Context or Problem: Chinese agriculture is characterised by low N-use efficiency, high N surplus, and high N losses, while tillage management can regulate crop output, greenhouse gas emissions and soil N dynamics. Previous studies have investigated the effects of tillage or fertilizer application on crop yield, NUEs and the soil ecological environment. However, there are still research gap on the effect of tillage practice combine with parallel fertilizer N application on maize yield, NUEs and N balance, especially under semi-arid agroecosystem. Objective or Research Question: This study, therefore, attempts to realise the goal of yield maintenance and improved N utilisation under parallel N application by analysing maize yield and comparing NUE indices and N balance under conservation and conventional tillage with parallel N fertilizer application. Methods: A three-year experiment was, therefore, conducted under semi-arid conditions to study how soil partial N balance and N surplus, N efficiency parameters (N-uptake efficiency (NUpE), N-utilisation efficiency (NUtE), factor productivity of applied nitrogen (PFPN) and N harvest index (NHI %)), grain yield, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and net income varied with the four types of tillage methods-no tillage (NT), minimal tillage (MT), subsoiler tillage (ST) and conventional tillage (CT). Results: Compared to CT, NT reduced maize yield by 3.9 % and MT and ST significantly increased maize yield by 14.1 % and 11.1 %, respectively. NT had the lowest PFPN, and MT had markedly higher PFPN than other treatments (increased by 14.1 % compared to CT). MT and ST had significantly lower NUtE values than CT (p<0.05). Excluding ST (-19.44 kg.ha(-1)), all treatments presented a positive soil partial N balance value (9.71-44.57 kg.ha(-1)). The NT group had a significantly lower income (13,612.25 US$.ha(-1)); MT maintained the highest level of income (16,157.53 US$.ha(-1)) and a relatively low N surplus (28.90 kg N ha(-1)). CT emitted more GHGs than NT and MT (34.65 % and 23.35 %). Meanwhile, long-term CT led to a higher carbon tax (6530.53 US$.ha(-1)). In addition, tillage had a direct positive impact on partial N balance and an indirect effect through soil N, plants, and plant NUE on soil partial N balance. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that tillage influenced maize yield and NUE indices. Therefore, long-term MT resulted in low environmental risks and higher profits, and CT exerted a strong adverse effect on the environment in the long term. Implications or Significance: Thus, enhancing yields does not solely rely on the augmentation of nitrogen inputs, tillage management can also achieve sustainable production, especially environmental proposal in semi-arid agroecosystems.