*Strategic Tillage for Improved Soil Health and Nutrient Dynamics DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113732*

for crop productivity and need to be carefully managed for availability, efficiency, and prevention of losses through erosion, leaching, or gas emissions. Conventional intensive tillage often results in depletion of native soil nutrients and disruption of biological nutrient cycling, necessitating ever-greater inputs of synthetic fertilizers to maintain yields [1]. Strategic tillage may influence multiple aspects of soil nutrient status and behavior relative to no-till systems, including soil organic matter mineralization, soil nutrient stratification, gaseous emissions, and interactions with applied nutrient sources [3, 13]. For example, occasional shallow incorporation of surface residues and amendments may increase nutrient contact with actively cycling soil biology to enhance plant availability and reduce buildup of nutrients like phosphorus at the surface [1]. But, excess disturbance could also accelerate soil organic matter losses and nitrogen mineralization [11].
