Higher yield sustainability and soil quality by manure amendment than straw returning under a single-rice cropping system

Combined application of chemical fertilizers with organic amendments has been shown to improve soil fertility and agronomic performance of rice. The responses of sustainable rice production and soil quality to long-term different fertilization regimes have not been widely discussed. What is the effect on rice yield and soil quality under different fertilization management practices? A ten-year field trial was performed to systematic evaluation the impact of different fertilization regimes [no fertilized (control), chemical fertilizers alone (NPK), NPK along with cattle manure application (NPK+m), NPK along with rice straw return (NPK+s)] on rice grain yield, yield sustainability, and soil quality. A total of twenty soil indicators in two-layer soil depth (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) were determined, including soil physical, chemical and biological indicators. The NPK+m produced higher averaged rice grain yield, increased by 11.6% and 4.3% for rice cultivar LYP9, 10.5% and 7.6% for cultivar YY12, respectively, compared to the NPK and NPK+s treatments. In addition, sustainable yield index (SYI) was the highest for both rice cultivars in the NPK+m treatment. However, the relative rice grain yield (NPK+s/NPK) against time showed a significant (P