Soil physicochemical and biological properties in soybean areas under no-till Systems in the Brazilian Cerrado

No-till (NT) as a conservation practice aims to minimize soil disturbance and enhance soil sustainability. However, how NT practice affects soil physicochemical and biological properties in soybean areas remains unclear. This study selected 65 high-yielding soybean farms under a long-term NT system in the Brazilian Cerrado and collected soil samples at 0.0–0.10 m (L1), 0.10–0.20 m (L2) and 0.20–0.40 m (L3) depths. The effect of NT on soil properties and interactions with soybean productivities were assessed. Results showed that the average soybean yield of the study areas in the last three years was 4.13 Mg ha−1, with 26 areas presenting yields over 4.20 Mg ha−1. Most studied soil properties showed a depth stratification and were strongly concentrated in L1, except for S, Al3+ and aluminum saturation, which displayed lower surface and higher subsurface concentrations. Moreover, a high proportion of SOM is composed of light SOM fraction in areas of high soybean yield, with the average SOM values of 39.9, 27.8 and 19.6 g kg-1 in L1, L2 and L3, respectively. Soils under long-term NT present moderate values of enzyme activity compared with the relatively low values under conventional tillage system, especially 94 % of the plots have moderate values of activity of arylsulfatase enzymes. The data presented support the conclusion that NT system can enhance soil fertility and biological quality in soybean cultivation. Our results suggest that it is necessary to adopt NT practice because it allows increasing soybean productivity in Brazil without the need to increase the sown area, in addition to increasing productivity associated with an improvement in the agroecosystem quality, thus moving toward a more sustainable agriculture. [Display omitted] •Soil properties showed a depth stratification and were strongly concentrated in L1, except for S, Al3+ and aluminum saturation.•Areas of high soybean yield has a high annual input of biomass-C and potential of SOC accumulation.•Depletion of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the subsoil, and the proportional increase in Al3+ and pH (H2O), had negative effects on soybean yield.•No-till system can enhance soil fertility and biological quality in soybean cultivation.