Traditional Chinese medicine residue act as a better fertilizer for improving soil aggregation and crop yields than manure

[Display omitted] •Application of TCMR and SM increased soil nutrients and maize yields.•TCMR improved soil aggregate stability but SM did not.•TCMR enhanced soil aggregation by decreasing Na＋ and K＋ accumulation.•There is a low risk of soil heavy metal pollution with TCMR application.•Application of TCMR is more conducive to agro-ecosystem sustainability than SM. Manure application is widely considered to be an effective strategy for enhancing soil fertility and crop yields. However, concerns have been raised regarding the sustainability of these fertilizers due to the detrimental effects of salinity and toxic metals in animal manure on soil quality, especially in arid regions. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of applying sheep manure (SM) and traditional Chinese medicine residue (TCMR) on soil quality and crop in the agricultural practices of Loess Plateau, China. TCMR and SM treatments both decelerated the soil pH decreases and enhanced soil cation exchange capacity (CEC). Application of TCMR significantly increased the large macro-aggregate fraction of the soil and improved soil aggregation compared to SM (p