IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i2p376-d1588794.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing Tillage and Straw Management for Improved Soil Physical Properties and Yield

Author

Listed:
  • Luka Brezinscak

    (Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Igor Bogunovic

    (Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of conventional ploughing (CT), minimum multitiller tillage (MT), and reduced loosening tillage (RT), with and without straw mulch on Fluvisol properties and crop yields in Croatia over three years (2019–2021). While conservation tillage practices are well studied in arid regions, our study addresses the unique challenges and benefits of these practices in humid conditions. Plots treated with straw mulch (2.75 t/ha) showed significant improvements in soil physical properties compared to bare plots. Penetration resistance (PR) decreased under 3-year mulch application in all tillage systems, with a reduction of up to 28% compared to bare plots. Water-holding capacity (WHC) was significantly higher in mulched MT (52.4%) than in bare CT (41.6%). Aggregate stability increased by 15–20% under mulch, with the highest stability in MT plots. Soil organic matter (SOM) peaked in mulched MT in 2021, reaching 4.5%, compared to 3.6% in bare CT. Yield results varied by crop: soybean yield was unaffected by tillage treatment but increased by 21% under mulch in MT; maize yield was highest in RT without mulch (13.95 t/ha); and spring wheat yield significantly improved in mulched MT (3.83 t/ha), compared to bare plots (1.75 t/ha). These findings highlight the synergistic benefits of non-inversion tillage and straw mulch in enhancing soil quality and crop yields, offering a sustainable management strategy for Central European agroecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Luka Brezinscak & Igor Bogunovic, 2025. "Optimizing Tillage and Straw Management for Improved Soil Physical Properties and Yield," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:376-:d:1588794
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/376/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/376/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jaroslava BARTLOVÁ & Barbora BADALÍKOVÁ & Lubica POSPÍŠILOVÁ & Eduard POKORNÝ & Bořivoj ŠARAPATKA, 2015. "Water stability of soil aggregates in different systems of tillage," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 10(3), pages 147-154.
    2. Jianyu Yuan & Mahran Sadiq & Nasir Rahim & Majid Mahmood Tahir & Yunliang Liang & Macao Zhuo & Lijuan Yan & Aqila Shaheen & Basharat Mahmood & Guang Li, 2023. "Changes in Soil Properties and Crop Yield under Sustainable Conservation Tillage Systems in Spring Wheat Agroecosystems," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-23, June.
    3. Anca Elena Calistru & Feodor Filipov & Irina Gabriela Cara & Marius Cioboată & Denis Țopa & Gerard Jităreanu, 2024. "Tillage and Straw Management Practices Influences Soil Nutrient Distribution: A Case Study from North-Eastern Romania," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Saven Thai & Tomáš Davídek & Lenka Pavlů, 2022. "Causes clarification of the soil aggregates stability on mulched soil," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 17(2), pages 91-99.
    5. Shaobo Wang & Liangliang Guo & Pengchong Zhou & Xuejie Wang & Ying Shen & Huifang Han & Tangyuan Ning & Kun Han, 2019. "Effect of subsoiling depth on soil physical properties and summer maize (Zea mays L.) yield," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(3), pages 131-137.
    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. Vladimír ŠIMANSKÝ & Martin LUKÁČ, 2018. "Soil structure after 18 years of long-term different tillage systems and fertilisation in Haplic Luvisol," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 13(3), pages 140-149.
    2. Lei Zhang & Xiaowei Wang & Jianneng Chen & Haiyang Wang & Yonggan Cao, 2024. "Analysis and Optimization of Low-Resistance Animal Bionic Subsoiling Shovel Based on EDEM," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Shuwei Zhu & Tianping Gao & Zhen Liu & Tangyuan Ning, 2022. "Rotary and subsoiling tillage rotations influence soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration and crop yield," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 68(2), pages 89-97.
    4. Plamena D. Nikolova & Boris I. Evstatiev & Atanas Z. Atanasov & Asparuh I. Atanasov, 2025. "Evaluation of Weed Infestations in Row Crops Using Aerial RGB Imaging and Deep Learning," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Lenka Pavlů & Jiří Balík & Simona Procházková & Petra Vokurková & Ivana Galušková & Ondřej Sedlář, 2023. "Soil organic matter quality of variously managed agricultural soil in the Czech Republic evaluated using DRIFT spectroscopy," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 18(4), pages 281-291.
    6. Igor Bogunović & Péter Gergő Kovács & Igor Ðekemati & Ivica Kisić & István Balla & Márta Birkás, 2019. "Long-term effect of soil conservation tillage on soil water content, penetration resistance, crumb ratio and crusted area," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(9), pages 442-448.
    7. Celso Mondlhane & Lawrence Munjonji & Íris Victorino & Carlos Huenchuleo & Paula Pimentel & Pablo Cornejo, 2025. "Sustainable Agricultural Alternatives to Cope with Drought Effects in Semi-Arid Areas of Southern Mozambique: Review and Strategies Proposal," World, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-20, February.
    8. Yue Ma & Zheng Li & Yandong Xu & Chenglong Li & Hao Ding & Chenghao Li & Qiang Tang & Minghui Liu & Junming Hou, 2025. "The Development of No-Tillage Seeding Technology for Conservation Tillage—A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-22, February.
    9. Jianning He & Zhenwen Yu & Yu Shi, 2019. "Effects of strip rotary tillage with subsoiling on soil enzyme activity, soil fertility, and wheat yield," Plant, Soil and Environment, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(9), pages 449-455.
    10. Lenka Pavlů & Jiří Balík & Simona Procházková & Petra Vokurková & Ivana Galušková & Ondřej Sedlář, . "Soil organic matter quality of variously managed agricultural soil in the Czech Republic evaluated using DRIFT spectroscopy," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 0.
    11. Wei, Shiyu & Kuang, Naikun & Jiao, Fengli & Zong, Rui & Li, Quanqi, 2023. "Exploring the effects of subsoiling tillage under various irrigation regimes on the evapotranspiration and crop water productivity of winter wheat using RZWQM2," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    12. Lubica Pospíšilová & Jana Plisková & Victory Armida Janine Jaques & Tomáš Zikmund & Luboš Sedlák & Aleš Eichmeier & Aleš Klement & Radka Kodešová & Luboš Borůvka & Jozef Kaiser & Ladislav Menšík, 2024. "Computed tomographic visualisation and 2D/3D microscopic evaluation of soil macro- and micromorphology," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 19(3), pages 176-189.

    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:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:376-:d:1588794. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.