Rice-winter rapeseed rotation is one of the central double-crop systems in the Yangtze River (YRB) Basin, and most soils in this region are poorly drained clay soils, which has a negative effect on rapeseed growth. A field study comprising of two different tillage depths, topsoil tillage (Top-T), and subsoil tillage (Sub-T) were conducted in the paddy field (PF) and dryland (DL) in the rapeseed season, and no-tillage (NT) in subsequent rice and soybean season. The soil properties, root-shoot growth of rapeseed, and the yield of the three crops were collected to evaluate the effects of these tillage modes. Sub-T significantly reduced soil bulk density (SBD) and penetration resistance (PR) in PF and DL, while it increased the pH in PF, the concentration of moisture and total nitrogen, organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium in the 10−30 cm soil layers, and the activities of catalase, sucrose, urease, and acid phosphatase in the 10−20 cm soil as compared with Top-T. Furthermore, Sub-T significantly enhanced root bleeding sap (RBS), indole acetic acid, cytokinin, zeatin, and gibberellin concentration but decreased abscisic acid concentration. A principal component analysis showed that Sub-T could improve RBS and root hormones and promote the biomass accumulation of root and shoot by reducing SBD and PR and increasing nutrients in 10−30 cm soil. Finally, Sub-T significantly increased the seed yield of rapeseed by 2–16.5 % and did not have any significant negative effect on rice and soybean yield under NT in the next season, whereas, the rapeseed yield was significantly reduced by 22.9–36.2 % under Top-T, the rice, and soybean yield were significantly reduced by 33.6–41.1 % and by 26.0–41.9 % under NT in the next season, respectively, when compared to those under conventional tillage (CT, involved moldboard plowing to 15−18 cm and rotary tillage to 10−15 cm). Consequently, favorable soil conditions provided by Sub-T lasted for the next season, as rapeseed growth and grain yield were significantly promoted, and both the rice and soybean yield can also be maintained under NT.

稻冬油菜轮作是长江流域中央双熟制之一，该地区土壤多为排水不良的黏土，对油菜生长产生不利影响。在油菜籽季节的稻田 (PF) 和旱地 (DL) 中进行了包括两种不同耕作深度的田间研究，表土耕作 (Top-T) 和底土耕作 (Sub-T)，以及免耕（ NT）在随后的水稻和大豆季节。收集土壤特性、油菜根茎生长和三种作物的产量来评估这些耕作方式的效果。Sub-T 显着降低了 PF 和 DL 的土壤容重 (SBD) 和渗透阻力 (PR)，同时增加了 PF 的 pH、水分和总氮、有机质、碱解氮、有效磷、与Top-T相比，10-30 cm土层的有效钾含量，以及10-20 cm土层中过氧化氢酶、蔗糖、脲酶和酸性磷酸酶的活性。此外，Sub-T 显着提高根出血液 (RBS)、吲哚乙酸、细胞分裂素、玉米素和赤霉素浓度，但降低脱落酸浓度。主成分分析表明，Sub-T可通过降低SBD和PR，增加10~30 cm土壤养分，提高RBS和根系激素水平，促进根系和地上部生物量积累。最后，Sub-T 显着增加了油菜籽的种子产量 2-16.5%，并且对下一季 NT 下的水稻和大豆产量没有任何显着的负面影响，而油菜籽产量显着降低了 22.9-36.2%在 Top-T 下，大米，与常规耕作（CT，犁耕至 15-18 厘米，旋耕至 10- 15 厘米）。因此，Sub-T 提供的有利土壤条件持续到下一季，显着促进了油菜籽的生长和粮食产量，并且在 NT 下也可以保持水稻和大豆产量。