Fresh Straw Clippings as Organic Soil Amendments Quickly Recovered Soil Quality of Farmland by Improving Soil Structure and Soil Hydraulic Properties

ABSTRACT Intensive agriculture threatens soil quality globally, especially in semiarid regions. Organic matter inputs are recognized as effective strategies in improving soil quality quickly; however, it is unclear whether the fresh plant organic matter inputs more effectively improve soil quality compared with the traditional dried plant inputs. Here, a 2‐year field study was conducted to quantitatively evaluate the effects of fresh and dried maize straw clipping amendments (incorporated in the first 30 cm of the soil) on soil quality in a semiarid agroecosystem. We found that both fresh and dried plant clippings amendments improved soil physical properties compared with the non‐amended soil. Specifically, fresh and dried plant clippings amendments reduced fractal dimension (2.75% vs. 1.88%), while increasing total porosity (14.82% vs. 15.27%), mean weight diameter (65.38% vs. 14.03%), and geometric mean diameter (24.46% vs. 11.42%) at 0–30 cm soil depth compared with non‐amended soil. These structural improvements enhanced the soil water holding capacity. Furthermore, the enhancement of the soil quality index achieved with fresh plant clipping amendments (30.51%) surpassed that of dried amendments (25.46%). Random forest analysis further revealed that soil water‐holding capacity and porosity were the primary contributors to the soil quality index, whereas aggregate stability had a comparatively lower influence. Our results demonstrate that amending soil with fresh plant clippings is a more effective strategy than dried residues for rapidly improving soil structure, porosity, aggregate stability, and water retention in the short term. These findings highlight the potential of utilizing fresh plant materials to improve soil quality and support sustainable agriculture in semi‐arid regions.