基于偏最小二乘与随机森林的土壤盐含量反演研究

针对土默川平原地区的土壤盐分含量提出了偏最小二乘与随机森林相结合(RF-PLSR、PLSR-RF)对土壤盐分含量进行预测的回归反演模型。该研究共采集45份土壤样本,随机选取35份为建模集,10份为验证集。试验首先对采集到的高光谱土壤图像进行分割处理提取出土壤在400~1000 nm的原始反射光谱,其次对原始反射光谱进行4种光谱变换(一阶微分、多元散射校正的一阶微分、SG平滑去噪的一阶微分、对数的一阶微分),并与土壤的实测盐分量进行相关性分析(CA),利用相关系数选取敏感波段,最后建立偏最小二乘与随机森林结合的回归反演模型。结果表明,与偏最小二乘回归、随机森林回归单独建模相比,2种模型结合后的预测精度有明显的改善。光谱经过对数的一阶微分变换建立的PLSR-RF反演模型更为明显,其建模集决定系数R_(c)^(2)为0.852,均方根误差RMSE_(c)为0.102 g/kg,相对分析误差RPD_(c)为2.600,验证集决定系数R_(v)^(2)为0.941,均方根误差RMSE_(v)为0.049 g/kg,相对分析误差RPD_(v)为4.117。

西北地区种植甘草对土壤次生盐渍化的影响

[目的]研究西北地区植被特征指标与土壤表层盐含量、碱性间的相互关系,为该区土壤次生盐渍化防治工作提供科学依据。[方法]以甘草(Glycyrrhiza uralensis)植被和其下部土壤为研究对象,通过测定甘草植被的盖度、高度、地上生物量和其下部土壤表层(0—5cm)的含水率、pH值、电导率、盐含量等指标,并利用SPSS统计软件进行分析。[结果]甘草植被的盖度、高度、地上生物量和其下部土壤的含水率均随甘草生长年限的增加呈显著升高的趋势(p<0.05),而土壤的pH值、电导率、盐含量正好相反,均表现出显著降低的趋势(p<0.05);相关分析结果显示,耕地表层土壤的pH值、盐含量与甘草植被特征指标间呈显著的负相关关系,相关系数的大小顺序均为:植被盖度>植株高度>地上生物量;回归分析显示,土壤pH值和盐含量与甘草植被的这3个性状指标间均表现为负线性函数关系,甘草植被的盖度、高度、地上生物量每提高1个单位,可使土壤表层的pH值分别下降0.012,0.011和0.002,盐含量分别降低0.108,0.107,0.015g/kg。[结论]西北干旱地区耕地中种植甘草对其下部土壤表层的盐含量和碱性(pH值)影响显著,其中植被的盖度对表层土壤的盐碱影响最大;从耕地表层抑盐角度考虑,应优先选择种植枝叶稠密、植株高大的作物。

大田作物在不同盐碱地的饲料价值评价

我国盐碱地分布广、面积大。在盐碱地选种有饲料价值的作物,实现种养循环,对推动我国草食畜牧业的发展及盐碱地改良具有重要意义。本研究分别在天津滨海盐碱地(NaCl型)和新疆西北内陆盐碱地(Na_(2)SO_(4)-NaHCO_(3)型)选取盐碱度差异大的地块,种植具有饲料价值的玉米、高粱、小麦、谷子、大豆、油菜等大田作物,测定生物学产量、植株粗蛋白含量、钠离子、钾离子含量等指标。结果表明,在NaCl型和Na_(2)SO_(4)-NaHCO_(3)型盐碱地,当其含盐量分别低于1.82 g kg^(–1)和2.00 g kg^(–1)时,各作物生物学及蛋白质产量均与常规耕地接近,可作为饲料生产基地加以利用;当Na_(2)SO_(4)-NaHCO_(3)型盐碱地含盐量达2.49 g kg^(–1)时,油菜生物学及蛋白质产量均显著高于其他作物,因此可种植油菜作饲料开发利用;当NaCl型和Na_(2)SO_(4)-NaHCO_(3)型盐碱地含盐量分别达3.63 g kg^(–1)和4.42 g kg^(–1)时,各作物生物学及蛋白质产量均低于常规耕地的51.72%,利用价值低,建议改良后利用。在两试验点的不同地块,油菜对土壤Na^(+)的富集量均显著高于其他作物(P<0.05),同时也显著降低了土壤全盐量和Na^(+)含量。本试验中,在含盐量分别为1.82、2.00、2.49 g kg^(–1)的地块中,油菜富集Na^(+)效果最为明显,油菜对土壤Na^(+)的富集量分别为39.45、102.24、57.19 kg hm^(-2),分别占0~20 cm耕层土壤Na^(+)的13.02%、15.99%、8.94%,盐碱地改良效果显著。上述结果为利用我国盐碱地进行草食饲料原料生产,促进草食畜牧业发展及盐碱地改良提供了参考。

