Short‐term conservation tillage degrades soil infiltration properties in the black soil region of Northeast China

Abstract

AbstractSoil infiltration properties (SIPs) are crucial soil hydraulic parameters for hydrological and erosion models as they regulate the movement of water and nutrients within the soil. Tillage practice can significantly impact the hydrological and erosional processes of sloping farmland by changing SIPs through altering soil structure. Nevertheless, knowledge regarding the effects of short‐term conservation tillage on SIPs is unclear, which greatly limits the management of soil and water resources of sloping farmland. This study aimed to clarify the potential impact and underlying mechanisms of short‐term implementation of conservation tillage on SIPs under three typical tillage management types: conventional downslope tillage (DT), conservation contour tillage (CT), and no‐tillage (NT) in the black soil region of Northeast China. SIPs of initial infiltration rate (IIR), steady infiltration (SIR), and hydraulic conductivity (Ks) were determined by a field disc infiltration experiment under pressure heads (h) of −3, −1.5, and 0 cm. The results revealed that short‐term implementation of conservation tillage management degraded SIPs, with a significant difference observed between DT and NT. In comparison to DT, the mean SIPs of IIR, SIR, and Ks of CT decreased by 27.5%, 31.2%, and 28.6%, and the corresponding reduced values of NT were 54.1%, 65.0%, and 65.5%, respectively. SIPs were significantly correlated with soil texture, bulk density (BD), capillary porosity (CP), total porosity (TP), field capacity (FC), saturated water content (SSWC), and organic matter content (SOM). Among these influencing factors, the variations in SIPs among different tillage management and soil layers were primarily influenced by differences in clay and gravel contents, FC, and SSWC and SSWC played the most critical role. These results highlight the substantial impacts and clarify the mechanisms of short‐term conservation tillage on SIPs, which is helpful for understanding the potential effect of short‐term conservation tillage management on hydrology and erosional processes, thereby improving the sustainable utilization of arable land.