Variation Characteristics of Root Traits of Different Alfalfa Cultivars under Saline-Alkaline Stress and their Relationship with Soil Environmental Factors

Soil salinization is the main factor that threatens the growth and development of plants and limits the increase of yield.It is of great significance to study the key soil environmental factors affecting plant root traits to reveal the adaptation strategies of plants to saline-alkaline-stressed soil environments.In this study,the root biomass,root morphological parameters and root mineral nutrient content of two alfalfa cultivars with different sensitivities to alkaline stress were analyzed with black soil as the control group and the mixed saline-alkaline soil with a ratio of 7:3 between black soil and saline-alkaline soil as the saline-alkaline treatment group.At the same time,the correlation analysis of soil salinity indexes,soil nutrient indexes and the activities of key enzymes involved in soil carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus cycles was carried out.The results showed that compared with the control group,the pH,EC,and urease(URE)of the soil surrounding the roots of two alfalfa cultivars were significantly increased,while soil total nitrogen(TN),total phosphorus(TP),organic carbon(SOC),andα-glucosidase activity(AGC)were significantly decreased under saline-alkaline stress.There was no significant difference in root biomass and root morphological parameters of saline-alkaline tolerant cultivar GN under saline-alkaline stress.The number of root tips(RT),root surface area(RS)and root volume(RV)of AG were reduced by 61.16%,44.54%,and 45.31%,respectively,compared with control group.The ratios of K^(+)/Na^(+),Ca^(2+)/Na^(+)and Mg^(2+)/Na^(+)of GN were significantly higher than those of AG(p<0.05).The root fresh weight(RFW)and dry weight(RDW),root length(RL),RV and RT of alfalfa were positively regulated by soil SOC and TN,but negatively regulated by soil pH,EC,and URE(p<0.01).Root Ca^(2+)/Na+ratio was significantly positively correlated with soil TN,TP and SOC(p<0.01).The absorption of Mg and Ca ions in roots is significantly negatively regulated by soilβ-glucosidase activity(BGC)and acid phosphatase activity(APC)(p<0.05).This study improved knowledge of the relationship between root traits and soil environmental factors and offered a theoretical framework for elucidating how plant roots adapt to saline-alkaline stressed soil environments.

Impacts of Sulfur and Microalgae Co-fertilization on Saline-alkaline Soil of Sunflower Field in Hetao Irrigation District

[Objectives]To evaluate the impacts of the elemental sulfur(S 0)and micro-algae(MA)co-fertilization on saline-alkaline soil of sunflower field in the Hetao Irrigation District(HID).[Methods]The greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with four treatments:control(CK),single S 0 fertilization(S),single MA fertilization(A),and S 0 and MA co-fertilization(SA)for comparing the selected soil properties and sunflower plant heights and weights in different treatments.[Results]The results showed that the mean soil organic matter(SOM)under the SA(25.08 g/kg)was significantly higher than that for the CK(20.59 g/kg),S(22.47 g/kg),and A(22.95 g/kg).The mean pH under the SA(7.75)was significantly lower than that for the CK(8.14),S(7.82),and A(7.96).The mean soil exchangeable Na+concentration under the SA was significantly lower than that for the S.The mean soil electrical conductivity(EC)under the SA was 9.76%lower than that for the S.The means of Cl-(1.22 g/kg)and SO 2-4(1.90 g/kg)in soil under the SA were lower than that for the S(1.30,2.06 g/kg)and A(1.31,1.97 g/kg),respectively.For plant height 3 at the late stage of plant growth,the mean plant height 3 under the SA(89.00 cm)was higher than that of the CK(69.60 cm)and A(74.33 cm).The total weights of the fresh sunflower heads,fresh stems,and dry seeds under the SA were higher than that for the CK,S,and A.[Conclusions]In conclusion,the S 0 and MA co-fertilization had positive effects on improving saline-alkaline soils,the soil under the S 0 and MA co-fertilization could be better conditions for promoting sunflower growth than that for the S,Z,and CK,and thereby the S 0 and MA co-fertilization could be a new idea to improve saline-alkaline soil in the cold and arid regions.

