Enhanced phosphorus conservation and cycling: Mechanistic insights from three-year rotational tillage in northeast China

Abstract

Effective crop residue management is crucial for phosphorus (P) cycling in agricultural ecosystems, yet the underlying mechanisms of various residue return strategies remain inadequately understood. This study presents the initial three-year results from a long-term field experiment in northeast China comparing four maize residue management practices: conventional ridge tillage without residue return (DT), no-tillage with surface residue retention (NT), three-year rotational tillage with depth-variable (15/20/35 cm) residue incorporation (VT), and annual deep tillage (0–35 cm) with residue incorporation (AT). Results demonstrated distinct depth-stratified impacts on soil phosphatase activities and P fractions. NT significantly enhanced the sum of phosphodiesterase (PDase), alkaline phosphomonoesterase (AlPase), and acid phosphomonoesterase (AcPase) activities by 26.0% compared to DT in surface soil (0–10 cm), increasing labile inorganic P accumulation by 16.9% compared to DT. Conversely, VT and AT increased phosphatase activities by 24.9% compared to DT and NT at 10–35 cm depths, with VT enhancing labile organic P conservation by 71% at intermediate depths (10–35 cm) and AT primarily increasing moderately labile organic P conservation by 465% in deeper soil (20–35 cm) compared to DT. Structural equation modeling revealed that NT and VT employed more diverse P regulatory pathways than AT and DT, suggesting greater functional resilience. This study establishes three-year rotational tillage as an optimal strategy for P conservation and availability throughout the plow layer while minimizing environmental losses, providing critical insights for sustainable agroecosystem management.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

no tillage / rotational tillage / deep plowing / soil phosphorus fractions / phosphatases / soil phosphorus cycling

Highlight

	● No-tillage (NT) can only provide inorganic phosphorus (P) in the top 0‒10 cm of soil.
	● Deep plowing with straw (AT) benefits organic P, particularly at depths of 20‒35 cm.
	● Rotational tillage (VT) is effective in maintaining organic P at the 10‒35 cm of soil.
	● Only rotational tillage is capable of preserving organic P as labile organic P.
	● NT and VT employed more diverse P regulatory pathways than AT.

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