Medium-term impact of tillage and residue management on soil aggregate stability, soil carbon and crop productivity

► Conventional tillage negatively affected soil aggregate stability. ► CA did not increase soil C content at 0-30 cm depth after 11 cropping seasons. ► CA did not increase physical C protection in soil aggregate fractions. ► Reduced tillage without residue retention suppressed soybean yields. ► Future research should establish critical minimum residue retention levels.