Research on Effects of Remediation by Fertilization on Off-Balanced Fluvo-aquic Soils in Nutrient

[Objective] The research aimed to study the effects of fertilization on soil remediation.[Method]Pot fertilizer tests were conducted to remedy the soils which had off-balanced in nutrients resulted by long-term unreasonable fertilization.[Result]The results showed that applying NPK fertilizers with manure was the best method to restore the soil nutrients and increase soil fertility and crop yield;NPK and NP fertilizers could balance soil fertility and increase crop yields,the effects were the same and next to MNPK.Phosphate and nitrogen respectively had the similar restoring effect with NPK fertilizers on soil from long-term NK and PK treatments.[Conclusion]Crops in soil with long-term applying NPK fertilizers had strong dependence on fertilizers.The yields of corn and wheat decreased by 78.6% and 52.8% respectively after stopping applying fertilizers.Meanwhile,The yields of corn and wheat increased by 112% and 182% respectively after stopping applying fertilizers in NK treatment as well as 15.1% and 59% in PK treatment.Manure had strong and last effect on increasing yield.

Effect of Continuous Vegetable Cultivation on Phosphorus Levels of Fluvo-Aquic Soils

Soil P status, inorganic P fractions, and P sorption properties were studiedusing sandy fluvo-aquic horticultural soils, which are high in organic matter content for vegetableproduction in comparison with a soil used for grain crop production in Zhengzhou, Henan Province,China P fractions, Olsen-P, and OM were determined at different depths in the soil profile andsorption isotherm experiments were performed Most P in excess of plant requirements accumulated inthe topsoil and decreased with soildepth. Total P, inorganic P, and OM concentrations increased withcontinued horticultural use Olsen-P concentrations in the 0-20 cm depth of horticultural soils were9 to 25 times higher than those of the grain crop soil. A linear transformation of the Langmuirequation showed that the P adsorption maximum (491.3 mg P kg^(-1)) and the maximum phosphatebuffering capacity (162.1 L kg^(-1)) for 80--100 cm were greater in the grain crop soil than thehorticultural soils. Thus, the most immediate concern with excess P were in areas where heavy Pfertilizer was used for vegetable crops and where soil P sorption capacities were low due to sandysoils and high organic matter content.

Microscale heterogeneity of soil bacterial communities under long-term fertilizations in fluvo-aquic soils

Differently sized soil aggregates,with non-uniform distribution of space and nutrients,provide spatially heterogeneous microenvironments for microorganisms and are important for controlling microbial community ecology and biogeochemistry in soils.Here,we investigated the prokaryotic communities within different aggregate-size fractions:macroaggregate(>0.25 mm),microaggre-gate(0.053–0.25 mm)and silt+clay(<0.053 mm).These were isolated from fluvo-aquic soils under 39-year fertilization strategies:no fertilizer(CK),chemical fertilizer(NPK),manure fertilizer(M),and combination of manure and chemical fertilizers(MNPK).The results showed that the proportion of macroaggregate,soil aggregate-associated organic carbon(SOC)content and aggregate stability were all significantly increased by both manure and chemical fertilizations.Organic fertilizations(M and MNPK)more effectively boosted formation and stability of macroaggregates and enhanced SOC concentration than NPK.The distribution patterns of microorganisms in aggregates were primarily shaped by fertilization and aggregate size.They explained 76.9%of the variance in bacterial community compositions.Fertilizations,especially with organic fertilizers primarily transitioned bacterial communities from slow-growing oligotrophic groups(e.g.,Chloroflexi)dominance to fast-growing copiotrophic groups(e.g.,Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes)dominance across all aggregate sizes.Macroaggregates possessed a more stable bacterial community and efficiency of resource transfer,while smaller aggregates increased antagonism and weakened mutualism among bacterial communities.Overall,combination of manure and chemical fertilizers was crucial for increasing SOC content and aggregation,leading to a clear shift in bacterial community structures at aggregate scale.