Effects of Biochar and Wood Vinegar on Labile Phosphorus Pool in Soda Saline-Alkaline Soil

A pot experiment was conducted to research the effect of biochar and wood vinegar on labile phosphorus fractions in saline-alkali soil.There were eight treatments,including CK(0 kg•hm-2 biochar+0 kg•hm-2 wood vinegar),C1(0.6 t•hm-2 biochar),C2(0.6 t•hm-2 wood vinegar),C3(1.2 t•hm-2 wood vinegar),C4(1.8 t•hm-2 wood vinegar),C5(0.6 t•hm-2 biochar+0.6 t•hm-2 wood vinegar),C6(0.6 t•hm-2 biochar+1.2 t•hm-2 wood vinegar),and C7(0.6 t•hm-2 biochar+1.8 t•hm-2 wood vinegar).The results showed that biochar without wood vinegar and the co-application of biochar and wood vinegar significantly increased soil total phosphorus content.Meanwhile,compared with CK,all of treatments increased resin phosphorus and sodium bicarbonate-extracted inorganic phosphorus(NaHCO3-Pi)contents in saline-alkali soil.Especially,the contents of resin phosphorus and NaHCO3-Pi under C5,C6,and C7 treatments were higher than those of C2,C3,and C4 treatments,respectively,indicating that the increases of labile phosphorus contents under the co-application of biochar and wood vinegar were better than those of the alone application of biochar and wood vinegar.Each treatment increased the proportion of labile phosphorus pool in saline-alkali soil and the proportion of labile phosphorus pool increased with the increase of the amount of wood vinegar.In addition,the application of biochar and wood vinegar increased the 100-grain weight of rice,and C6 treatment had the best effect,increasing the 100-grain weight by 134.35%.Therefore,the application of biochar and wood vinegar in saline-alkali soil could improve the soil phosphorus availability,increase the weight of rice grains,thereby realizing the resource utilization of agricultural waste and the sustainable development of agriculture.

Priming for Saline-Alkaline Tolerance in Rice:Current Knowledge and Future Challenges

Soil salinization and/or alkalization is a major constraint to crop production worldwide.Approximately 60% of the cultivated land is affected by salt,over half of which is alkalized.Alkaline soils are characterized by high alkalinity and typically high salinity,which creates a complex saline-alkaline(SA) stress that affects plant growth.Rice cultivation has been accepted as an important strategy for effective utilization of SA land if water is available for irrigation.Nevertheless,as a salt-sensitive plant,rice plants suffer severe SA-induced damage,which results in poor plant growth and grain yield.Various approaches have been employed to improve rice productivity in SA land.Among them,the priming technique has emerged as a powerful method for enhancing SA tolerance in rice plants.In this review,we summarized how SA stress damages rice plants,and then presented how priming treatment can mitigate such damage.

Characteristics and Spatial Variability of Saline-Alkaline Soil Degradation in the Typical Yellow River Delta Area of Kenli County, China

As an important area of reserve land resources, the Yellow River Delta is faced with the problem of soil salinization. Grasping the characteristics of soil salinity as well as its spatial variation patterns is an important foundation of prevention, control and utilization of saline soil. This study selected Kenli County of the Yellow River Delta, obtained soil salinity data through field survey and lab experiment, and used statistical, GIS interpolation and buffer analysis methods to analyze the characteristics of soil salinity and its spatial variation patterns. Our results showed that the general soil salinity in the study area was mainly moderate and there was a significant positive correlation between different soil layers of 0 - 15 cm, 15 - 30 cm and 30 - 45 cm and soil salinity increased with the increase of soil depth. The areas with high soil salinity in each soil layer mainly distributed in the east near the Bo Sea in the county, while the areas with lower soil salinity mainly distributed in the southwest, centre and the two sides of the Yellow River in the northeast. Soil salinity showed a trend of decrease with the increase in distance to the Bo Sea, while stretching from the Yellow River, it showed increase tendency with the increase in distance to the Yellow River. The order from high soil salinity to low of different vegetation types was naked land → suaeda glauca → tamarix → vervain → reed → couch grass → paddy → cotton → winter wheat → maize;the order for different geomorphic types was depression → slightly sloping ground → slow hillock → high flood land. This study preliminary delineated the characteristics of soil salinity as well as its spatial variation patterns in the study area, and provided scientific basis for soil resource sustainable utilization in the Yellow River Delta.

