A 12-year field experiment was conducted to assess straw mulch effects on soil organic carbon fractions, the carbon pool management index (CPMI) at different depths, and crop yield under a no-till rice-wheat rotation system on the Chengdu Plain, southwestern China.
Materials and methodsThere were two treatments in the experiment: no-till without straw mulch (CK) and no-till with straw mulch (SM). The soil was sampled at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30-cm depths. Soil total organic carbon (TOC), the labile organic carbon fractions, including particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and permanganate-oxidizable carbon (KMnO4-C), and the CPMI were analyzed. The crop grains were measured between September 2013 and May 2018.
Results and discussionBetween 2013 and 2018, rice and wheat grain yields under SM were comparable to CK, except there were higher rice yields in 2016 and higher wheat yields in 2017 under SM. The soil organic carbon decreased as soil depth increased in both treatments. Soil TOC, POC, and KMnO4-C concentrations at 0–5 and 5–10 cm, CPMI at 0–5 and 5–10 cm, and DOC at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20-cm soil depths were significantly greater under SM than under CK, whereas the MBC at 0–5 and 5–10 cm under SM was lower than CK. The POC/TOC, KMnO4-C/TOC, and DOC/TOC ratios were greater under SM in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm, 0–5 cm, and 5–10 and 10–20-cm layers than CK, respectively, whereas the MBC/TOC ratio decreased under SM at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20-cm depths.
ConclusionsThe results showed that straw mulching should be adopted when a no-till rice-wheat cropping system is used in southwestern China because it leads to effective improvements in SOC sequestration while still maintaining normal crop yields.
相似文献Being carbon-rich and porous, biochar has the potential to improve soil physical properties, so does conventional farming practice. Here, a field trial was conducted to investigate the combined effects of biochar use and farming practice on the physical properties of a salt-affected compact soil for wheat–maize rotation in the Yellow River Delta region.
Materials and methodsSalix fragilis L. was used as feedstock to produce biochar in the field via aerobic carbonization at an average temperature of 502 °C, terminated by a water mist spray, for use as a soil amendment at 0, 1, 2, and 4 g kg?1 doses (CK, T1, T2, and T3, respectively). Farming practices included rotary tillage/straw returning for wheat sowing, spring irrigation, no-tillage seeding of maize, and autumn irrigation. Both cutting ring and composite samples of the soil were collected at four stages of wheat–maize rotation (22, 238, 321, and 382 d after the benchmark date of land preparation for wheat sowing) for the determination of soil properties by established methods.
Results and discussionRotary tillage/straw returning reduced soil bulk density (BD) from 1.48 to 1.27 g cm?3 (CK) and 1.14 g cm?3 (T3) and increased saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) from 0.05?×?10?5 to 0.75?× 10?5 cm s?1 (CK) and 1.25?× 10?5 cm s?1 (T3). This tillage effect on BD and Ks gradually disappeared due to the disturbance from the subsequent farming practice. Biochar use lessened the disturbance. At maize harvest, BD was 1.47 (CK) vs. 1.34 g cm?3 (T3), and Ks was 0.06?×?10?5 (CK) vs. 0.28?×?10?5 cm s?1(T3); in comparison with CK, T3 increased Na+ leaching by 65%, Cl? leaching by 98%, organic carbon content by 40.3%, and water-stable aggregates (0.25–2 mm) by 38%, indicating an improvement in soil properties.
ConclusionsBiochar use and rotary tillage improved soil physical properties (BD, Ks) and favored soil aeration, water filtration, and salt leaching, which further helped the accumulation of soil organic carbon, the formation of water-stable aggregates, and the amelioration of salt-affected compact soil.
相似文献Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) has been widely used to improve soil moisture conditions in the ecological restoration of mining land. The effect of SAP on water-soluble salt movement in SAP-modified gneiss spoil in a semiarid region was studied in this experiment.
Materials and methodsWeathered gneiss spoil, dress soil, SAP, and turf were mixed via the L25(56) orthogonal test, and the semiarid environmental conditions were controlled for 1 year in a climate chamber.
Results and discussionThe results showed that bulk density, field water-holding capacity, and daily average evaporation rate of the substrate were dominated by the proportions of the soil and turf contents but were not significantly influenced by the SAP. The water-soluble salt in the top layer of the substrate increased significantly as the SAP concentration increased; i.e., it increased by 36.5% per 0.1% increase in the SAP within the range of 0 to 1%. The major ions influenced by the SAP were Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl?, and SO42?. The SAP decreased the pH of the substrate before the experiment, but only the top layer was influenced by the increase in the SAP after 1 year. The electrical conductivity (EC), which reflects the content of soluble ions in different substrate layers, was significantly influenced by the SAP in the following order: EC-middle layer < EC-bottom layer < EC-top layer.
