Enhancement of no-tillage, crop straw return and manure application on field organic matter content overweigh the adverse effects of climate change in the arid and semi-arid Northwest China

Abstract

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for sustainable agricultural production. Agricultural management can directly or indirectly affect SOM content and associated soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. The SOM content and crop productivity are generally low in the farmlands in the arid and semi-arid regions of China, and are highly sensitive to climate changes. An improvement in SOM content may greatly enhance the efficiency of fertilizer and water use, thereby increasing the resilience of agricultural systems to climate change. However, little information is available on the response of SOM to the interactions of cultivation measures and changing climate in the regions. Here we analyzed the ef..