Abstract: As viewed from the impacts of agricultural activities on global change and on sustainable agriculture, thus causing an increased and urgent demand for global soil conservation tillage, this paper traces soil conservation tillage research progress in the past, the on-going, and the pioneer science studies abroad, and the current research progress in China. It analyzes the disparities in research aspects in China, from research conducted in length, depth, and methods to its application, as compared to others abroad. As China is a big country with severe soil and water losses, and land degradation problems, however, the current area under conservation tillage only accounts for 0.2% of the area worldwide, and only about 0.1% of China's total arable land area, this situation is indeed far from the increased demand of soil conversation due to the continuing increased degradation of land resource and soil quality. Therefore, strengthening research on soil conservation tillage systems, and soil conservation management in a long-term of "energy-saving and carbon-sequestrating" is of great significance not only for China, but also for global change and sustainable development in agriculture. In view of the lagged behind in soil conservation tillage research and development, and the faced challenge in China for catching up with others, and the involved multiple complicated science problems, and uncertainty factors in agro-ecosystems, such as the interaction of "tillage management-biological progress-environmental change", and the processes of energy and carbon flow, especially the special concerns on carbon sink/source uncertainty in agro-ecosystems, it is necessary using integrated system analysis methodologies, by means of long-term field and theoretical experience abroad, and the developed modeling approaches with interdisciplinary knowledge, to enhance research strength and level for improving carbon sink/source management, mitigating agricultural contribution to global warming, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Key words: Soil conservation tillage, Global change, Sustainable agriculture, Energy balance, Carbon cycle, Review