Manure substitution improves maize yield by promoting soil fertility and mediating the microbial community in lime concretion black soil

Synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilizer has made a great contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and productivity,but excessive application of synthetic N fertilizer may cause agroecosystem risks,such as soil acidification,groundwater contamination and biodiversity reduction.Meanwhile,organic substitution has received increasing attention for its ecologically and environmentally friendly and productivity benefits.However,the linkages between manure substitution,crop yield and the underlying microbial mechanisms remain uncertain.To bridge this gap,a three-year field experiment was conducted with five fertilization regimes:i)Control,non-fertilization;CF,conventional synthetic fertilizer application;CF_(1/2)M_(1/2),1/2 N input via synthetic fertilizer and 1/2 N input via manure;CF_(1/4)M_(3/4),1/4 N input synthetic fertilizer and 3/4 N input via manure;M,manure application.All fertilization treatments were designed to have equal N input.Our results showed that all manure substituted treatments achieved high soil fertility indexes(SFI)and productivities by increasing the soil organic carbon(SOC),total N(TN)and available phosphorus(AP)concentrations,and by altering the bacterial community diversity and composition compared with CF.SOC,AP,and the soil C:N ratio were mainly responsible for microbial community variations.The co-occurrence network revealed that SOC and AP had strong positive associations with Rhodospirillales and Burkholderiales,while TN and C:N ratio had positive and negative associations with Micromonosporaceae,respectively.These specific taxa are implicated in soil macroelement turnover.Random Forest analysis predicted that both biotic(bacterial composition and Micromonosporaceae)and abiotic(AP,SOC,SFI,and TN)factors had significant effects on crop yield.The present work strengthens our understanding of the effects of manure substitution on crop yield and provides theoretical support for optimizing fertilization strategies.

Straw return increases crop production by improving soil organic carbon sequestration and soil aggregation in a long-term wheat-cotton cropping system

Straw return is a promising strategy for managing soil organic carbon(SOC)and improving yield stability.However,the optimal straw return strategy for sustainable crop production in the wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)-cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)cropping system remains uncertain.The objective of this study was to quantify the long-term(10 years)impact of carbon(C)input on SOC sequestration,soil aggregation and crop yields in a wheat-cotton cropping system in the Yangtze River Valley,China.Five treatments were arranged with a single-factor randomized design as follows:no straw return(Control),return of wheat straw only(Wt),return of cotton straw only(Ct),return of 50%wheat and 50%cotton straw(Wh-Ch)and return of 100%wheat and 100%cotton straw(Wt-Ct).In comparison to the Control,the SOC content increased by 8.4 to 20.2%under straw return.A significant linear positive correlation between SOC sequestration and C input(1.42-7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1))(P<0.05)was detected.The percentages of aggregates of sizes>2 and 1-2 mm at the 0-20 cm soil depth were also significantly elevated under straw return,with the greatest increase of the aggregate stability in the Wt-Ct treatment(28.1%).The average wheat yields increased by 12.4-36.0%and cotton yields increased by 29.4-73.7%,and significantly linear positive correlations were also detected between C input and the yields of wheat and cotton.The average sustainable yield index(SYI)reached a maximum value of 0.69 when the C input was 7.08 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1),which was close to the maximum value(SYI of 0.69,C input of 7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(-1))in the Wt-Ct treatment.Overall,the return of both wheat and cotton straw was the best strategy for improving SOC sequestration,soil aggregation,yields and their sustainability in the wheat-cotton rotation system.