Nutrient Limiting Factor and Agronomic Efficiency of Wheat in Fluvo-aquic Soil District in Northwest of Shandong Province

[Objective] This study aimed to provide basis for rational fertilizer application of wheat in fluvo-aquic soil in the northwest of Shandong Province.[Method] In this paper,the treatments of reduced N,P and K were set in order to explore the effects of fertilizer recommendation based on ASI systematic approach on wheat yield,agronomic efficiency and recovery rate of nutrients.[Result] Nitrogen was the main limiting factor for wheat production in that area,followed by phosphorus,and the third was potassium.Compared with the optimum treatment （OPT）,the reduction of N,P and K reduced the grain yield obviously,which came up to 22.4％,14.4％ and 13.4％ respectively.There were no obvious differences in grain yield among Farmer＇s Fertilization Practice （FP）,60％ OPT-N and OPT treatment.[Conclusion] Agronomic efficiency of N,P and K was 6.3,12.9 and 10 kg/kg respectively.The recovery rates of N,P and K in wheat season were 16.41％,17.27％ and 27.27％ respectively.

Response of soil Olsen-P to P budget under different long-term fertilization treatments in a fluvo-aquic soil

The concentration of soil Olsen-P is rapidly increasing in many parts of China, where P budget(P input minus P output) is the main factor influencing soil Olsen-P. Understanding the relationship between soil Olsen-P and P budget is useful in estimating soil Olsen-P content and conducting P management strategies. To address this, a long-term experiment(1991–2011) was performed on a fluvo-aquic soil in Beijing, China, where seven fertilization treatments were used to study the response of soil Olsen-P to P budget. The results showed that the relationship between the decrease in soil Olsen-P and P deficit could be simulated by a simple linear model. In treatments without P fertilization(CK, N, and NK), soil Olsen-P decreased by 2.4, 1.9, and 1.4 mg kg^(–1) for every 100 kg ha^(–1) of P deficit, respectively. Under conditions of P addition, the relationship between the increase in soil Olsen-P and P surplus could be divided into two stages. When P surplus was lower than the range of 729–884 kg ha^(–1), soil Olsen-P fluctuated over the course of the experimental period with chemical fertilizers(NP and NPK), and increased by 5.0 and 2.0 mg kg^(–1), respectively, when treated with chemical fertilizers combined with manure(NPKM and 1.5 NPKM) for every 100 kg ha^(–1) of P surplus. When P surplus was higher than the range of 729–884 kg ha^(–1), soil Olsen-P increased by 49.0 and 37.0 mg kg^(–1) in NPKM and 1.5 NPKM treatments, respectively, for every 100 kg ha^(–1) P surplus. The relationship between the increase in soil Olsen-P and P surplus could be simulated by two-segment linear models. The cumulative P budget at the turning point was defined as the "storage threshold" of a fluvo-aquic soil in Beijing, and the storage thresholds under NPKM and 1.5 NPKM were 729 and 884 kg ha^(–1)P for more adsorption sites. According to the critical soil P values(CPVs) and the relationship between soil Olsen-P and P budget, the quantity of P fertilizers for winter wheat could be increased and that of summer maize could be decreased based on the results of treatments in chemical fertilization. Additionally, when chemical fertilizers are combined with manures(NPKM and 1.5 NPKM), it could take approximately 9–11 years for soil Olsen-P to decrease to the critical soil P values of crops grown in the absence of P fertilizer.

Atrazine Adsorption Behavior on a Fluvo-Aquic Soil as Influenced by Contact Periods

A batch experiment was performed to investigate nonequilibrium adsorption behavior of atrazine （2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamlno-1,3,5-triazlne） on a fluvo-aquic soil. The amount of atrazine sorbed increased with increasing adsorption contact periods. For a range of initial atrazlne concentrations, the percentage of atrazine sorbed within 24 h ranged from 24% to 77% of the observed total amount sorbed for the longest contact period; when adsorption contact periods were more than 72 h, the deviations in curves fitted using a nonlinear Freundllch equation gradually became less. The opposite trend was observed for the atrazine concentrations in solution. The effect of adsorption contact periods on atrazine adsorption behavior was evaluated by interpreting the temporal variations in linear and nonlinear Freundlich equation parameters obtained from the phase-distribution relationships. As the adsorption contact period increased, the nonlinear Freundlich capacity coefficient kf showed a significant linear increase （r^2 = 0.9063, P 〈 0.001）. However, a significant negative linear correlation was observed for the nonlinear coefficient n, a dimensionless parameter （r^2 = 0.5666, P 〈 0.05）. Furthermore, the linear distribution coefficient kd ranged from 0.38 to 1.44 and exhibited a significant linear correlation to the adsorption contact period （r^2 = 0.72, P 〈 0.01）. The parameters kf and n obtained from a time-dependent isotherm rather than the distribution coefficient kd estimated using the linear Freundlich equation were more appropriate to predict the herbicide residue in the field and thus more meaningful for environmental assessment.

