Conversion from conventional tillage to no-till in surface irrigated agroecosystems is low, mostly due to difficulties crop residue creates for water surface flow if no-till is implemented. A three-year continuous corn (Zea mays L.) study was conducted to evaluate the effects of residue management (retained yet mechanically moved out of the irrigation furrow, grazed, or baled/removed) and tillage (conventional tillage versus no-till) on soil health as verified using the Soil Management Assessment Framework. After three years of implementation, corn yields were 15% greater under no-till as compared to conventional tillage (13.1 versus 11.4 t ha⁻¹), and followed the order baled (13.6 t ha⁻¹) > grazed (12.5 t ha⁻¹) > retained (10.6 t ha⁻¹). In terms of corn residue management, soil health followed stover grazed = stover retained > stover baled/removed, a function of lower salts and greater plant-available K, beta-glucosidase activity, potentially mineralizable N, and microbial biomass C present – a result of greater water-stable aggregates and grazing’s influence on K and organic inputs. Reduced soil physical health was associated with a short-term increase in bulk density under no-till, while improved soil chemical health was associated with reductions in soil salts under no-till. Greater soil biological health was noted in the soil surface with no-till, due to greater beta-glucosidase activity, microbial biomass C, and a slight increase in soil organic C; the opposite was found with conventional tillage and soil depth. However, when combining the above observations, greater overall soil health was observed in the upper soil as associated with no-till as compared to conventional tillage; subsoil had greater overall soil health associated with conventional tillage. Understanding the importance of crop residue utilization in conjunction with no-till practices in surface irrigated agroecosystems can influence the adoption of sustainable management practices and should directly contribute to long-term soil health improvements and agroecosystem sustainability.

在地表灌溉农业生态系统中，从传统耕作到免耕的转化率很低，主要是因为如果实施免耕，作物残留物难以为水面流动创造条件。进行了一项为期三年的连续玉米 ( Zea mays L.) 研究，以评估残留物管理（保留但机械移出灌溉犁沟、放牧或打包/移除）和耕作（常规耕作与免耕）的效果使用土壤管理评估框架验证的土壤健康。实施三年后，与传统耕作相比，免耕玉米产量高出 15%（13.1 对 11.4 吨公顷^-1），并遵循打包（13.6 吨公顷^-1）> 放牧（12.5 吨公顷^-）的顺序¹ ) > 保留 (10.6 吨公顷⁻¹）。在玉米残留物管理方面，土壤健康遵循秸秆放牧 = 秸秆保留 > 秸秆打包/去除，低盐和更高植物可利用 K、β-葡萄糖苷酶活性、潜在可矿化 N 和微生物生物量 C 存在的函数 - 结果更大的水稳定性聚集体和放牧对钾和有机投入的影响。土壤物理健康状况的降低与免耕条件下容重的短期增加有关，而土壤化学健康状况的改善与免耕条件下土壤盐分的减少有关。由于 β-葡萄糖苷酶活性、微生物生物量 C 和土壤有机 C 略有增加，免耕土壤表面的土壤生物健康状况更好；常规耕作和土壤深度则相反。然而，当综合上述观察结果时，与传统耕作相比，免耕技术在上层土壤中观察到了更好的整体土壤健康状况；与常规耕作相关的底土具有更好的整体土壤健康状况。了解作物残留物利用与地表灌溉农业生态系统免耕实践的重要性，可以影响可持续管理实践的采用，并应直接促进土壤健康的长期改善和农业生态系统的可持续性。