Enhancing Deep Learning Soil Moisture Forecasting Models by Integrating Physics-based Models

Accurate soil moisture(SM)prediction is critical for understanding hydrological processes.Physics-based(PB)models exhibit large uncertainties in SM predictions arising from uncertain parameterizations and insufficient representation of land-surface processes.In addition to PB models,deep learning(DL)models have been widely used in SM predictions recently.However,few pure DL models have notably high success rates due to lacking physical information.Thus,we developed hybrid models to effectively integrate the outputs of PB models into DL models to improve SM predictions.To this end,we first developed a hybrid model based on the attention mechanism to take advantage of PB models at each forecast time scale(attention model).We further built an ensemble model that combined the advantages of different hybrid schemes(ensemble model).We utilized SM forecasts from the Global Forecast System to enhance the convolutional long short-term memory(ConvLSTM)model for 1–16 days of SM predictions.The performances of the proposed hybrid models were investigated and compared with two existing hybrid models.The results showed that the attention model could leverage benefits of PB models and achieved the best predictability of drought events among the different hybrid models.Moreover,the ensemble model performed best among all hybrid models at all forecast time scales and different soil conditions.It is highlighted that the ensemble model outperformed the pure DL model over 79.5%of in situ stations for 16-day predictions.These findings suggest that our proposed hybrid models can adequately exploit the benefits of PB model outputs to aid DL models in making SM predictions.

Regenerative Role of Soil Seed Banks of Different Successional Stages in A Saline-alkaline Grassland in Northeast China

Soil seed banks can act as a potential seed source for natural revegetation and restoration. However, in a saline-alkaline grassland, it remains unclear how the stages of vegetation succession affect the characteristics of soil seed banks and the potential of soil seed banks of different successional stages for vegetation restoration. In this study, seasonal changes of the soil seed bank, and seed production and dispersal dynamics along degradation successional gradients were investigated in a saline-alkaline grassland in Northeast China, where the dominant grass during the 1960 s, Leymus chinensis was replaced with the secondary successional order of Puccinellia chinampoensis, Chloris virgata, and Suaeda salsa, together with bare patches. It was found that the soil seed bank composition varied according to the changing vegetation and had the highest species richness(7–16) in the climax successional stage, but had a low S?rensen similarity(0.22–0.37) with the aboveground vegetation. There was a high seed density of the soil seed bank(21 062–62 166/m2 in August and December) and also high S?rensen similarity index values(0.47–0.60) in the secondary successional stages of P. chinampoensis, C. virgata, and S. salsa. In bare patches, there were many seeds in the soil seed bank and some seedlings also appeared in the aboveground vegetation, indicating the existence of a persistent soil seed bank. Seed density and species richness differed substantially among the different successional stages, which was related to the reproductive characteristics of the standing plants in vegetation communities. Due to the lack of propagules of perennial species, especially the climax species of L. chinensis, in the soil, the successful restoration of the degraded saline-alkaline grassland was not possible. The study proved that in a degraded saline-alkaline grassland dominated by biennial or annual species, the soil seed bank was important for the revegetation of the current dominant plants, but not for the restoration of the original target species. Therefore, it is necessary to induce seeds or other propagules of the target perennial species.

Time-lagged Effects of the Spring Atmospheric Heat Source over the Tibetan Plateau on Summer Precipitation in Northeast China during 1961–2020:Role of Soil Moisture

The spring atmospheric heat source(AHS)over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)has been suggested to affect the Asian summer monsoon and summer precipitation over South China.However,its influence on the summer precipitation in Northeast China(NEC)remains unknown.The connection between spring TP AHS and subsequent summer precipitation over NEC from 1961 to 2020 is analyzed in this study.Results illustrate that stronger spring TP AHS can enhance subsequent summer NEC precipitation,and higher soil moisture in the Yellow River Valley-North China region(YRVNC)acts as a bridge.During spring,the strong TP AHS could strengthen the transportation of water vapor to East China and lead to excessive rainfall in the YRVNC.Thus,soil moisture increases,which regulates local thermal conditions by decreasing local surface skin temperature and sensible heat.Owing to the memory of soil moisture,the lower spring sensible heat over the YRVNC can last until mid-summer,decrease the land–sea thermal contrast,and weaken the southerly winds over the East Asia–western Pacific region and convective activities over the South China Sea and tropical western Pacific.This modulates the East Asia–Pacific teleconnection pattern,which leads to a cyclonic anomaly and excessive summer precipitation over NEC.