不同利用方式的苏打盐渍土剖面盐分组成及分布特征

通过野外调查、采样和室内分析,研究了松嫩平原不同利用方式的苏打盐渍土剖面形态特征及可溶盐含量与组成在土壤剖面中的变化。结果表明,土壤的利用方式不同,土壤剖面腐殖质层厚度、耕层和腐殖质层的有机质含量等有明显差异。在围栏草原、旱田、新水田及老水田4个剖面中,土壤可溶盐总量、pH与ESP均是在剖面中部最高,上部和下部较低;可溶盐组成均以K++Na+和HCO 3-、CO23-为主。表明草原围栏、旱田及水田利用均有抑制苏打盐分表聚的作用。放牧草原剖面的可溶盐含量自下向上逐渐增多,盐分表聚非常显著。开垦20余年的水田剖面中,表层土壤的可溶盐总量、pH和ESP值分别降至0.21%、7.56和9.1%,表明苏打盐碱地种稻较草原和旱田利用更有利于土壤脱盐脱碱。

高产、广适、优质、多抗 大豆新品种——齐黄34

10月18日,山东省农科院作物所育成的蛋白脂肪双高大豆品种齐黄34在东营盐碱地专家实打亩产302.6公斤,实现大豆盐碱地单产新突破。实打地块位于东营市垦利区胜坨镇海南村,总面积760亩,收获前土壤盐含量0.3%。中国农业科学院常汝镇研究员等5位专家组成的专家组现场量取1.2亩面积,机械收获籽粒363.2公斤,不计田间损失,收获时已达正常含水量13.5%,折合亩产302.6公斤。

布尔津县露地蒲公英有机栽培技术

种植青贮玉米不仅为发展现代畜牧业提供优质饲料,还可提高农户收益。本文从土壤耕作准备、品种选择、播种技术、田间管理等方面总结青贮玉米高产栽培技术,以供种植户参考。

Vegetation-environment Relationships Between Northern Slope of Karlik Mountain and Naomaohu Basin,East Tianshan Mountains

Based on data from 22 sample plots and applying the Canonical Correspondence Analysis （CCA）, this paper discusses the vegetation-environment relationships between the northern slope of Karlik Mountain and Naomaohu Ba- sin, which is situated in the easternmost end of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. For the zonal vegetation, community diversity of mountain vegetation is higher than that of the desert vegetation due to environmental factors. The CCA ordination diagram revealed that the composition and distribution of vegetation types are mainly determined by altitude, soil pH and soil salt content. With increasing elevation, the soil pH and total salt content decrease but the contents of soil organic matter, soil water, total nitrogen and total phosphorus increase gradu- ally. In the CCA ordination diagrams, the sample plots and main species can be divided into five types according to their adaptations to the environmental factors. Type Ⅰ is composed of desert vegetation distributed on the low moun- tains, hills, plains and deserts below an elevation of 1900 m; type Ⅱ is distributed in the mountain and desert ecotone with an elevation of 1900-2300 m, and includes steppe desert, desert steppe and wetland meadow; type Ⅲ is very sim- ply composed of only salinized meadow; type Ⅳ is distributed above an elevation of 2300 m, containing mountain steppe, meadow steppe, subalpine meadow and alpine meadow; type Ⅴ only contains salinized meadow. The results show that with increasing elevation, species combination changes from the xerophytic shrubs, semi-shrubs and herbs distributed in the low altitude zone with arid climate to the cold-tolerant perennial herbs growing in the high altitudinal zone with cold climate.

