Straw interlayer improves sunflower root growth:Evidence from moisture and salt migration and the microbial community in saline-alkali soil

A straw interlayer added to soil can effectively reduce soil salinity effects on plant growth,however,the effects of soil moisture,salt and microbial community composition on plant growth under a straw interlayer are unclear.A rhizobox study was conducted to investigate the role of straw interlayer thickness on soil moisture,salt migration,microbial community composition,as well as root growth in sunflower.The study included four treatments:Control(no straw interlayer);S3(straw interlayer of 3.0 cm);S5(straw interlayer of 5.0 cm);S7(straw interlayer of 7.0 cm).Straw interlayer treatments increased soil moisture by 8.2–11.0%after irrigation and decreased soil salt content after the bud stage in 0–40 cm soil.Total root length,total root surface area,average root diameter,total root volume and the number of root tips of sunflower plants were higher under straw interlayer treatments than in the control,and were the highest under the S5 treatment.This stimulated root growth was ascribed to the higher abundance of Chloroflexi and Verrucomicrobia bacteria in soil with a straw interlayer,which was increased by 55.7 and 54.7%,respectively,in the S5 treatment.Addition of a straw interlayer of 5 cm thickness is a practical and environmentally feasible approach for improving sunflower root growth in saline-alkali soil.

Effects of Microbial Fertilizers on Soil Improvement and Wheat Growth Characteristics in Saline-alkali Land

[Objectives]This study was conducted to further enrich the research on saline-alkali land improvement,and explore the effects of biological bacterial fertilizers containing Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus velezensis HM-3 in saline-alkali land improvement and crop growth promotion.[Methods]Wheat was planted in saline-alkali land in Huanghua City,Hebei Province,and a mixed application experiment was carried out using biological agents from Hemiao Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.[Results]Compared with the field of control check(CK),water-soluble salts and pH value in the experimental fields decreased,and living bacteria count in the soil increased.Meanwhile,the economic characters of wheat in the experimental fields showed excellent performance,with yields increasing by 39.09%and 27.49%compared with the CK.It could be seen that the application of biological bacterial fertilizers achieved obvious effects of improving saline-alkali soil and increasing wheat yield.[Conclusions]In this study,the effects of biological bacterial fertilizers on saline-alkali land and wheat growth characters were clarified,providing some technical support and theoretical guidance for wheat planting in Huanghua saline-alkali land.

Effect of Mirabilis jalapa (Linn.) Growth on Microbial Community in Bioremediation of Petroleum-contaminated Saline-alkali Soil

Microbial biomass and species in the rhizosphere soil of Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.）（the saline-alkali soil contaminated by total petroleum hydrocarbon（TPH））were studied with the technology of phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） analysis,to explore the effects of Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.） growth on the structure characteristics of microbial communities and degradation of TPH in the petroleum-contaminated salinealkali soil.The result showed that compared with the CK soil without Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.）,the kind change rates of PLFAs were 71.4%,69.2% and 33.3% in spring,summer and autumn,respectively,and the degradation of TPH increased by 47.6%,28.3%,and 18.9% in the rhizosphere soil in spring,summer and autumn,respectively.Correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between the degradation of TPH and the soil microbial communities：77.8% of the microbial PLFAs showed positive correlation（the correlation coefficient r﹥0） with the degradation of TPH,and 55.6% of the PLFAs had high positive correlation with the degradation of TPH with a correlation coefficient r ≥0.8.In addition,the relative contents of SAT and MONO had high correlation with the degradation of TPH in the CK soil,and the correlation coefficients were 0.92 and 0.60,respectively;but in the rhizosphere soil,42.1% of the PLFAs had positive correlation with it,and only21.1% had high positive correlation with the degradation of TPH,the relative contents of TBSAT,MONO and CYCLO had moderate or low positive correlation with the degradation of TPH,and the correlation coefficients were 0.56,0.50 and 0.07 respectively.It was shown that the growth of mirabilis jalapa（Linn.） highly affected the microbial community structure and TPH degradation speed in the rhizosphere soil,providing a theoretical basis for the research on phytoremediation of petroleumcontaminated saline-alkali soil.

