IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/caa/jnlpse/v69y2023i3id373-2022-pse.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effect of deep-tillage depths on crop yield: A global meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Shangshu Huang

    (College of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, P.R. China
    Jiangxi Institute of Red Soil, Nanchang, P.R. China)

  • Mahbub Ul Islam

    (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh)

  • Fahui Jiang

    (College of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, P.R. China)

Abstract

The tillage depth plays a critical role in solving soil compaction - a global problem of soil degradation. However, to date, there are few research reported about tillage depth, and the standard of optimum tillage depth is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the effect of tillage depths on crop yield across a global scale, and then to analysis their influence factors such as local climate, soil properties, and managements. Moreover, a global distribution of the optimal tillage depths was estimated by using a random-forest model. Overall, our result demonstrated that crop yield first increased within tillage depths from 25 to 35 cm, and then reduced under higher depth of deep tillage compared to conventional tillage, according to 1109 wheat, maize and soybean (WMS) yield observations from 202 studies and 109 publications. Visibly, 35 cm hence became the optimum tillage depth of WMS across the world, while it varies with different regions. Furthermore, higher crop yields observed in areas with a humid climate, high clay contents, and large bulk density under the optimal depth 40, 35 and 45 cm, respectively. In contrast, a lower yield was observed in areas with arid climates, silty and sandy soils, and lower bulk density within optimal depth of 25 cm, 30 cm, and 25 to 35 cm. Human management efforts, including fertilizer addition, irrigation, straw returning, and changing of cropping system or crop species mostly increased the crop yield under deep tillage. Particularly, our meta-analysis indicated that straw returning needs a greater depth. Finally, we predicted the distributions of optimum depths, which showed that 30 and 35 cm were the optimum tillage depths in the temperate and tropical regions, and the total crop yields of global WMS increased by 2689 million tons per year under the optimal tillage depth, compared with the conventional tillage.

Suggested Citation

  • Shangshu Huang & Mahbub Ul Islam & Fahui Jiang, 2023. "The effect of deep-tillage depths on crop yield: A global meta-analysis," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 69(3), pages 105-117.
  • Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:69:y:2023:i:3:id:373-2022-pse
    DOI: 10.17221/373/2022-PSE
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/373/2022-PSE.html
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/373/2022-PSE.pdf
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17221/373/2022-PSE?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wonjae Hwang & Minseok Park & Kijong Cho & Jeong-Gyu Kim & Seunghun Hyun, 2019. "Mitigation of CO 2 and N 2 O Emission from Cabbage Fields in Korea by Optimizing Tillage Depth and N-Fertilizer Level: DNDC Model Simulation under RCP 8.5 Scenario," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-13, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Will McConnell, 2020. "Introduction to Sustainability Journal Special Edition “Global Warming and Sustainability Issues”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-7, July.
    2. Min-Suk Kim & Namin Koo & Seunghun Hyun & Jeong-Gyu Kim, 2020. "Comparison of Ammonia Emission Estimation between Passive Sampler and Chamber System in Paddy Soil after Fertilizer Application," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:69:y:2023:i:3:id:373-2022-pse. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ivo Andrle (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cazv.cz/en/home/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.