Semi-analytical solution for drained expansion analysis of a hollow cylinder of critical state soils

The expansion of a thick-walled hollow cylinder in soil is of non-self-similar nature that the stress/deformation paths are not the same for different soil material points.As a result,this problem cannot be solved by the common self-similar-based similarity techniques.This paper proposes a novel,exact solution for rigorous drained expansion analysis of a hollow cylinder of critical state soils.Considering stress-dependent elastic moduli of soils,new analytical stress and displacement solutions for the nonself-similar problem are developed taking the small strain assumption in the elastic zone.In the plastic zone,the cavity expansion response is formulated into a set of first-order partial differential equations(PDEs)with the combination use of Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions,and a novel solution algorithm is developed to efficiently solve this complex boundary value problem.The solution is presented in a general form and thus can be useful for a wide range of soils.With the new solution,the non-self-similar nature induced by the finite outer boundary is clearly demonstrated and highlighted,which is found to be greatly different to the behaviour of cavity expansion in infinite soil mass.The present solution may serve as a benchmark for verifying the performance of advanced numerical techniques with critical state soil models and be used to capture the finite boundary effect for pressuremeter tests in small-sized calibration chambers.

Impact of mica on geotechnical behavior of weathered granitic soil using macro and micro investigations

The micaceous weathered granitic soil(WGS)is frequently encountered in civil engineering worldwide,unfortunately little information is available regarding how mica affects the physico-mechanical behaviors of WGS.This study prepares reconstituted WGS with different mica contents by removing natural mica in theWGS,and then mixes it with commercial mica powders.The geotechnical behavior as well as the microstructures of the mixtures are characterized.The addition of mica enables the physical indices of WGS to be specific combinations of coarser gradation and high permeability but high Atterberg limits.However,high mica content in WGS was found to be associated with undesirable mechanical properties,including increased compressibility,disintegration,and swelling potential,as well as poor compactability and low effective frictional angle.Microstructural analysis indicates that the influence of mica on the responses of mixtures originates from the intrinsic nature of mica as well as the particle packing being formed withinWGS.Mica exists in the mixture as stacks of plates that form a spongy structure with high compressibility and swelling potential.Pores among the plates give the soil high water retention and high Atterberg limits.Large pores are also generated by soil particles with bridging packing,which enhances the permeability and water-soil interactions upon immersion.This study provides a microlevel understanding of how mica dominates the behavior of WGS and provides new insights into the effective stabilization and improvement of micaceous soils.

Physical and mechanical properties and microstructures of submarine soils in the Yellow Sea

In recent years,the exploration of seabed has been intensified,but the submarine soils of silt and sand in the Yellow Sea area have not been well investigated so far.In this study,the physical and mechanical properties of silt and sand from the Yellow Sea were measured using a direct shear apparatus and their microstructures were observed using a scanning electron microscope.The test results suggest that the shear strength of silt and sand increases linearly with the increase of normal stress.Based on the direct shear test,the scanning electron microscope was used to observe the section surface of sand.It is observed that the section surface becomes rough,with many“V”‐shaped cracks.Many particles appear on the surface of the silt structure and tend to be disintegrated.The X‐ray diffraction experiment reveals that the sand and silt have different compositions.The shear strength of sand is slightly greater than that of silt under high stress,which is related to the shape of soil particles and the mineral composition.These results can be a reference for further study of other soils in the Yellow Sea;meanwhile,they can serve as soil parameters for the stability and durability analyses of offshore infrastructure construction.

