Europ. J. Agronomy 30 (2009) 228–237 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect European Journal of Agronomy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/eja Fourteen years of applying zero and conventional tillage, crop rotation and residue management systems and its effect on physical and chemical soil quality Mariela Fuentes a , Bram Govaerts b,∗ , Fernando De León c , Claudia Hidalgo a , Luc Dendooven d , Ken D. Sayre b , Jorge Etchevers a a Colegio de Postgraduados, Laboratorio de Fertilidad, IRENAT Km 36.5 Carretera México-Texcoco, Montecillo, México, CP 56230, Mexico b International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico c Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, Laboratorio de Fisiología y Tecnología de Cultivos, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, 04960 México, D.F., Mexico d Cinvestav, Dept. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, C.P. 07360, México, D.F., Mexico article info Article history: Received 11 July 2008 Received in revised form 28 October 2008 Accepted 28 October 2008 Keywords: Crop rotation Residue management Soil quality Triticum aestivum Zea mays Zero tillage abstract Soil management systems may negatively affect the quality of the soil. Policymakers and farmers need scientific information to make appropriate land management decisions. Conventional (CT) and zero tillage (ZT) are two common soil management systems. Comparative field studies under controlled conditions are required to determine the impact of these systems on soil quality and yields. The research presented studied plant and soil physical and chemical characteristics as affected by different agricultural manage- ment practices, i.e. ZT and CT, cropped with continuous wheat or maize in monoculture (M) or in a yearly rotation (R) of these two crops, either with residue retention (+r) or without residues retention (-r), in an experimental field in the Transvolcanic Belt of Mexico after 14 years. The dominant factors defining soil quality were organic C, total N, moisture, aggregate stability, mechanical resistance, pH and EC. The principal component combining the variables organic C, total N, aggregate stability and moisture content showed the highest correlations with final yield (R = 0.85 for wheat and 0.87 for maize). After 14 years of continuous practice, ZTM + r and ZTR + r had the best soil quality and pro- duced the highest wheat and maize yields of average 2001–2004 (6683 and 7672 kg ha -1 and 5085 and 5667 kg ha -1 , respectively). Removing the residues, i.e. treatments ZTM - r with maize (aver- age 2001–2004: 1388 kg ha -1 ) and ZTR - r and CTR - r with wheat (average 2001–2004: 3949 and 5121 kg ha -1 ), gave the lowest yields and less favourable soil physical and chemical characteristics com- pared to the other practices. It was found that zero tillage with residue retention is a feasible management technology for farmers producing maize and wheat in the agro-ecological zone studied, resulting in a better soil quality and higher yields than with the conventional farmer practice (maize monoculture, conventional tillage and residue removal). © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Soil quality has been defined as ‘the capacity of a soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air qual- ity, and support human health and habitation’ (Karlen et al., 1997) or ‘fitness for use’ (Larson and Pierce, 1994; Tugel et al., 2005). Soil quality depends on the extent to which a soil fulfils the role it is used for (Singer and Ewing, 2000). Therefore, within the frame- work of agricultural production, high soil quality equates to high ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +52 55 5804 2004; fax: +52 55 5804 7558. E-mail address: b.govaerts@cgiar.org (B. Govaerts). productivity without significant soil or environmental degradation. Soil quality describes the status or specific condition of the soil as a result of its management (Karlen et al., 2003). Evaluation of soil quality is based on physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the soil, which vary as a function of the management applied, such as tillage, crop rotation, and the handling of crop residues. It is well known that soil characteristics vary in relation to the type of tillage and the techniques applied, which determines the degree of degradation of the soil and its capacity to sustain crop produc- tion (Carter, 1994). Changes in soil quality are not only associated with management, but also with the environmental context, such as temperature and precipitation (Andrews et al., 2004). Larson and Pierce (1994) referred to the difficulty of properly estimating soil properties and soil quality. Therefore, they proposed 1161-0301/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.eja.2008.10.005