Thank you for visiting nature. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer.
In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Rainfall variability, aridity, soil texture, tillage duration, crop species, and fertilizer type were used as co-varying factors.
Some deviations from these overall trends, however, were recorded with different co-varying variables. These results suggest NT needs to be complemented with other practices e. During the last few decades, agricultural practices that aim to mitigate N loss from croplands have been evaluated, including the retention of crop residue on the soil surface, the use of cover crops during fallow period, and better synchronization between fertilizer application and crop N demand 5.
In contrast to conventional land management i. In general, NT management offers several advantages when compared to CT as it improves various aspects of the crop-soil relationships e. NT practices can significantly reduce soil erosion and runoff but, at the same time, can increase water infiltration 8. With the amelioration in soil organic matter SOM content, vegetative growth and fertilizer-use efficiency are generally better for crops grown under NT management compared to CT 9.
Many variables, including physical e. Other variabilities likely reflect the interactions of tillage practices with soil texture, crop type, and NT duration. Improved soil biology and aeration with NT is a gradual process Fig. Black arrow indicates an increase of NT duration from left to right. Dashed grey arrow indicates consequences of corresponding properties on the left to runoff and leaching volume and concentration. Blue arrow indicates an increase or decrease of runoff and leaching associated with each corresponding NT property on the left.