Monitoring Soil Salt Content Using HJ-1A Hyperspectral Data: A Case Study of Coastal Areas in Rudong County, Eastern China

Hyperspectral data are an important source for monitoring soil salt content on a large scale. However, in previous studies, barriers such as interference due to the presence of vegetation restricted the precision of mapping soil salt content. This study tested a new method for predicting soil salt content with improved precision by using Chinese hyperspectral data, Huan Jing-Hyper Spectral Imager(HJ-HSI), in the coastal area of Rudong County, Eastern China. The vegetation-covered area and coastal bare flat area were distinguished by using the normalized differential vegetation index at the band length of 705 nm(NDVI705). The soil salt content of each area was predicted by various algorithms. A Normal Soil Salt Content Response Index(NSSRI) was constructed from continuum-removed reflectance(CR-reflectance) at wavelengths of 908.95 nm and 687.41 nm to predict the soil salt content in the coastal bare flat area(NDVI705 < 0.2). The soil adjusted salinity index(SAVI) was applied to predict the soil salt content in the vegetation-covered area(NDVI705 ≥ 0.2). The results demonstrate that 1) the new method significantly improves the accuracy of soil salt content mapping(R2 = 0.6396, RMSE = 0.3591), and 2) HJ-HSI data can be used to map soil salt content precisely and are suitable for monitoring soil salt content on a large scale.

The Long Term Evolution of Phosphates from the Cambic Chernozem at ARDS Caracal, Romania

The decreasing of the plant available phosphorus of Romanian soils after 1990 is a major concern in relation with the lowered yields of the major crops. This fact is correlated with a rudimentary technology where the fertilization is a secondary issue. Thus, the fertilizer consumption, after 1990, has drastically decreased to 41.3 kg/ha NPK on arable land over 129.9 kg/ha in 1986 and from 86.4 kg/ha to 26.3 kg/ha on agricultural land. As a result, the phosphorus fertilizer quantities applied by small farmers are very small or inexistent. In order to determine the soil available phosphorus content in Romania, it was analyzed the evolution of soil phosphorus supplying degree on a cambic chernozem （one of the most fertile soils in Romania） from Agricultural Research and Development Station （ARDS） Caracal between 1986-1992 and 2000-2005. This analysis has shown the following issues： very well supplied soils by available phosphorus no more exist since 2006, the ones with a good supplying degree have decreased from 616 ha to 107 ha, which means from 24.8% to 4.3% yet the low supplied soils have increased from 526 ha to 1,129 ha （23.1% to 45.5%） and the very low supplied ones have increased from 198 ha to 776 ha （7.9% to 31.2%）. As a consequence of low fertilizer quantities and the decreasing of the soil supplying degree by available phosphorus the average yield in this farm has decreased from 5,776 to 3,707 kg/ha.

Spatial and Temporal Analyses of Water Quality in the Dhrabi Watershed of Pakistan： Issues and Options

