This data paper systematically compiles a dataset focusing on the black soil region of Northeast China, examining the effects of soil disturbance-reducing cultivation methods such as no-till (NT) and reduced-till (RT) practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) and crop yield. The aim is to quantify and gain a deeper understanding of how these conservation tillage methods affect SOC accumulation and crop productivity in black soil areas. This dataset integrates 838 independent observations from 140 published studies in the black soil region of Northeast China from 1983 to 2025. Each experiment records in detail the responses of SOC and crop yield under conventional tillage and NT or RT, while organizing a series of key explanatory variables, including climatic conditions (annual average temperature, annual average precipitation, moisture index), agricultural management practices (planting patterns, fertilization types, duration of experiments), and initial soil physicochemical properties (initial soil pH, initial SOC, total nitrogen, C/N ratio, silt and clay content, bulk density, etc.). This dataset strictly adheres to data standardization principles, unifying the units of all indicators. For key missing variables, supplementary materials traceable in the original literature are given priority. Each record in this dataset includes the mean, standard deviation (SD), number of repetitions (N), and unified units (Unit) for both the control group (CK) and the treatment group (T), thereby providing high-quality, reusable data resources that support researchers in conducting multi-dimensional and in-depth statistical analyses. This approach helps to reveal the regional-specific characteristics, multi-factor interaction mechanisms, and spatiotemporal dynamics of soil fertility and crop yield benefits under NT/RT, providing a solid scientific basis and data support for the formulation and optimization of regional sustainable agricultural management measures in black soil areas.
HUANG et al. (Mon,) studied this question.