This study evaluates the long-term effects of land-use and fertilization practices on soil properties in the Loess Plateau, China, over five years (2019-2024), focusing on soil stability, fertility, and cropping systems. Soil samples from depths of 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and 20-30 cm were analyzed across six cropping systems: continuous wheat (WH), maize (MA), alfalfa (AL), wheat-alfalfa rotation (W-A-R), wheat-maize rotation (W-M-R), and abandoned field (CK). Fertilization treatments included no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilization 120 kg ha(-)1 N, 60 kg ha(-)1 P, and organic fertilization (75 t cow dung/ha). Partial Least Squares Modeling (PLS-M) assessed interactions between land use, fertilization, and soil attributes. Significant differences emerged in soil properties across treatments. At 0-10 cm, AL showed the highest total nitrogen (3 mg kg-1) and soil organic carbon (22 g kg-1), while CK recorded the lowest values. Organic fertilization enhanced soil aggregate stability (69.07% in AL vs. 34.13% in CK). Temporal comparisons (2020 vs. 2024) revealed improved soil stability in rotation-based and organic fertilization systems. Depth-wise, aggregate stability decreased in AL but increased in W-M-R and WH with depth, reflecting diverse management impacts. Alfalfa-based and rotational cropping systems, combined with organic fertilization, improve soil stability, fertility, and productivity, highlighting their relevance for sustainable agriculture. Future studies should refine these strategies for broader application in arid regions.Graphical AbstractSix boxes represent different land use, two circles represent organic fertilizers treatments and land use changes while the map represent the land use sites. Green color with + + shows increases while red color with - shows decrease. Soil profile sampling depth is represented in middle while most of the significant changes occurred till 15 cm.