Long-term organic and inorganic fertilizations enhanced basic soil productivity in a fluvo-aquic soil

The improvement of soil productivity depends on a rational input of water and nutrients, optimal field management, and the increase of basic soil productivity（BSP）. In this study, BSP is defined as the productive capacity of a farmland soil with its own physical and chemical properties for a specific crop season under local field management. Based on 19-yr data of the long-term agronomic experiments（1989–2008） on a fluvo-aquic soil in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, the decision support system for agrotechnology transfer（DSSAT ver. 4.0） crop growth model was used to simulate yields by BSP of winter wheat（Triticum aestivium L.） and summer maize（Zea mays L.） to examine the relationship between BSP and soil organic carbon（SOC） under long-term fertilization. Five treatments were included：（1） no fertilization（control）,（2） nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers（NPK）,（3） NPK plus manure（NPKM）,（4） 1.5 times of NPKM（1.5NPKM）, and（5） NPK plus straw（NPKS）. After 19 yr of treatments, the SOC stock increased 16.7, 44.2, 69.9, and 25.2% under the NPK, NPKM, 1.5NPKM, and NPKS, respectively, compared to the initial value. Among various nutrient factors affecting contribution percentage of BSP to winter wheat and summer maize, SOC was a major affecting factor for BSP in the fluvo-aquic soil. There were significant positive correlations between SOC stock and yields by BSP of winter wheat and summer maize（P〈0.01）, and yields by BSP of winter wheat and summer maize increased 154 and 132 kg ha^（–1） when SOC stock increased 1 t C ha^（–1）. Thus, increased SOC accumulation is a crucial way for increasing BSP in fluvo-aquic soil. The manure or straw combined application with chemical fertilizers significantly enhanced BSP compared to the application of chemical fertilizers alone.

Characteristics of Magnesium Release from Fluvo-Aquic Soil and Relative Availability of Magnesium to Plants

Experiments including two in laboratory and one in greenhouse were carried out to study non- exchangeable magnesium release from fluvo-aquic soils sampled from Daxing and changping counties located in the suburbs of Beijing and Mg relative availability of the two soils to plants. In a batch experiment in laboratory the soils were incubated under wet conditions and alternation of dry and wet conditions and determined for amount of Mg released at the 4th, 8th and 12th week, respectively, after extraction of exchangeable Mg with 1 mol L-1 NH4Ac. The amount of Mg released from the soil of Daxing was higher than from the soil of Changping, which was in accordance with the fact that the soil of Daxing had higher contents of all forms of Mg than that of Changping. There was little difference in Mg release from soils between wet conditions and alternation of dry and wet conditions. About 1%~2% of the total non-exchangeable Mg might be released within 12 weeks of incubation, restoring about 30%~35% of the original soil exchangeable Mg. Results of the experiment on kinetics of Mg release from the soils through continuous extractions with 0.5 mol L-1 NH4Ac (pH 7.0) on a continuous flow apparatus in laboratory showed that Mg released rapidly in the beginning, decreased sharply with time and kept stable at 60 and 240 min for the soils of Changping and Daxing, respectively. Among the five mathematical models used to describe the kinetics of Mg release, the parabolic diffusion equation best fitted the cumulative Mg release, indicating that diffusion of Mg out of the soils might be the controlling process. The experiment of exhaustive cropping with 1 crop of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) followed by six crops of corn (Zea mays L.) in greenhouse showed that soil exchangeable Mg decreased remarkably with cropping. After three crops, the percentage of the total plant Mg uptake that came from soil non-exchangeable Mg was 29.5% for the soil from Changping and 35% for the soil from Daxing. About 50% of the total Mg uptake by plants in the six crops was believed to come from the soil non-exchangeable Mg form.

