The objective of this study was to select the optimum tillage pattern though studying the effect of the different tillage patterns on the soil nutrient and crop yield. The field experiment was conducted with split plot design with six treatments:two main treatments with rotary tillage and deep tillage in wheat season, combined with three subsidiary treatments with no-tillage sowing, subsoiling between the row and subsoiling in the row in maize season, including (1) rotary tillage + no-tillage sowing (RT-NT); (2) rotary tillage +subsoiling between the row (RT-SBR); (3) rotary tillage + subsoiling in the row (RT-SIR); (4) deep tillage + no-tillage sowing (DT-NT); (5) deep tillage + subsoiling between the row (DT-SBR); (6) deep tillage +subsoiling in the row (DT-SIR). The results showed that, all the soil nutrient contents decreased with soil depths in both wheat and maize seasons. In wheat season, the total nitrogen (TN), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) contents under rotary tillage treatments were significantly higher than those under deep tillage treatments; while, the soil organic matter (SOM), TN, AN, AP, NO₃^--N, and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) contents in 30-40 cm was increased under deep tillage treatments. In maize season, the SOM content in 0-30 cm under DT-NT treatment was increased by 40.1%~64.3% compared with RT-NT treatment. The TN content in 0-30 cm was increased under RT-SBR and RT-SIR treatment, with the highest value of 1.4 g/kg in 0-10 cm under RT-SBR treatment. The AN content was increased by 15.0%~25.3% in 0-20 cm under RT-SIR treatment compared with RT-NT treatment. In 0-40 cm, the highest AP content was observed under DT-SBR treatment, and the highest available potassium (AK) content was under RT-SBR treatment. The NO₃^--N (8.5~30.4 mg/kg) and NH₄⁺-N (2.6~8.9 mg/kg) contents in 20-50 cm under DT-SIR treatment were significantly higher than the others. Compared with the wheat season, the SOM in 10-20 cm, AN, AP and AK in 0-50 cm, NO₃^--N and NH₄⁺-N in 40-50 cm were increased in maize season. In maize season, the ear length, 100-grain weight, harvest index and yield under DT-SBR and DT-SIR were significantly higher than the others, and the yield was increased by 6.4%~10.8% under DT-SBR and DT-SIR compared with RT-NT treatment. The fertilizer partial productivity and economic benefit was highest under DT-SIR treatment in maize season. In sum, the soil nutrient contents and crop yield were improved under the DT-SIR treatment, which was suggested as the optimum practice in this study.