.18ab 10 183.45±292.62c
T1 19.41±0.34c 14.00±0.67a 36.00±2.00a 33.15±0.14a 30.27±0.29b 10 894.41±393.46bc
T2 20.41±0.22b 16.00±1.15a 34.00±1.52ab 33.39±0.04a 27.97±0.76a 11 921.39±536.32ab
T3 21.96±0.38a 16.00±1.15a 37.00±2.00a 33.44±0.19a 29.27±0.69ab 12 993.62±328.17a

Fig.4

Correlation between soil organic carbon content and maize yield “*”indicates significant correlation at P < 0.05 level."

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