Effects of Conservation Tillage on the Content of Carbon, Nitrogen in Fluvo-aquic Soil

In order to verify organic carbon cycle under conservation tillage condition and the promotion mechanism of soil fertility and offer scientific theory support for the popularization and application of conservation tillage technological, the research investigated effects of different tillage treatments on the content of total organic car- bon, total nitrogen and different components of them in fluvo-aquic soil based on a long-term experiment site of conservation tillage. The research revealed effects of conservation tillage on the content of carbon, nitrogen in fluvo-aquic soil by study the distribution of soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, liable carbon in different soil depth under different tillage treatments. The results showed that compared to con- ventional tillage treatment, contents of soil total organic carbon under intermittent tillage （tillage once every 2 or 4 years） and no-tillage treatment improved by 1.81%, 6.43%, 14.04%, respectively and contents of soil total nitrogen went up by 0.80%, 10.04%, 7.93%, respectively. Contents of soil total organic carbon and total nitrogen in 10-20 cm soil layer under no-tillage treatment were significantly lower than the other treatments. Under the condition of straw returned, intermittent tillage and no- tillage could significantly improve the content of soil dissolved organic carbon and ni- trogen in 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm soil. Compared to conventional tillage treatment, content of soil microbial biomass carbon and liable carbon in 0-5 cm soil under in- termittent tillage and no-tillage were improved in varying degrees. Content of soil microbial biomass carbon in 10-20 cm soil layer under no-tillage treatment was sig- nificantly lower than the other treatments. Straw returning had improved the content of soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon and other com- ponents of active organic carbon in varying degrees. In general, conservation tillage measures could increase carbon and nitrogen storage in 0-5 cm soil layer, the negative effects of ＂nutrients enrichment in surface＂ under no-tillage condition could be ameliorated by intermittent tillage.

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.

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.

Effects of Long-term Located Fertilization on Evolution of Available Phosphorus and Phosphorus Pool in Shandong Fluvo-aquic Soil

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of long-term located fertilization on soil phosphorus,the changes of soil available phosphorus(OlsenP),the evolution of soil total phosphorus(TP)and the ratio change of Olsen-P to TP(PAC)by 33-year fertilization experiments in winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in Shandong fluvo-aquic soil.Eight treatments were designed as no fertilization(CK),nitrogen fertilizer(N),nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer(NP),nitrogen and potassium fertilizer(NK),phosphate and potassium fertilizer(PK),nitrogen-phosphate-potassium fertilizer(NPK),reduced NPK fertilizer(N(15)PK),and increased NPK fertilizer(N_(25)PK).Meanwhile,eight organic fertilizer-added treatments were designed based on the application of inorganic fertilizer the same as the above ones.The results showed that TP,Olsen-P and PAC of treatments added with organic fertilizer were higher than those without organic fertilizer,and those of the treatments applied with phosphate fertilizer were higher than those of no phosphate fertilizer.With the increase of years,soil P pool decreased due to crop absorption,nutrient loss and morphological transformation and other causes under the treatments of without and only phosphate fertilizer,while remained stable under the treatments added with organic fertilizer.The PAC values were generally lower in fluvo-aquic soil,and it could be improved by the application of organic fertilizer.On the whole,the application of chemical phosphate fertilizer combined with organic fertilizer could improve the phosphorus content in soil and ensure the supply of phosphorus nutrition.This study would provide scientific basis for fertilization management and soil fertility in fluvo-aquic soil.

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.

Physico-Chemical Analysis of Soils Used for Pineapple Cultivation in the Sub-Prefectures of Maferinyah and Friguiagbé (Prefectures of Forécariah and Kindia) Republic of Guinea

Over the years, pineapple production in the Republic of Guinea has become less competitive in the West African sub-region, with a world ranking of 144th. It is therefore only natural to review certain parameters in order to improve this ranking. To do this, certain physico-chemical parameters of soil samples from Friguiagbé and Maferinyah (in the Kindia and Forécariah prefectures) were taken and analysed using the following techniques: Pipette de Robinson, Anne, Bray II, Kapen HICDVITZ, Mc. Lead (1982). The analytical results show that the soils at Friguiagbé in Kindia and Maferinyah in Forécariah are acidic, with pH values of 4.4 and 4.7 (fields I and II) and 4.8 and 4.7 (fields I and II) respectively. The soils have a silty-sandy texture. This study could therefore serve as a guide for the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Guinea.