Liquefaction susceptibility and deformation characteristics of saturated coral sandy soils subjected to cyclic loadings-a critical review

Coral sandy soils widely exist in coral island reefs and seashores in tropical and subtropical regions.Due to the unique marine depositional environment of coral sandy soils,the engineering characteristics and responses of these soils subjected to monotonic and cyclic loadings have been a subject of intense interest among the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities.This paper critically reviews the progress of experimental investigations on the undrained behavior of coral sandy soils under monotonic and cyclic loadings over the last three decades.The focus of coverage includes the contractive-dilative behavior,the pattern of excess pore-water pressure(EPWP)generation and the liquefaction mechanism and liquefaction resistance,the small-strain shear modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus and damping,the cyclic softening feature,and the anisotropic characteristics of undrained responses of saturated coral sandy soils.In particular,the advances made in the past decades are reviewed from the following aspects:(1)the characterization of factors that impact the mechanism and patterns of EPWP build-up;(2)the identification of liquefaction triggering in terms of the apparent viscosity and the average flow coefficient;(3)the establishment of the invariable form of strain-based,stress-based,or energy-based EPWP ratio formulas and the unique relationship between the new proxy of liquefaction resistance and the number of cycles required to reach liquefaction;(4)the establishment of the invariable form of the predictive formulas of small strain modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus;and(5)the investigation on the effects of stress-induced anisotropy on liquefaction susceptibility and dynamic deformation characteristics.Insights gained through the critical review of these advances in the past decades offer a perspective for future research to further resolve the fundamental issues concerning the liquefaction mechanism and responses of coral sandy sites subjected to cyclic loadings associated with seismic events in marine environments.

Time-domain dynamic constitutive model suitable for mucky soil site seismic response

Soil nonlinear behavior displays noticeable effects on the site seismic response.This study proposes a new functional expression of the skeleton curve to replace the hyperbolic skeleton curve.By integrating shear modulus and combining the dynamic skeleton curve and the damping degradation coefficient,the constitutive equation of the logarithmic dynamic skeleton can be obtained,which considers the damping effect in a soil dynamics problem.Based on the finite difference method and the multi-transmitting boundary condition,a 1D site seismic response analysis program called Soilresp1D has been developed herein and used to analyze the time-domain seismic response in three types of sites.At the same time,this study also provides numerical simulation results based on the hyperbolic constitutive model and the equivalent linear method.The results verify the rationality of the new soil dynamic constitutive model.It can analyze the mucky soil site nonlinear seismic response,reflecting the deformation characteristics and damping effect of the silty soil.The hysteresis loop area is more extensive,and the residual strain is evident.

Land use effects on soil organic carbon, nitrogen and salinity in saline-alkaline wetland

Land-use and soil management affects soil organic carbon （SOC） pools, nitrogen, salinity and the depth distribution. The objective of this study was to estimate land-use effects on the distribution of SOC, labile fractions C, nitrogen （N） and salinity in saline-alkaline wetlands in the middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin. Three land-use types were selected： intact saline-alkaline meadow wetland, artificial shrubbery （planting Tamarix） and farmland （cultivated for 18 years） of soils previously under meadow wetland. SOC, easily oxidized carbon, microbial biomass carbon, total N, NO3--N and salinity concentrations were measured. The results show that SOC and labile fraction carbon contents decreased significantly with increasing soil depth in the three land-use wetlands. The labile fraction carbon contents in the topsoil （0-20cm） in cultivated soils were significantly higher than that in intact meadow wetland and artificial shrubbery soil. The aboveground biomass and soil permeability were the primary influencing factors on the contents of SOC and the labile carbon in the intact meadow wetland and artificial shrubbery soil, however, the farming practice was a factor in cultivated soil. Agricultural measures can effectively reduce the salinity contents; however, it caused a significant increase of NO 3--N concentrations which posed a threat to groundwater quality in the study area.

