Zero tillage with paddy straw mulching is a promising technique for enhancing the yield and quality of potatoes

Continuous intensive tillage practice led to the deterioration of soil health and the environment. Considering the negative impact of conventional tillage (CT) practices on soil properties, a field experiment was conducted over two consecutive years 2021–23 to evaluate the effects of various tillage practices on potato yield, quality, and soil properties under rice-fallow system. Although CT showed improvement on a few growth parameters compared with zero tillage (ZT), the results revealed substantial improvements in physiological and yield parameters underZT with paddy straw mulching. Preferably, the ZT with paddy straw mulching in potato reported 45.11% more potato tubers (>75 g) over CT, resulting in an overall yield increase of 13.97% compared with CT. Nutrient content in both haulm and tuber was higher under ZT with paddy straw mulching, leading to greater nutrient uptake. Significant improvements in tuber quality parameters, including total ash, crude fiber, total carbohydrate, and crude protein content, were also observed in ZT with paddy straw mulching when compared with other tillage practices. Furthermore, ZT with paddy straw mulching facilitated the buildup of 10.66% more organic carbon and 68.07% more soil microbial biomass carbon relative to CT. Soil organic carbon stock increased by 16.56 t ha −1 , which was 15% higher than CT. Enhanced soil nutrient availability was also seen in ZT with paddy straw mulching compared with CT.