ConclusionsBased on the above results, we can conclude that the strong water and salt ion absorption ability of the SAP may limit the leaching of water-soluble ions and aggravate the accumulation of surface salts under semiarid environmental conditions. This study will be helpful for understanding the salt accumulation caused by the use of SAP in the remediation of mine spoil with high soluble salt contents.
相似文献Soil chromium (Cr) pollution has received substantial attention owing to related food chain health risks and possible promotion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The aim of the present study was to develop a promising remediation technology to alleviate Cr bioavailability and decrease GHG emissions in Cr-polluted paddy soil.
Materials and methodsWe investigated the potential role of biochar amendment in decreasing soil CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions, as well in reducing Cr uptake by rice grains at application rates of 0 t ha?1 (CK), 20 t ha?1 (BC20), and 40 t ha?1 (BC40) in Cr-polluted paddy soil in southeastern China. In addition, the soil aggregate size distribution, soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration of soil aggregates, soil available Cr concentration, and rice yield were analyzed after harvesting.
Results and discussionBiochar amendment significantly reduced CO2, CH4, and N2O emission fluxes. Compared to CK, total C emissions in the BC20 and BC40 treatments decreased by 9.94% and 17.13% for CO2-C, by 30.46% and 37.10% for CH4-C, and by 34.24% and 37.49% for N2O-N, respectively. Biochar amendment increased the proportion of both the 2000–200 μm and 200–20 μm size fractions in the soil aggregate distribution. Accordingly, the organic carbon concentration of these fractions increased, which increased the total SOC. Moreover, biochar amendment significantly decreased soil available Cr concentration and total Cr content of the rice grains by 33.6% and 14.81% in BC20 and 48.1% and 33.33% in BC40, respectively. Rice yield did not differ significantly between biochar amendment treatment and that of CK.
ConclusionsBiochar application reduced GHG emissions in paddy soil, which was attributed to its comprehensive effect on the soil properties, soil microbial community, and soil aggregates, as well as on the mobility of Cr. Overall, the present study demonstrates that biochar has a great potential to enhance soil carbon sequestration while reducing Cr accumulation in rice grains from Cr-polluted rice paddies.
相似文献Large spoil heaps formed during construction projects have caused serious soil erosion and threatened ecological security. The recent researches on soil erosion of spoil heaps are based on one or several soil types, which can only represent the soil texture category within the limited area, but cannot be used in other larger scale areas. Soil texture and gravel are the main factors affecting infiltration and erosion processes of spoil heaps.
Materials and methodsThe runoff plot dimensions were 5.0 m?×?1.0 m?×?0.5 m (length × width × depth). A series of rainfall experiments with a constant rainfall intensity of 1.0 mm min?1 and a slope gradient of 25° were conducted to investigate the effects of soil texture (sandy, loam, and clay) and gravel mass content (GC, 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) on the infiltration and erosion processes. The gravels are divided into 3 classes according to particle size 2–14 mm (small), 14–25 mm (medium), 25–50 mm (large), and the mass ratios were 30%, 50%, and 20%. The duration of each rainfall event was 45 min after runoff out of the plot.
Results and discussionResults showed that there was a critical GC (10%) improving or controlling infiltration and soil loss. Infiltration rate of sandy spoil heap (SSH) decreased within 45 min, but it decreased first and then stabilized for loam spoil heap (LSH) and clay spoil heap (CSH). Soil loss rate (SLR) of SSH stabilized first and then increased, while it decreased and then stabilized for LSH and CSH. SLR at early stage (0–18 min) was 0.08–0.23 times than it was at later stage (18–45 min) for SSH, but it was 2.06–5.06 times and 1.46–1.95 times for LSH and CSH, respectively. The soil texture had a more significant effect on SLR (P?< 0.05) than GC did. The effects of gravel on SLRs were dependent on soil texture.
ConclusionsThe greater the GC was, the lower the SLR was for the spoil heaps. Special attention should be paid to the later stage during rainfall events for SSHs and the early stage for LSHs and CSHs when considering erosion protection measures.
相似文献
At present, the improvement of soil microbial function by the application of vermicompost in long-term monoculture system is rarely reported. We took advantage of a greenhouse pot experiment that examined the effects of vermicompost on soil microbial properties, enzyme activities, and tomato yield.
Materials and methodsThree soils subjected to 0, 5, and 20 years of continuous tomato cropping in a greenhouse were collected for a pot experiment. Treatments include chemical fertilizer (CF), vermicompost (VM), and poultry manure compost (PM). No fertilization was established as a control (CK). Biolog Eco microplates were used to measure soil microbial function.
