Conservation agriculture improves soil health and sustains crop yields after long-term warming

Climate warming threatens global food security by exacerbating pressures on degraded soils under intensive crop production. Conservation agriculture is promoted as a sustainable solution that improves soil health and sustains crop yields in a changing climate, but these benefits may be affected by long-term warming. This study investigates the effects of conservation agriculture compared to conventional agriculture on soil properties, microbial diversity, and crop yields during eight years of experimental warming. Long-term warming increased soil health indicators and crop productivity, but only under conservation agriculture. Improved soil health and shifts in soil fungal diversity were linked to increased wheat yields under conservation agriculture. Conservation agriculture resulted in a 21% average increase in soil health and supported similar crop production after long-term warming compared to conventional agriculture.

Jialing Teng, Ruixing Hou, Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Guiyao Zhou, Yakov Kuzyakov, Jingbo Zhang, Jing Tian, Zhenling Cui, Fusuo Zhang, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo