Response of oxidative stability of aggregate-associated soil organic carbon and deep soil carbon sequestration to zero-tillage in subtropical India

•Conservation agricultural lead to ∼40% higher SOC sequestration in top layers.•Deep soil layers accounted for ∼68% of sequestered C.•Despite storing ∼85% of total SOC, aggregates could store only 30% of SOC.•Zero-tillage could significantly enhance oxidative stability of SOC in top layers.•Residue addition could increase oxidative stability of C in deep soil layers.