| A study of conservation tillage was conducted in the semi-arid area of west Loess Plateau in Gansu province. The results showed that soil bulk density could be increased in the initial stage, but became steady in the later years under the treatment of no-till with straw mulching compared to conventional tillage, conventional tillage with straw returning and no-till with no straw mulching. By comparing sorptivity,macroscopic capillary length, mean pore diameter and saturated hydraulic conductivity, it was indicated that no-till with straw mulching could improve water infiltration significantly. |