Temporal and environmental factors drive community structure and function of methanotrophs in volcanic forest soils

Methanotrophs,organisms that obtain oxygen by oxidizing methane,are recognized as the only known biological sink for atmospheric CH_4,and forest soil methanotrophs play crucial roles in mitigating global warming.The succession patterns of methanotrophic communities and functions in Wudalianchi volcano forest soils could provide a basis for the study of evolutionary mechanisms between soil microorganisms,the environment,and carbon cycling of temperate forest ecosystems under climate change.In this study,the characteristics and drivers of methanotrophic community structure and function of two volcanic soils at different stages of development are analyzed,including an old volcano and a new volcano,which most recently erupted 300 years and 17-19×10^(5)years ago,respectively,and a non-volcano hills as control,based on space for time substitution and Miseq sequencing and bioinformation technology.The results showed that CH_(4) fluxes were significantly higher in old-stage volcano forest soils than new-stage forest soils and non-volcano forest soils.There were significant differences in the community composition and diversity of soil methanotrophs from different volcano forest soils.Methylococcus was the dominant genus in all soil samples.Additionally,the relative abundance of Methylococcus,along with Clonothrix,Methyloglobulus,Methylomagum,Methylomonas and Methylosarcina,were the important genera responsible for the differences in methanotrophic community structure in different volcano forest soils.The relative abundance of methanotroph belonging toγ-proteobacteria was significantly higher than that belonging toα-proteobacteria(P<0.05).Chao1,Shannon and Simpson indices of soil methanotrophic community were significantly lower in new-stage volcanos and were significantly affected by bulk density,total porosity,p H,nitrate,dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic nitrogen.There were significant differences in community structure between new-stage and old-stage volcanoes.Bulk density and p H are important soil properties contributing to the divergence of methanotrophs community structure,and changes in soil properties due to soil development time are important factors driving differences in methanotrophs communities in Wudalianchi volcanic soils.

Effects of straw addition on increased greenhouse vegetable yield and reduced antibiotic residue in fluvo-aquic soil

Organic manure application is an important measure for high yield and good quality vegetable production, whereas organic manure is also a main source of residual antibiotic in soils. A 3-yr experiment was conducted on a fluvo-aguic soil in Tianjin of northern China. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different fertilization patterns on yield of six-sea- son vegetables with celery and tomato rotation, and dynamic change of tetracyclines residues in the soil during the sixth growing season （tomato season）. The field experiment comprised six treatments depending on the proportion of nitrogen of each type of fertilizer： 4/4 CN （CN, nitrogen in chemical fertilizer）, 3/4 CN＋1/4 MN （MN, nitrogen in pig manure）, 2/4 CN＋2/4 MN, 1/4 CN＋3/4 MN, 2/4 CN＋1/4 MN＋I/4 SN （SN, nitrogen in corn straw）, and CF （conventional fertilization, the amounts of nitrogen application were 943 and 912 kg N ha-1 for celery and tomato season, respectively）. In addition to CF treatment, the amount of nitrogen application in other treatments was greatly reduced and equal （450 and 450 kg N ha-1 for celery and tomato season, respectively）. Results showed that the combined application of 3/4 CN＋1/4 MN achieved the highest yield and economic benefit in the first four seasons, but addition of straw （2/4 CN＋1/4 MN＋I/4 SN treatment） performed better in the subsequent two seasons, and the average yields of 2/4 CN＋1/4 MN＋I/4 SN treatment were respectively higher by 9.9 and 12.8% than those of 4/4 CN treatment, and by 5.6 and 10.5% than those of CF treatment. The residual chlortet- racycline （CTC） in manure-amended soil for three consecutive years increased along with the increase of applied amount of pig manure. Under the same amount of pig manure application, content of CTC in straw-amended soil was obviously decreased compared with no straw-amended soil （3/4 CN＋1/4 MN treatment）, and averagely decreased by 41.9% for four sampling periods in the sixth season. Addition of crop straw facilitated the degradation of CTC in manure-amended soil. As a whole, the conventional fertilization was not the desirable pattern based on yield, economic benefit and environment, the optimal fertilization pattern with the highest yield and profit and the least soil chlortetracycline residue was the treatment of 2/4 CN＋1/4 MN＋I/4 SN under this experimental condition.

