Sustainable Conservation Tillage Technique for Improving Soil Health by Enhancing Soil Physicochemical Quality Indicators under Wheat Mono-Cropping System Conditions

Abstract

An improved understanding of the effect of conservation tillage on soil physicochemical quality indicators is obligatory to manage and conserve soil in a climate change scenario. Tillage strategies change soil physicochemical characteristics, consequently modifying crop yields. Conservation tillage is generally used to improve the soil physicochemical characteristics globally. However, the impact of conservation tillage on different soil depths under wheat cultivation is not well documented. A 3-year study was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCDB). The objective of this research was to specifically study soil physicochemical indicators (soil bulk density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, water content, temperature, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, C:N ratio, pH) and (crop yield) in conventional tillage (CT), straw incorporation into the conventionally tilled soil (CTS), no-tillage (NT), and stubble-retention to the no-tilled soil (NTS) measures under wheat monocropping system across different soil layers. Averaged over 0–40 cm soil layer, the results depicted scarce differences among the tillage practices regarding soil bulk density, porosity, water content and hydraulic conductivity. CT increased soil temperature over conservation tillage systems. Overall, conservation tillage improved soil total nitrogen, available phosphorous, total potassium, C:N ratio and yield than CT, whilst it decreased soil pH. We conclude that NTS and CTS are the best strategies to enhance soil health under wheat mono-cropping system conditions.