Effects of different straw return methods on soil properties and yield potential of maize

-N) in the 0-45 cm soil layer compared to CK, whereas there were no differences between straw-returned treatments in the 0-15 cm soil layer. Finally, maize yield was significantly increased by 13.14% and 11.41% in the second year of DPR and SSR, respectively, compared to CK. This study demonstrated that DPR and SSR are effective at enhancing the agricultural utilization of crop residues and represent feasible strategies for improving physical, chemical, and biological processes in continuous maize cropping systems, leading to increased crop productivity.