Monitoring water quality is important for maintaining a healthy watershed, but it is mostly ignored in watershed planning and management. In the Dhrabi watershed of Pakistan, the quality of surface water was monitored at 16 locations to assess suitability for irrigation over regular intervals during the period 2007-2010. Similarly, groundwater quality was monitored at 10 locations for drinking and irrigation purposes. There was high spatial and temporal variability in surface water quality. Electrical conductivity （EC） and residual sodium carbonate （RSC） either exceeded or fluctuated around permissible limits at most of the locations throughout the monitoring period. Therefore, the use of such water for irrigation needs special care, otherwise its prolonged use may pose soil salinity and sodicity problems. The trend of EC and RSC for groundwater was similar to that for surface water. Exchangeable Mg2＋ exceeded permissible limits for most of the surface water and groundwater samples. In addition, microbial analysis of groundwater revealed that only two out of eight monitoring points during August 2009, none out of eight points during February 2010, and one out of nine points during June 2010 provided water fit for drinking. Soil samples were collected from the catchment areas of the major contributing streams and from the beds of the Kallar Kahar Lake and the Dhrabi Reservoir. The soil samples from the catchments showed high salinity and sodicity that may be the cause of high salinity and sodicity in the streams. The highest EC, sodium adsorption ratio （SAP,） and exchangeable sodium percentage （ESP） in the bed samples from the Kallar Kahar Lake were about 43 dS/m, 56, and 45, respectively. These high values were due to the saline water brought into the lake with the runoff.

Application of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in restoration of saline and alkaline soils of Songnen Plain in China

The salt-resistant nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria 888 was experimentally applied to the reclamation of saline and alkali soil in Songnen Plain in China. The pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of different saline soils were studied and compared. Results show that different saline soils exhibit various physico-chemical properties. Saline-sodic soils in Songnen Plain are ameliorated by using nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae 888 in the experiment. It is indicated that cyanobacteria 888 can grow in saline and alkaline soils, and the conditions favorable for its growth are soil moisture of 50% and dry algae inoculation at 0.03 mg/cm2. The main actions of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are keeping the adsorbability of rubber sheath for sodium, increasing the organic matter content of the soils and decreasing the pH and the degree of salinity in the soils. But the arid climate and soil depth are the main factors that limit the restoration of saline and alkaline soils.

Current Soil Nutrient Status of Intensively Managed Greenhouses

Nine districts covering the main greenhouse vegetable areas in Tianjin Municipality of the North China Plain were selected for the soil investigation in 2010 to survey the current soil nutrient status (soil available N, P and K), acidification and salinization due to excessive input of fertilizers in greenhouses in Tianjin. The study showed that, in particular, soil available P content increased with the age of greenhouses. In contrast, our results did not reveal higher K accumulation and lowered pH in the greenhouse soils compared with cultivation in open fields. Over-fertilization, causing high NO 3 accumulation, most likely resulted in salinity problems in the greenhouses. Ninety percent of the investigated greenhouse soils had electrical conductivity values of saturated paste extracts of 2-10 d S m-1 , which might affect the yields of vegetable crops like green bean, pepper, cabbage, carrot, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber and tomato. The findings of our survey of the current fertility and salinity problems in greenhouse soils suggest that there is an urgent need to improve the farmers' practices and strategies in fertilization management in greenhouses of China. Because education and the agricultural technical extension services may play a more important role in avoiding overuse of fertilizers, we suggest that current nutrient management practices should be improved in the near future through training of local farmers in farmers' schools and through strengthening the agricultural extension services with practical techniques.

Salt Accumulation and Physiology of Naturally Occurring Grasses in Saline Soils in Australia

Salinity is a major soil contamination problem in Australia. To explore salinity remediation, we evaluated the concentrations of sodium （Na）, potassium （K）, magnesium （Mg）, and calcium （Ca） in roots and shoots and in the supporting soil of the naturally occurring grasses, Cynodon dactylon and Thinopyrurn ponticum, at two salt-affected sites, Gumble and Cundumbul in central-western New South Wales, Australia. The physiological parameters of the two grass species, including net photosynthetic rate （Pn）, stomatal conductance （gs）, and intercellular CO2 concentration （Ci）, were investigated using one mature leaf from C. dactylon and T. ponticum populations. Increasing salinity levels in the topsoil had a significant influence on Ci and gs, whereas no significant effect occurred on Pn in C. dactylon and T. ponticum. The Pn values in C. dactylon and T. ponticum were greater at Cundumbul than at Gumble. The greater Mg concentration facilitated greater Pn in C. dactylon and T. ponticum populations at Cundumbul than Gumble. With increasing salinity levels in the soil, Na accumulation increased in C. dactylon and T. ponticum. The ratio between K and Na was ~ 1 in roots and shoots of both populations irrespective of the sites. Bioaccumulation factor （BF） and translocation factor （TF） results revealed that K and Na translocations were significantly higher in T. ponticum than in C. dactylon, whereas Ca and Mg translocations were significantly higher in C. dactylon than in T. ponticum. Accumulation of Na, K, Mg, and Ca ions was higher in T. ponticum than in C. dactylon; therefore, we suggest that T. ponticum as a greater salt accumulator than C. dactylon could be used for revegetation and phytoremediation of the salt-affected soils.