Effects of combined drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage on water and salt transport of saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang, China

Developing effective irrigation and drainage strategies to improve the quality of saline-alkali soil is vital for enhancing agricultural production and increasing economic returns. In this study, we explored how irrigation and drainage modes (flood irrigation, drip irrigation, and sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation) improve the saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang, China. We aimed to study the transport characteristics of soil water and salt under different irrigation and drainage modes, and analyze the effects of the combination of irrigation and drainage on soil salt leaching, as well as its impacts on the growth of oil sunflower. Our results show that sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation significantly reduced the soil salt content and soil water content at the 0–200 cm soil depth. Under sub-surface pipe drainage combined with drip irrigation, the mean soil salt content was reduced to below 10 g/kg after the second irrigation, and the soil salt content decreased as sub-surface pipe distance decreased. The mean soil salt content of flood irrigation exceeded 25 g/kg, and the mean soil desalination efficiency was 3.28%, which was lower than that of drip irrigation. The mean soil desalination rate under drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation was 19.30% and 58.12%, respectively. After sub-surface drainage regulation under drip irrigation, the germination percentage of oil sunflower seedlings was increased to more than 50%, which further confirmed that combined drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage is very effective in improving the quality of saline-alkali soil and increasing the productivity of agricultural crops.

Present situation and tendency of saline-alkali soil in west Jilin Province

Taking west Jilin Province as an example, this paper put forward the assessment index of salinization, and based on it, the authors present the distribution characteristics of saline-alkali soil in the 1980s and the 1990s in west Jilin and analyze its physical and chemical properties in detail. The developing tendency of salinization was also inferred by comparing the saline-alkali soil of the 1980s with that of the 1990s. Finally, the natural and human factors leading to salinization are analyzed.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN SALINE-ALKALI SOIL AREA OF SONGNEN PLAIN,NORTHEAST CHINA

There is great potential for agriculture in saline-alkali soil area in Songnen Plain, Northeast China. But the sustainable crop production in this area has been restricted by a few of main factors, such as less precipitation, h igher evaporation and frequent drought, high salinity and alkalinity, high excha ngeable sodium content and poor infiltration of the soil, and insufficiency and low availability in nutrition. It is also considered that there are a few of fav orable conditions for agricultural development in this region, such as sufficien t light and heat resources, rich ground water resources, plenty of manure produc ed by livestock, and so on. At the same time, scientific management and measurem ents have been employed; rational irrigation and drainage system has been establ ished; reclamation, amendment and fertilization of soil, and suitable strategies of cropping practices have been made for the sustainable development of agricul ture. Great progress has been made during 1996-2000.

Evaporation from Bare Soil in Extremely Arid Environment in Southern Israel

Microlysimeters of different sizes(5 cm 10 cm and 15 cm in length)were used extensively in the present study for the measurements of soil evapondion in site in an extremely arid area in southern Israel.All of the data obtained from the microlysimeters were used to evaluate two conventional eVaporation models developed by Black et al.and Ritchie,respectively.Our results indicated that the models could overestimate total cumulative evaporation by about 30% in the extremely arid environment.Reducing the power factor of the conventional model by a faCtor of 0.1 produced good agreement between the measured and simulated cumulative evaporation.Microlysimeter method proved to be a simple and accurate approach for the evaluation of soil evaporstion.

Microbial diversity in the saline-alkali soil of a coastal Tamarix chinensis woodland at Bohai Bay, China

Soil salinization or alkalization is a form of soil desertification. Coastal saline-alkali soil represents a type of desert and a key system in the network of ecosystems at the continent-ocean interface. Tamarix chinensis is a drought-tolerant plant that is widely distributed in the coastal saline-alkali soil of Bohai Bay, China. In this study, we used 454 pyrosequencing techniques to investigate the characteristics and distribution of the microbial diversity in coastal saline-alkali soil of the T. chinensis woodland at Bohai Bay. A total of 20,315 sequences were obtained, representing 19 known bacterial phyla and a large proportion of unclassified bacteria at the phylum level. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant phyla. The coverage of T. chinensis affected the microbial composition. At the phylum level, the relative abundance of y-Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes decreased whereas Actinobacteria increased with the increasing coverage of T. chinensis. At the genus level, the proportions of Steroidobacter, Lechevalieria, Gp3 and Gp4 decreased with the increase of the vegetation coverage whereas the proportion of Nocardioides increased. A cluster analysis showed that the existing T. chinensis changed the niches for the microorganisms in the coastal saline-alkali soil, which caused changes in the microbial community. The analysis also distinguished the microbial community structure of the marginal area from those of the dense area and sparse area. Furthermore, the results also indicated that the distance to the seashore line could also affect certain groups of soil bacteria in this coastal saline-alkali soil, such as the family Cryomorphaceae and class Flavobacteria, whose population decreased as the distance increased. In addition, the seawater and temperature could be the driving factors that affected the changes.

Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations and Stoichiometries Across a Chronosequence of Restored Inland Soda Saline-Alkali Wetlands, Western Songnen Plain, Northeast China

Soil carbon(C), nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) concentrations and stoichiometries can be used to evaluate the success indicators to the effects of wetland restoration and reflect ecosystem function. Restoration of inland soda saline-alkali wetlands is widespread, however, the soil nutrition changes that follow restoration are unclear. We quantified the recovery trajectories of soil physicochemical properties, including soil organic carbon(SOC), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) pools, for a chronosequence of three restored wetlands(7 yr, 12 yr and 21 yr) and compared these properties to those of degraded and natural wetlands in the western Songnen Plain, Northeast China. Wetland degradation lead to the loss of soil nutrients. Relative to natural wetlands, the mean reductions of in SOC, TN, and TP concentrations were 89.6%, 65.5% and 52.5%, respectively. Nutrients recovered as years passed after restoration. The SOC, TN, and TP concentrations increased by 2.36 times, 1.15 times, and 0.83 times, respectively in degraded wetlands that had been restored for 21 yr, but remained 29.2%, 17.3%, and 12.8% lower, respectively, than those in natural wetlands. The soil C∶N(RC N), C∶P(R CP), and N∶P(R NP) ratios increased from 5.92 to 8.81, 45.36 to 79.19, and 7.67 to 8.71, respectively in the wetland that had been restored for 12 yr. These results were similar to those from the natural wetland and the wetland that had been restored for 21 yr(P > 0.05). Soil nutrients changes occurred mainly in the upper layers(≤ 30 cm), and no significant differences were found in deeper soils(> 30 cm). Based on this, we inferred that it would take at least 34 yr for SOC, TN, and TP concentrations and 12 yr for RC N, R CP, and RN P in the top soils of degraded wetlands to recover to levels of natural wetlands. Soil salinity negatively influenced SOC(r =-0.704, P < 0.01), TN(r =-0.722, P < 0.01), and TP(r =-0.882, P < 0.01) concentrations during wetland restoration, which indicates that reducing salinity is beneficial to SOC, TN, and TP recovery. Moreover, plants were an important source of soil nutrients and vegetation restoration was conducive to soil nutrient accumulation. In brief, wetland restoration increased the accumulation of soil biogenic elements, which indicated that positive ecosystem functions changes had occurred.

Significant changes in arbuscular mycorrhizal community and soil physicochemical properties during the saline-alkali grassland vegetation succession

Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi are widely distributed in various habitats,and the community composition varies in response to the changing environmental conditions.To explore the response of community composition to the succession of saline-alkali land,soil samples were collected from three succession stages of Songnen saline-alkali grassland.Subsequently,the soil characteristics were determined and the AM fungi in soil samples were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing.Then,the response relationship between community composition and soil characteristics was studied by Canonical correlation and Pearson analyses.The soil properties improved with the succession of saline-alkali grassland.There was no significant difference in alpha diversity between the first and second succession stage(Suaeda glauca and Puccinellia tenuiflora,respectively),and the microbial community had a dense association network at the third stage(Leymus chinensis);in addition,each succession stage had significantly enriched amplicon sequence variants(ASVs)and functional pathways.All the soil properties except cellulase activity had significant effects on community composition.Furthermore,the pH,organic carbon,organic matter,and sucrase activity significantly correlated with alpha diversity indices.These results provide a theoretical basis for realizing the significant changes in AM fungal community and soil properties during the saline-alkali grassland vegetation succession.

Effect of climate change on the trends of evaporation of phreatic water from bare soil in Huaibei Plain, China

When the soil condition and depth to water table stay constant, climate condition will then be the only determinant of evaporation intensity of phreatic water from bare soil. Based on a series of long-term quality-controlled data collected at the Wudaogou Hydrological Experiment Station in the Huaibei Plain, Anhui, China, the variation trends of the evaporation rate of phreatic water from bare soil were studied through the Mann-Kendall trend test and the linear regression trend test, followed by the study on the responses of evaporation to climate change. Results indicated that in the Huaibei Plain during 1991-2008, evaporation of phreatic water from bare soil tended to increase at a rate of 5% on monthly scale in March, June and July while in other months the increase was minor. On the seasonal basis, the evaporation saw significant increase in spring and summer. In addition, annual evaporation tended to grow evidently over time. When air temperature rises by 1 °C, the annual evaporation rate increases by 7.24–14.21%, while when the vapor pressure deficit rises by 10%, it changes from-0.09 to 5.40%. The study also provides references for further understanding of the trends and responses of regional evapotranspiration to climate change.

