Soil properties and winter wheat performance as influenced by post-sowing compaction in North China Plain

Abstract. Appropriate post-sowing compaction can create suitable soil conditions for planted seeds by compacting soil particles to a proper density, providing better soil-seed contact and reducing the moisture loss rate for planting. Soil properties and crop performance variations can be created by different compaction methods after sowing. Data from a field experiment conducted in North China Plain was used to evaluate the impact of three post-sowing compaction (seedbed compaction, once whole-field compaction and twice whole-field compaction) on soil temperature, moisture, water use efficiency, seedling emergence, shoot height and yield. The results showed that seedbed compaction (SC) significantly improved soil penetration resistance for seedbed soil but decreased it for inter-row soil compared to once whole-field compaction (OWFC), and twice whole-field compaction (TWFC) obtained greater penetration resistance than once whole-field compaction for both the seedbed and inter-row soil. SC significantly increased seedbed surface soil temperature by 1.12~1.28℃ at wintering stage and improved seedbed surface soil moisture content by 12.4%~48.5% at regreening, jointing, heading and filling stage than whole-field compaction treatments (OWFC and TWFC). The improvement of soil temperature might be of considerable importance in the cold weather for winter yield. SC significantly improved winter wheat yield by 13.4~16.1% and water use efficiency by 20.2~41.3% compared with OWFC and TWFC treatments. Thus it was concluded that seedbed compaction after sowing is an effective farming technique in North China Plain.