Conventional tillage (i.e. ploughing) that is applied in Italian rice fields ensures high grain yields, but may result in negative effects on physical and chemical fertility of soil. Conservation tillage can be a viable alternative to conventional allowing to reduce the environmental and economic impact of rice cultivation. However, there is limited knowledge on the effects of these alternative tillage systems on rice yield and paddy soil fertility in temperate climates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on yield and soil fertility of conservation tillage in the medium term in temperate rice continuous monoculture system. A six-years monocrop rice experiment (2014–2019) was carried out in North-West Italy, comparing three tillage methods: conventional tillage (ploughing – ), minimum tillage (), and no tillage () combined with three N fertilization rates (, − 120 kg N ha year, and − 160 kg N ha year). The study evaluated yield, yield components, plant N uptake, apparent N recovery (ANR), soil bulk density, total soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and C and N distribution between different soil organic matter (SOM) fractions. showed a similar grain yield to , while a 15 % reduction was recorded with , which was penalized by low plant density and high soil compaction in the surface layer. Although exhibited higher panicle density, spikelets per panicle, and 1000-grain weight than and , these factors were not sufficient to compensate for the grain yield gap. resulted in decreased plant N uptake and ANR, making increasing N fertilization in ineffective for recovering the yield gap with . After six years, no significant difference was found in SOC stock among the tillage treatments. However, conservation tillage influenced the vertical distribution of SOC, resulting in higher concentration in the superficial soil layer (0–15 cm) compared to . led to the highest amounts of labile and physically protected SOM in the 0–15 cm layer compared to , where lower crop residue input due to lower straw production limited the accumulation of these types of SOM fractions. use production resources more efficiently compared to and sustains soil fertility by promoting organic matter and nitrogen inputs, facilitating soil aggregation and preventing soil compaction. Yield reductions and excessive soil compaction are the main obstacles to the wide adoption of . Minimum tillage is a viable alternative to conventional tillage for improving the environmental and economic sustainability of Italian temperate rice cropping system, while no tillage may only be suitable for marginal and less productive areas.

中文翻译：

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温带水稻种植系统的保护性耕作：作物产量和土壤肥力

意大利稻田采用的传统耕作方式（即犁耕）可确保粮食高产，但可能会对土壤的物理和化学肥力产生负面影响。保护性耕作可以成为传统耕作的可行替代方案，从而减少水稻种植对环境和经济的影响。然而，关于这些替代耕作系统对温带气候下水稻产量和稻田土壤肥力的影响的知识有限。本研究的目的是评估温带水稻连续单作系统中期保护性耕作对产量和土壤肥力的影响。在意大利西北部进行了为期六年的单作水稻试验（2014-2019），比较了三种耕作方法：常规耕作（犁耕 - ）、少耕（）和免耕（）与三种氮肥施用率相结合（ , − 120 千克氮·公顷年，以及 − 160 千克氮·公顷年）。该研究评估了产量、产量构成、植物氮吸收、表观氮回收率 (ANR)、土壤容重、土壤总有机碳 (SOC) 储量以及不同土壤有机质 (SOM) 部分之间的 C 和 N 分布。显示出与 相似的谷物产量，而 则减少了 15%，这是由于植物密度低和表层土壤压实度高而受到不利影响。尽管表现出比 和 更高的穗密度、每穗小穗数和千粒重，但这些因素不足以弥补籽粒产量差距。导致植物氮素吸收和ANR下降，使得增加施氮肥对于恢复产量差距无效。六年后，耕作处理之间的 SOC 储量没有发现显着差异。然而，保护性耕作影响了 SOC 的垂直分布，导致表层土层（0-15 cm）的浓度高于 。与 相比，0-15 厘米层中不稳定且受到物理保护的 SOM 含量最高，其中由于秸秆产量较低，作物残渣输入量较低，限制了这些类型 SOM 部分的积累。通过促进有机质和氮的投入、促进土壤聚集并防止土壤板结，更有效地利用生产资源并维持土壤肥力。产量下降和土壤过度压实是广泛采用的主要障碍。少耕是传统耕作的可行替代方案，可改善意大利温带水稻种植系统的环境和经济可持续性，而免耕可能只适合边际和生产力较低的地区。