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Impact of Initial Soil Conditions on Soil Hydrothermal and Surface Energy Fluxes in the Permafrost Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Accurate initial soil conditions play a crucial role in simulating soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes in land surface process modeling.This study emphasized the influence of the initial soil temperature(ST)and soil moisture(SM)conditions on a land surface energy and water simulation in the permafrost region in the Tibetan Plateau(TP)using the Community Land Model version 5.0(CLM5.0).The results indicate that the default initial schemes for ST and SM in CLM5.0 were simplistic,and inaccurately represented the soil characteristics of permafrost in the TP which led to underestimating ST during the freezing period while overestimating ST and underestimating SLW during the thawing period at the XDT site.Applying the long-term spin-up method to obtain initial soil conditions has only led to limited improvement in simulating soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes.The modified initial soil schemes proposed in this study comprehensively incorporate the characteristics of permafrost,which coexists with soil liquid water(SLW),and soil ice(SI)when the ST is below freezing temperature,effectively enhancing the accuracy of the simulated soil hydrothermal and surface energy fluxes.Consequently,the modified initial soil schemes greatly improved upon the results achieved through the long-term spin-up method.Three modified initial soil schemes experiments resulted in a 64%,88%,and 77%reduction in the average mean bias error(MBE)of ST,and a 13%,21%,and 19%reduction in the average root-mean-square error(RMSE)of SLW compared to the default simulation results.Also,the average MBE of net radiation was reduced by 7%,22%,and 21%.

The competition between Bidens pilosa and Setaria viridis alters soil microbial composition and soil ecological function

Bidens pilosa is recognized as one of the major invasive plants in China.Its invasion has been associated with significant losses in agriculture,forestry,husbandry,and biodiversity.Soil ecosystems play an important role in alien plant invasion.Microorganisms within the soil act as intermediaries between plants and soil ecological functions,playing a role in regulating soil enzyme activities and nutrient dynamics.Understanding the interactions between invasive plants,soil microorganisms,and soil ecological processes is vital for managing and mitigating the impacts of invasive species on the environment.In this study,we conducted a systematic analysis focusing on B.pilosa and Setaria viridis,a common native companion plant in the invaded area.To simulate the invasion process of B.pilosa,we constructed homogeneous plots consisting of B.pilosa and S.viridis grown separately as monocultures,as well as in mixtures.The rhizosphere and bulk soils were collected from the alien plant B.pilosa and the native plant S.viridis.In order to focus on the soil ecological functional mechanisms that contribute to the successful invasion of B.pilosa,we analyzed the effects of B.pilosa on the composition of soil microbial communities and soil ecological functions.The results showed that the biomass of B.pilosa increased by 27.51% and that of S.viridis was significantly reduced by 66.56%.The organic matter contents in the bulk and rhizosphere soils of B.pilosa were approximately 1.30 times those in the native plant soils.The TN and NO_(3)^(-)contents in the rhizosphere soil of B.pilosa were 1.30 to 2.71 times those in the native plant soils.The activities of acid phosphatase,alkaline phosphatase,and urease in the rhizosphere soil of B.pilosa were 1.98-2.25 times higher than in the native plant soils.Using high-throughput sequencing of the16S rRNA gene,we found that B.pilosa altered the composition of the soil microbial community.Specifically,many genera in Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were enriched in B.pilosa soils.Further correlation analyses verified that these genera had significantly positive relationships with soil nutrients and enzyme activities.Plant biomass,soil p H,and the contents of organic matter,TN,NO_(3)^(-),TP,AP,TK,and AK were the main factors affecting soil microbial communities.This study showed that the invasion of B.pilosa led to significant alterations in the composition of the soil microbial communities.These changes were closely linked to modifications in plant traits as well as soil physical and chemical properties.Some microbial species related to C,N and P cycling were enriched in the soil invaded by B.pilosa.These findings provide additional support for the hypothesis of soil-microbe feedback in the successful invasion of alien plants.They also offer insights into the ecological mechanism by which soil microbes contribute to the successful invasion of B.pilosa.Overall,our research contributes to a better understanding of the complex interactions between invasive plants,soil microbial communities,and ecosystem dynamics.

Biochar Decreases Soil Cadmium(Cd) Availability and Regulates Expression Levels of Cd Uptake/Transport-Related Genes to Reduce Cd Translocation in Rice

Biochar has been used as a soil amendment for heavy metal-contaminated soils, and it has the potential to mitigate Cd accumulation in plants. In this study, we used rice straw biochar(RSB) and kitchen waste biochar(KWB) to clarify the effect of biochar on Cd-contaminated neutral soil, the physiological responses to biochar application, and the gene regulatory networks in a rice genotype.