Coupling Effects of Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization on Crop Growth in Response to Tillage Practices
Wen-Sheng Liu
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorYu-Xin Wei
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorJian-Hao Chen
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorShou-Wei Han
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorWen-Xuan Liu
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorRattan Lal
CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorXin Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hai-Lin Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Correspondence:
Hai-Lin Zhang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorWen-Sheng Liu
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorYu-Xin Wei
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorJian-Hao Chen
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorShou-Wei Han
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorWen-Xuan Liu
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorRattan Lal
CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Search for more papers by this authorXin Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hai-Lin Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
Correspondence:
Hai-Lin Zhang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorFunding: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071977).
ABSTRACT
Soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization are critical processes influencing C sequestration and soil fertility. However, the effects of tillage practices and the rhizosphere on these dynamics remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the impacts of long-term tillage practices (no-till, conventional tillage, and rotary tillage) and straw management (with or without straw return) on soil C and N mineralization, active C and N pools, and crop growth in a wheat-maize cropping system. The results demonstrated that straw return significantly enhanced average soil C and N mineralization by 279.7 mg C kg−1 and 11.3 mg N kg−1 soil, respectively (p < 0.05). The average cumulative mineralization of C and N in rhizosphere soil was 1.9%–19% and 2.3%–17% higher than that in bulk soil, respectively. Rhizosphere interactions and microbial biomass dynamics affect crop N availability by modulating the linkage of active C and N pools to mineralization rates. Notably, soil C and N mineralization exhibited stronger coupling effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum) (r = 0.77, p < 0.001) than on maize (Zea mays) growth, likely due to differences in nutrient demand, root architecture, and rhizodeposition. This study highlights the vital function of soil C and N mineralization in regulating nutrient availability and crop growth. Sustainable tillage management provides synergistic strategies that balance C sequestration and N availability, thereby reducing environmental impact and improving agricultural sustainability.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
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Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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