Diatom-induced impact on shear strength characteristics of finegrained soils

Diatomaceous soils,composed of diatom microfossils with biological origins,have geotechnical properties that are fundamentally different from those of conventional non-diatomaceous fine-grained soils.Despite their high fines content,diatomaceous soils typically exhibit remarkably high shear resistance,approaching that of sandy soils.However,the exact role that diatoms play in controlling the mechanical properties of fine-grained soils and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.In light of this,the shear strength response of diatomaceous soils was systematically investigated using consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests on diatomekaolin mixtures(DKMs)with various diatom contents and overconsolidation ratios.The micro-and nano-scale structures of the soil samples were characterized in detail using scanning electron microscope(SEM)and atomic force microscope(AFM)to interpret the abnormal shear strength parameters of diatomaceous soils.The results indicated that the presence of diatoms could contribute to significantly higher strength,e.g.the friction angle of DKMs was improved by 72.7%to 37and the value of undrained shear strength tripled with diatom content increasing from 20%to 100%.Such significant improvement in soil strength with diatom inclusion could be attribute to the hard siliceous skeleton of diatoms and the interlocking between particles with rough surfaces,which were quantitatively analyzed by the surface roughness parameters with AFM.Furthermore,a conceptual model established based on the macro-mechanical tests and microscopic observations portrays a microstructural evolution of soils with increasing diatoms.The microstructure of soils was gradually transformed from the matrix-type to the skeletal one,resulting in a continual augmentation in shear strength through mutual interactions between diatom microfossils.This paper provides new insights into the multi-scale structural properties of diatoms and significantly advances our understanding of the mechanical behavior of diatomaceous soils.

Geochemical Characterization of Soils in the Playa Lake Environment of Laguna de Encinillas, Chihuahua, Mexico

Laguna de Encinillas, located in Chihuahua, Mexico, is an ephemeral lake situated within a playa lake sedimentary depositional environment. This region plays a significant role in the aquifer supplying water to Chihuahua City. A surficial soil sampling campaign was conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2021 to assess the potential impact of surface soil composition on groundwater quality. The collected soil samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following microwave-assisted digestion. The analytical results were employed to generate spatial distribution maps of elemental concentrations using QGIS, applying interpolation methods such as inverse distance weighting (IDW) and Kriging. The analysis revealed elevated concentrations of beryllium (Be), calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg), and strontium (Sr) in the eastern part of the study area. In contrast, arsenic (As) and iron (Fe) were more prevalent in the western sector. Notably, high levels of barium (Ba), silver (Ag), cobalt (Co), potassium (K), and scandium (Sc) were identified in the northeastern region. At the same time, nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), and vanadium (V) were concentrated in the northern portion. Manganese (Mn) was particularly prominent in the southern area. The geogenic source of these elements is likely linked to the volcanic rocks from the surrounding mountain ranges.

Effect of Some Physical Factors on Interrill Erosion of Soils in Gidan-Kwanu Area, Nigeria

Savanna regions in Nigeria face environmental degradation and barren land, negatively impacting food and agricultural productivity. Inter-rill erosion occurs due to raindrop impact and transport, particularly on hill slopes. A study was conducted using a sprinkler rainfall simulator and plot experiment to study soil erosion processes. Soil samples were collected from four farms in Gidan Kwanu, with varying moisture content. Sand content ranged from 46.0% to 76.20%, silt from 11.30% to 23.50%, and clay from 11.0% to 30.0%. Uncultivated and bare land had a higher average porosity (15.47% and 14.99%), while cultivated land had lower porosity (14.4%). The study found that most people in Gidan-Kwanu primarily practice farming, which is season-dependent and rain-fed. Soil type and texture significantly contribute to inter-rill erosion, with cultivated and uncultivated soil being more resistant to erosion than bare land soil. The study concluded that farming practices in Gidan-Kwanu are primarily season-dependent and rain-fed. Soil type and texture significantly contribute to inter-rill erosion, with cultivated and uncultivated soil being more resistant to erosion than bare land soil.