Amelioration of saline-sodic soils through land preparation with three tillage implements （disc plow, rotavator and cultivator） each followed by application of sulfuric acid at 20% of gypsum （CaSO4-2H2O） requireme...Amelioration of saline-sodic soils through land preparation with three tillage implements （disc plow, rotavator and cultivator） each followed by application of sulfuric acid at 20% of gypsum （CaSO4-2H2O） requirement or no sulfuric acid application during crop growth period was evaluated in a field study for 2.5 years at three sites, i.e., Jhottianwala, Gabrika （Thabal）, and Thatta Langar, in Tehsil Pindi Bhattian, Hafizahad District, Pakistan. Within 2.5 years, there was a decrease in the salinity parameters measured （electrical conductivity, pH, and sodium adsorption ratio）, with a gradual increase in rice and wheat grain yields. It was observed that the disc plow, which not only ensured favorable yields but also helped improve soil health at all the three sites, was the most effective tillage implement. Also, application of sulfuric acid resulted in higher yields and promoted rapid amelioration of the saline-sodic soils.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
文摘Amelioration of saline-sodic soils through land preparation with three tillage implements （disc plow, rotavator and cultivator） each followed by application of sulfuric acid at 20% of gypsum （CaSO4-2H2O） requirement or no sulfuric acid application during crop growth period was evaluated in a field study for 2.5 years at three sites, i.e., Jhottianwala, Gabrika （Thabal）, and Thatta Langar, in Tehsil Pindi Bhattian, Hafizahad District, Pakistan. Within 2.5 years, there was a decrease in the salinity parameters measured （electrical conductivity, pH, and sodium adsorption ratio）, with a gradual increase in rice and wheat grain yields. It was observed that the disc plow, which not only ensured favorable yields but also helped improve soil health at all the three sites, was the most effective tillage implement. Also, application of sulfuric acid resulted in higher yields and promoted rapid amelioration of the saline-sodic soils.
文摘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.
