Enhancing crop productivity and resilience by promoting soil organic carbon and moisture in wheat and maize rotation

Soils with high organic carbon (SOC) have been shown to enhance crop yields while minimizing climate-induced losses. However, the resilience impacts and mechanisms by which high SOC enhances crop performance have not been fully explored. Here, eight-year rotations of winter wheat and summer maize managed with chemical fertilizer input alone (CF) or with cattle manure (OM) or with peat and vermiculite (PV) were conducted, and various soil properties were measured alongside crop growth, nitrogen (N) uptake, and grain yield, with seasons categorized as dry or normal based on precipitation amounts. The OM and PV treatments increased SOC by 57% and 78% relative to the CF, respectively, and improved soil nutrient availability and the soil quality index. Soil moisture content in the 0–30 cm layer increased by 3.5–26.6%, but was less influenced in the 30–90 cm soil layers. Annual yield of wheat plus maize increased by 13% and 12% in OM and PV compared to the CF, and the yield sustainability index increased by 29% and 17%. Yield gains were more pronounced in dry compared to normal seasons, ranging from 19% to 28% and 12–15% for wheat. At least in part, the relative advantages of OM and PV treatments under drying conditions were associated with accelerated growth and N uptake rate from sowing to stem elongation for wheat and maize. Among the factors influencing yield in the present study, soil moisture exerted the greatest positive total effect on yield. Overall, the results highlight that enhanced SOC resulting from combined application of organic amendments and mineral fertilizer was positively associated with yield by promoting soil quality and water availability, with a more pronounced benefit under water-limited conditions. [Display omitted] •Improved soil quality and moisture enhance wheat and maize yield and stability.•Combined inorganic fertilizer and organic amendments increased soil moisture in the 0–30 cm but not in deeper layers.•Better soils with high SOC enhanced wheat and maize yield and stability during dry seasons.•Accelerated vegetative growth and nutrient uptake by high SOC contributed to productivity resilience.