Results and discussionThe results showed that compared to the CF and PM treatments, the VM treatment increased the abundances of bacteria (Bac, average 41% and 103%, respectively) and actinomycetes (Act, average 8.59% and 16.36%, respectively), while decreased the abundance of fungi (Fun, average 39% and 29%, respectively), and had the highest ratio of bacteria to fungi. Soil microbial activity, which was represented as the average well color development (AWCD), and microbial functional diversity were higher in the VM treatment than in the CF and PM treatments. The VM treatment led to greater improvement in soil health than the PM treatment, which expressed as the higher utilization of carboxylic acids and phenolic compounds in each type of soil. Catalase (Cat) and polyphenoloxidase (Ppo) activities in the VM treatment were significantly higher than those in the CF and PM treatments. We also found that the soil Cat activity, pH, available P, acid phosphatase (Pac) activity, and Ppo activity were important contributors to variation in the microbial population. Moreover, compared to CK, fruit yield in the VM treatment increased by 74%, 43%, and 28% in soils subjected to 0, 5, and 20 years of planting, respectively.
ConclusionsOur findings indicated that vermicompost can replace poultry manure compost to improve soil quality in greenhouse due to the ability of vermicompost to improve soil microbial functions.
相似文献Characterizations of soil aggregates and soil organic carbon (SOC) losses affected by different water erosion patterns at the hillslope scale are poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify how sheet and rill erosion affect soil aggregates and soil organic carbon losses for a Mollisol hillslope in Northeast China under indoor simulated rainfall.
Materials and methodsThe soil used in this study was a Mollisol (USDA Taxonomy), collected from a maize field (0–20 cm depth) in Northeast China. A soil pan with dimensions 8 m long, 1.5 m wide and 0.6 m deep was subjected to rainfall intensities of 50 and 100 mm h?1. The experimental treatments included sheet erosion dominated (SED) and rill erosion dominated (RED) treatments. Runoff with sediment samples was collected during each experimental run, and then the samples were separated into six aggregate fractions (0–0.25, 0.25–0.5, 0.5–1, 1–2, 2–5, >?5 mm) to determine the soil aggregate and SOC losses.
Results and discussionAt rainfall intensities of 50 and 100 mm h?1, soil losses from the RED treatment were 1.4 and 3.5 times higher than those from the SED treatment, and SOC losses were 1.7 and 3.8 times greater than those from the SED treatment, respectively. However, the SOC enrichment ratio in sediment from the SED treatment was 1.15 on average and higher than that from the RED treatment. Furthermore, the loss of <?0.25 mm aggregates occupied 41.1 to 73.1% of the total sediment aggregates for the SED treatment, whereas the loss of >?0.25 mm aggregates occupied 53.2 to 67.3% of the total sediment aggregates for the RED treatment. For the organic carbon loss among the six aggregate fractions, the loss of 0–0.25 mm aggregate organic carbon dominated for both treatments. When rainfall intensity increased from 50 to 100 mm h?1, aggregate organic carbon loss increased from 1.04 to 5.87 times for six aggregate fractions under the SED treatment, whereas the loss increased from 3.82 to 27.84 times for six aggregate fractions under the RED treatment.
ConclusionsThis study highlights the effects of sheet and rill erosion on soil and carbon losses at the hillslope scale, and further study should quantify the effects of erosion patterns on SOC loss at a larger scale to accurately estimate agricultural ecosystem carbon flux.
相似文献Frequent cultivation and overhead irrigation have led to severe surface crusting, erosion and poor irrigation performance on sandy clay loam soils in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia. This study was established to identify the key soil properties related to aggregate breakdown determined by different methods, and explore options for reducing soil crusting.
Materials and methodsSoil aggregates were collected from 0 to 5 cm depth from 20 sites managed for packet salad and lettuce production. The stability of air-dried 2.00–4.75 mm aggregates was determined by rainfall simulation, wet sieving and clay dispersion. Soil aggregates were analysed for particle size, mineralogy, soluble and exchangeable cations, pH, EC, labile carbon and total carbon. The association between aggregate stability and the measured soil properties was explored using Spearman correlation, linear regression and regression tree analysis.
Result and discussionAggregate stability determined by rainfall simulation was closely associated with soil properties that promote aggregation, including effective cation exchangeable capacity (ECEC) and the proportion of polyvalent cations (Ca2+, Al3+). In contrast, aggregate stability determined by wet sieving was associated with soil properties that promote disaggregation, including quartz and sand content, and to lesser extent, the proportion of monovalent cations (especially K+). Clay dispersion was closely associated with pH, quartz content, soil texture and the sodium adsorption ratio. Soil carbon appeared to have only moderate influence on aggregate stability, but not clay dispersion, while labile carbon was not significantly related to any measure of aggregate stability or clay dispersion. Similarly, the proportion of Na+ ions was not related to either measure of aggregate stability and was only moderately related to clay dispersion.
ConclusionsOptions for improving aggregate stability appear limited as aggregate stability was strongly related to the content of inherent soil properties such as sand/quartz and smectite contents. However, high correlation between exchangeable Ca2+ and aggregate stability determined by rainfall simulation indicates that soil crusting may be reduced through application of products that rich in Ca2+ such as gypsum.
相似文献