Impact of Irrigation Methods on Soil Salt Content and Their Differences in Whole Cotton Growing Season in Arid Area of Northwest China

Research for changes of soil water and salt is an important content of land sciences and agriculture sciences in arid and semi arid regions. In this paper, sampling in actual agricultural fields, laboratory analysis of soil samples and statistical analysis methods are used to quantitatively analyze soil salinity changes under different ir- rigation methods throughout the cotton growing season in Shihezi reclamation area. The results show that irrigation methods play an important role in soil salt content in the surface soil （0-20 cm） and sub-deep soil （40-60 cm）, fol- lowed by deep soil layer （60-100 cm） and root soil layer （20-40 cm）. Furrow irrigation yields the maximum soil salt content in deep layer （60-100 cm） or sub-deep layer （40-60 cm） and the maximum salinity occurs in the first half of the cotton growing season （June or earlier）. In contrast, drip irrigation yields the maximum soil salinity in the root layer （20-40 cm） or sub-deep （40-60 cm）, and this usually appears in the second half growing season （July or af- ter）. The ratio of chloride ion to sulfate ion （Cl-/SO2- 4） and its change in the soil are on the rise under furrow irrigation while the value first increased and then decreased with a peak point in June under drip irrigation. This suggests that furrow irrigation may shift the type of soil salinization to chloride ion type moreso than drip irrigation. Potassium and sodium ion contents of the soil show that soil sodium＋potassium content will drop after the first rise under furrow irrigation and the value is manifested by fluctuations under drip irrigation. Potassium＋sodium content change is relatively more stable in the whole cotton growth period under irrigation methods. The maximum of sodium and potassium content of the soil usually occur in deep soil layer （60-100 cm） or sub-deep soil layer （40-60 cm） in most sample points under furrow irrigation while it is inconsistent in different sample points under drip irrigation. A non- parametric test for paired samples is used to analyze differences of soil salt content under different irrigation methods. This analysis shows that the impact of irrigation on soil salinity is most significant in July, followed by August, June, May, and April in most sample points. The most significant impact of irrigation methods occurs in the surface soil layer （0-20 cm）, followed by deep layer （60-100 cm）, root layer （20-40 cm） and sub-deep （40-60 cm）. These conclusions will be benefitial for mitigation of soil salinization, irrigation and fertilization and sustainable land use.

Role of Organic Matter and Carbonates in Soil Aggregation Estimated Using Laser Diffractometry

>Aggregation in many soils in semi-arid land is affected by their high carbonate contents.The presence of lithogenic and/or primary carbonates can also inffuence the role of soil organic matter(SOM) in aggregation.The role of carbonates and SOM in aggregation was evaluated by comparing the grain-size distribution in two carbonate-rich soils(15% and 30% carbonates) under conventional tillage after different disaggregating treatments.We also compared the effect of no-tillage and conventional tillage on the role of these two aggregating agents in the soil with 30% of carbonates.Soil samples were treated as four different ways:shaking with water(control),adding hydrochloric acid(HCl) to remove carbonates,adding hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) to remove organic matter,and consecutive removal of carbonates and organic matter(HCl + H2O2),and then analyzed by laser diffraction grain-sizing.The results showed that different contributions of carbonates and SOM to aggregate formation and stability depended not only on their natural proportion,but also on the soil type,as expressed by the major role of carbonates in aggregation in the 15% carbonate-rich soil,with a greater SOC-to-SIC(soil organic C to soil inorganic C) ratio than the 30% carbonate-rich soil.The increased organic matter stocks under no-tillage could moderate the role of carbonates in aggregation in a given soil,which meant that no-tillage could affect the organic and the inorganic C cycles in the soil.In conclusion,the relative role of carbonates and SOM in aggregation could alter the aggregates hierarchy in carbonate-rich soils.

