Advances in Tillage Methods to Improve the Yield and Quality of Crops—2nd Edition

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 851

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: water-saving irrigation; agricultural water management; model simulation
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: soil water; groundwater; crop modeling; data fusion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Following the success of the first Special Issue, entitled “Advances in Tillage Methods to Improve the Yield and Quality of Crops” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy/special_issues/7557T720DG), in Agronomy, we are pleased to announce the launch of a second edition of the Issue.

Tillage practices play a prominent role in regulating soil structures, increasing soil fertility and water availability, and improving the yield and quality of crops. We are therefore planning a Special Issue of Agronomy on “Advances in Tillage Methods to Improve the Yield and Quality of Crops—2nd Edition”, which will focus on research and advancements in tillage methods and agricultural management that promote sustainable agriculture and improvements to soil health. Some examples of cutting-edge research areas in this field include conservation agriculture, straw mulching, and plastic film mulching. This Special Issue invites original research, model simulations, and applications and reviews of tillage methods including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  1. No-till subsoiling practices, ridge tillage, conservation tillage, etc.;
  2. Straw mulching and plastic film mulching practices;
  3. Effects of tillage methods on soil micro-environments and soil fertility;
  4. Tillage effects on plant growth, yields, and water use efficiency;
  5. Model simulations and applications to determine the effects of various tillage methods on WUE and crop production.

Dr. Jiatun Xu
Prof. Dr. Xiaobo Gu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant growth
  • crop productivity
  • soil fertility
  • agroecosystems
  • plant–soil relationships
  • sustainable agricultural practices

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

48 pages, 6357 KB  
Article
Optimization of Leveler–Compactor Parameters in Combined Strip Tillage for Soil Preparation Under Plastic Film for Melon Crops
by Yurii Syromiatnykov, Farmon Mamatov, Khayriddin Fayzullaev, Fakhridin Karshiev, Dustmurod Chuyanov, Eshpulat Eshdavlatov, Ibrat Ismailov, Isroil Temirov, Akmal Eshdavlatov, Laziz Gulomov, Shahnoza Abduganiyeva and Shakhriyor Jalilov
Agronomy 2026, 16(8), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16080809 - 15 Apr 2026
Viewed by 270
Abstract
Strip tillage combined with plastic film mulching is widely used to improve moisture conservation and crop productivity in arid and semi-arid regions; however, the quality of a prepared strip strongly depends on the secondary leveling and compaction of the loosened soil. The aim [...] Read more.
Strip tillage combined with plastic film mulching is widely used to improve moisture conservation and crop productivity in arid and semi-arid regions; however, the quality of a prepared strip strongly depends on the secondary leveling and compaction of the loosened soil. The aim of this study was to substantiate the design and operating parameters of a skid-type leveler–compactor integrated into a combined machine for one-pass pre-sowing soil preparation of rainfed land with the simultaneous laying of drip irrigation hoses and plastic film for melon crops. The research combined theoretical modeling of soil–tool interaction with single-factor and multifactor field experiments and a two-year agronomic evaluation under farmer field conditions. The optimal parameter ranges were 24.0–26.0° for the lower compacting element, 151–155° for the upper leveling part, and 24.3–27.0 cm for the tool height. Under these conditions, the proposed system ensured a soil fraction < 25 mm of 87.2%, surface irregularities of 1.34 cm, and reduced fuel consumption, from 38.6 to 26.3 kg ha−1, compared with the conventional method. The field emergence increased to 91.6%, the total yield reached 50.7 t ha−1, and the water use efficiency increased to 17.4–18.9 kg m−3. The results demonstrate that optimization of the leveler–compactor significantly improves strip quality, agronomic performance, and resource use efficiency in melon production under plastic film. Full article
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