Straw layer burial to alleviate salt stress in silty loam soils: Impacts of straw forms

Salt stress can be alleviated by straw layer burial in the soil, but little is known of the appropriate form of the straw layer for optimal regulation of soil water and salinity because of the uncontrollability of field tests. Here, the following four straw forms with compaction thickness of 5 cm buried 40–45 deep were studied: no straw layer(CK), segmented straw(SL, 5 cm in length), straw pellet(SK), and straw powder(SF). The three straw forms(SL, SK and SF) significantly delayed the infiltration of irrigation water down the column profile by 71.20–134.3 h relative to CK and the migration velocity of the wetting front under SF was the slowest. It took longer for the wetting front to transcend SK than SL but shorter for it to reach the bottom of soil column after water crossed the straw layer. Compared with CK, the average volumetric water content in the 0–40 cm soil layer increased by 6.45% under SL, 1.77% under SK and 5.39% under SF. The desalination rates at the 0–40 and 0–100 cm soil layers increased by 5.85 and 3.76% under SL, 6.64 and 1.47% under SK and 5.97 and 4.82% under SF. However, there was no significant difference among straw forms in the 0–40 cm soil layer. Furthermore, the salt leaching efficiency(SLE, g mm^–1 h^–1) above the 40 cm layer under SL was 0.0097, being significantly higher than that under SF(0.0071) by 37.23%. Salt storage under SL, SK and SF in the 40–45 cm layer accounted for 4.50, 16.92 and 7.43% of total storage in the 1-m column profile. Cumulative evaporation under SL and SF decreased significantly by 41.20 and 49.00%, with both treatments having the most significant inhibition of salt accumulation(resalinization rate being 36.06 and 47.15% lower than CK) in the 0–40 cm soil layer. In conclusion, the different forms of straw layers have desalting effects under high irrigation level(446 mm). In particular, SL and SF performed better than SK in promoting deep salt leaching and inhibiting salt accumulation on the soil surface. However, SL was simpler to implement and its SLE was higher. Therefore, the segmented 5 cm straw can be recommended as an optimum physical form for establishing a straw layer for managing saline soils for crop production.

Estimation of the Effects of Maize Straw Return on Soil Carbon and Nutrients Using Response Surface Methodology

Straw incorporation is generally considered an effective agricultural management practice that improves nutrient cycling and maintains soil fertility. To study the interactive effects of straw returning factors on soil organic carbon and available nutrients, a17-month(May 6, 2016 to October 6, 2017) experiment was conducted on straw incorporation by using response surface methodology under a three-factor(straw length, amount, and burying depth), five-level quadratic orthogonal rotation experimental design. Weight was assigned to each indicator for soil carbon and nutrients and then a comprehensive indicator was established. Then, a second-order polynomial model of the three straw returning factors was established using response surface methodology. Results indicated that17 months after straw incorporation, straw amount and burying depth had significant effects on the comprehensive indicator of soil carbon and nutrients. Straw length and the interactions of straw amount and burying depth showed no significant effects on the comprehensive indicator of soil carbon and nutrients. It was concluded that 17 months after straw incorporation, the highest value of the comprehensive indicator of soil carbon and nutrients was achieved when the straw length, amount, and burying depth were approximately 17–20 cm, 740–840 g m^(-2), and 9–13 cm, respectively, which can be recommended as the most suitable parameters for use in straw returning in the study area.