Effect of Combined Use of Brackish Water and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Biomass and Sugar Yield of Sweet Sorghum

Soil salinization and non-point source pollution are among the most important and widespread environmental problems in European Mediterranean regions. Sweet sorghum （Sorghum bicolor （L.） Moench var. saccharatum） is a moderate to high salinity tolerant crop with low water and nutrient needs, seen as an alternative to grow in the water scarce regions. A three-year multifactorial study was conducted in southern Portugal to evaluate the combined effects of saline water and nitrogen application on the dry biomass （total, stems, and leaves）, sugar content （total reducing sugars and sucrose eontents） and sugar yield （here defined as the product of total reducing sugars and stems dry biomass） functions of sweet sorghum. Sorghum dry biomass and sugar yield showed diminishing returns for each incremental change of nitrogen. The use of saline irrigation waters also led to yield reduction. Exception was sucrose content which increased with increasing levels of sodium in the soil. Nitrogen need decreased as the amount of sodium applied increased. Stem dry biomass, sucrose content, and sugar yield progressively increased with progress in the experiment. The effect could be attributed to the increase of the amount of irrigation applied throughout the years, thus increasing the leaching fraction which promoted salt leaching from the root zone, reduced the salinity stress, increased plant transpiration, nitrogen uptake and biomass yield.

Spatio-Temporal Variability of Soil Salinity in Alluvial Plain of the Lower Reaches of the Yellow River——A Case Study

Soil salinity and hydrologic datasets were assembled to analyze the spatio-temporal variability of salinization in Fengqiu County, Henan Province, China, in the alluvial plain of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The saline soil and groundwater depth data of the county in 1981 were obtained to serve as a historical reference. Electrical conductivity （EC） of 293 surface soil samples taken from 2 kin x 2 km grids in 2007 and 4{） soil profiles acquired in 2（108 was analyzed and used for comparative mapping. Ordinary kriging was applied to predict EC at unobserved locations to derive the horizontal and vertical distribution patterns and variation of soil salinity. Groundwater table data from 22 observation wells in 2008 were collected and used as input for regression kriging to predict the maximum groundwater depth of the county in 2008. Changes in the groundwater level of Fengqiu County in 27 years from 1981 to 2008 was calculated. Two quantitative criteria, the mean error or bias （ME） and the mean squared error （MSE）, were computed to assess the estimation accuracy of the kriging predictions. The results demonstrated that the soil salinity in the upper soil layers decreased dramatically and the taxonomically defined saline soils were present only in a few micro-landscapes after 27 years. Presently, the soils with relatively elevated salt content were mainly distributed in depressions along the Yellow River bed. The reduction in surface soil salinity corresponded to the locations with deepened maximum groundwater depth. It could be concluded that groundwater table recession allowed water to move deeper into the soil profile, transporting salts with it, and thus played an important role in reducing soil salinity in this region. Accumulation of salts in the soil profiles at various depths below the surface indicated that secondary soil salinization would occur when the groundwater was not controlled at a safe depth.

Impact of a Phosphate Amendment on the Environmental Availability and Phytoavailability of Cd and Pb in Moderately and Highly Carbonated Kitchen Garden Soils

