Poor physical structural components restrict soil fertility and crop productivity for wheat–maize cropping

Improving poor physical structural components has been gaining increasing recognition for its role in enhancing soil fertility. This study was conducted to identify the key physical structural barriers for soil fertility and their effects on crop productivity in Aquic Inceptisol. Based on the strip sampling in Fengqiu County, arable soils from 0–0.40 m profile pits were collected to determine the physical structural components including plough layer thickness, textural composition, soil aggregation and bulk density, as well as stocks of soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The grain yields of wheat and maize and amounts of fertilizer applications were also investigated. The tested soil was dominated by a plough layer of 0.15–0.18 m and sandy loam texture, which constituted 50% and 59%, respectively, of the studied profile pits. Compared to the soil with