The behaviour of metals mainly depends on soil p H, carbonate contents and contamination level, which should be considered for the management of contaminated soils. In this study, kitchen garden topsoils(0–25 cm) were sampled from the area around three smelters in France, with different Cd and Pb contamination levels. Effect of a phosphate amendment(a mixture of diammonium phosphate and hydroxyapatite) on the environmental availability and phytoavailability of Cd and Pb was evaluated by different chemical extractions and cultivating lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.), respectively. Changes in the distribution of Cd and Pb were found in most contaminated soils after phosphate amendment. An increase of Cd and Pb in the residual phase was highlighted in almost all carbonated contaminated soils, whereas a decrease of Pb in the exchangeable, water and acid-soluble phase was observed in most contaminated soils with the lowest carbonate contents. The concentrations of extractable Cd and Pb using calcium chloride and acetic and citric acids generally decreased after the soil amendment. Lettuces grown on amended soils were acceptable for human consumption as regard to Pb concentration. In contrast, some lettuces were unacceptable for human consumption, since the concentrations of Cd in the leaves were higher than the European legislation limit. Surprisingly, in carbonated soils with very low concentration of Cd, the Cd concentrations in lettuce reached up to the European legislation limit, making the lettuce unacceptable for human consumption.Our study highlighted the fact that the total metal concentration in soils does not always allow to predict the metal accumulation in the edible parts of vegetables in order to make a judgement about their acceptability or unacceptability for human consumption.

Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Naturally Occurring Sulfate-Based Saline Soils at Different Moisture Contents

Soil salinization may negatively affect microbial processes related to carbon dioxide （CO2） and nitrous oxide （N20） emissions. A short-term laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of soil electrical conductivity （EC） and moisture content on CO2 and N20 emissions from sulfate-based natural saline soils. Three separate 100-m long transects were established along the salinity gradient on a salt-affected agricultural field at Mooreton, North Dakota, USA. Surface soils were collected from four equally spaced sampling positions within each transect, at the depths of 0-15 and 15-30 cm. In the laboratory, artificial soil cores were formed combining soils from both the depths in each transect, and incubated at 60% and 90% water-filled pore space （WFPS） at 25 ~C. The measured depth-weighted EC of the saturated paste extract （ECe） across the sampling positions ranged from 0.43 to 4.65 dS m-1. Potential nitrogen （N） mineralization rate and CO2 emissions decreased with increasing soil ECe, but the relative decline in soil CO2 emissions with increasing ECe was smaller at 60% WFPS than at 90% WFPS. At 60% WFPS, soil N20 emissions decreased from 133 g N20-N kg-1 soil at ECe （ 0.50 dS m-1 to 72 μg N20-N kg-1 soil at ECe = 4.65 dS m-1. In contrast, at 90% WFPS, soil N20 emissions increased from 262 g N20-N kg-1 soil at ECe ： 0.81 dS m-1 to 849 g N20-N kg-1 soil at ECe ： 4.65 dS m-1, suggesting that N20 emissions were linked to both soil ECe and moisture content. Therefore, spatial variability in soil ECe and pattern of rainfall over the season need to be considered when up-scaling N20 and CO2 emissions from field to landscape scales.

Evaluating the Validity of a Nitrate Quick Test in Different Chinese Soils

Because laboratory tests are expensive and time-consuming and may not be available to farmers, soil nitrate quick tests are required for optimal nitrogen management strategies in China to increase nitrogen use efficiency and to reduce nitrogen losses. A total of 328 soil samples were collected at different soil depths from 225 sites in China, which covered a wide range of climatic and geographic regions, soil types, croplands and soil textures, to evaluate the suitability of a quick reflectometer test method for analysing soil NO3-N in a wide range of soil NO3 concentrations, soil types and cropping systems in China, mainly by comparison of soil NO3-N assessed by a quick-test method （a reflectometer） and a standard laboratory method, i.e., high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. The reflectometer showed excellent agreement with the laboratory HPLC method with regard to soil nitrate contents for all analysed soil samples. The linear regression had slopes of 1 ± 0.08 and intercepts of ± 1.38 mg NO（-,3）-N L^（-1） among different soil types and croplands. Compared with the 1：1 lines, the regression analysis for each soil type showed statistically significant but small differences in slope; the relative difference between the values measured using the two analytical systems varied from -8% to 6%, and there were no differences in intercept except for paddy soil. The reflectometer showed adequate, statistically significant precision in determining soil nitrate contents, and it could therefore be directly used instead of the laboratory methods for soil NO（-,3）-N measurement in China.