Characteristics of land use conversion in soda saline-alkali soil region of central Northeast China

Since the 1970s,the soda saline-alkali soil region,which is located in the semiarid-arid region of the central Northeast China,has experienced drastic climate variability.Meanwhile,human activities and socio-economic development have led to an increase in water consumption.These factors have brought out considerable land use change and a lot of soil salinize-alkalization.The land use types were obtained from remote sensing images interpretation based on Landsat MSS in 1970s,TM,ETM in 1990s and 2010s.The characteristics of land use conversion and its response to climate change and influence of human activities were explored in the study area during 1970-2010.The results include:(1)The land use types had changed significantly,especially farmland and grassland,with annual growth rates of 0.31% and 0.35%,respectively.In terms of the saline-alkali land,the area increased greatly during 1970-1990,and its increase was mainly from grassland.There was a decrease from 1990 to 2010,and the loss of saline-alkali was replaced by farmland and grassland.(2)Climate change in the study area is obvious,showing a trend of decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature.The change of saline-alkali land area is closely related to the precipitation,with R2=0.78,passed a passing the 0.01 significance test.(3)The correlation of land use degree index and human activity index with saline-alkali land was not obvious,and the changes in these indices only reflected the land use patterns.Under sufficient rainfall,the saline-alkali land was developed into farmland by humans,which caused the decrease of the saline-alkali land.Therefore,climate change is the main driving force of land salinization in the study area.

Comparison and analysis of bare soil evaporation models combined with ASTER data in Heihe River Basin

Based on ASTER （Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer） remote sensing data, bare soil evaporation was estimated with the Penman-Monteith model, the Priestley-Taylor model, and the aerodynamics model. Evaporation estimated by each of the three models was compared with actual evaporation, and error sources of the three models were analyzed. The mean absolute relative error was 9% for the Penman-Monteith model, 14% for the Priestley-Taylor model, and 32% for the aerodynamics model; the Penman-Monteith model was the best of these three models for estimating bare soil evaporation. The error source of the Penman-Monteith model is the neglect of the advection estimation. The error source of the Priestley-Taylor model is the simplification of the component of aerodynamics as 0.72 times the net radiation. The error source of the aerodynamics model is the difference of vapor pressure and neglect of the radiometric component. The spatial distribution of bare soil evaporation is evident, and its main factors are soil water content and elevation.

A method to obtain soil-moisture estimates over bare agricultural fields in arid areas by using multi-angle RADARSAT-2 data

Soil moisture is an important parameter for agriculture, meteorological, and hydrological studies. This paper focuses on soil-moisture estimation methodology based on the multi-angle high-and low-incidence-angle mode RADARSAT-2 data obtained over bare agricultural fields in an arid area. Backscattering of the high-and low-incidence angles is simulated by using AIEM(advanced integral equation model), with the surface-roughness estimation model built based on the simulated data. Combining the surface-roughness estimation model with the backscattering model of the low-incidence-angle mode, a soil-moisture estimation method is put forward. First, the natural logarithm(ln) of soil moisture was obtained and then the soil moisture calculated. Soil moisture of the study area in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, was obtained based on this method; a good agreement was observed between the estimated and measured soil moisture. The coefficient of determination was 0.85, and the estimation precision reached 4.02% in root mean square error(RMSE). The results illustrate the high potential of the approach developed and RADARSAT-2 data to monitor soil moisture.

Effects of Different Halophytes on Soil Microflora and Enzyme Acti-vities of Saline-alkali Soil

In the pot experiment,seven varieties of halophytes were grown in saline-alkali soil to investigate the responses of microflora and soil enzymes in the rhizosphere.The results showed that compared to the control,the population of bacterial colony(84.8%-95.6%),actinomycetes colony(12.0%-14.5%)and fungi colony(0.5%-1.1%)increased significantly(P<0.05).The population of ammonia bacteria,aerobic cellulose decomposition bacteria in the soil of Vicia sativa L.(201.99%and 395.49%),Medicago sativa(152.43%and 319.90%)and Sesbania cannabina(Retz.)Pori(193.14%and 396.08%)were higher significantly than that of Panicum virgatum L.(49%and 60%),Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench(99%and 210%),Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.(75%and 36%)and Aneurotepidimu chinense(75%and 77%)(P<0.05).However,Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench was evidently higher than Panicum virgatum L.,Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.and Aneurotepidimu chinense(P<0.05)in the soil.The population of ammonia bacteria and aerobic cellulose-decomposing bacteria was significantly correlated with the five enzymes(P<0.05),which could improve the microenvironment in saline-alkali soil to accelerate the element cycling and promote the sustainable development of agriculture through cultivating Medicago sativa,Vicia sativa L.,Sesbania cannabina(Retz.)Pori and Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench.

Effects of Soil Improver on Wheat in Saline-Alkali Lands in the Yellow River Delta

Field experiment carried out to test the effects of soil improver on wheat yield and soil physical-chemical properties. The results indicated that soil improver could optimize soil aggregates structure, decrease soil bulk density, soil pH and soil salt content, increase soil organic matter and 1 000-grain weight, thereby enhancing wheat yield. With the increase of soil improver application amount, soil physical-chemical properties became better and wheat yield increased. However, there was no significant difference in the treatments with the application amounts of 3%, 4% and 5%. In addition, the treatment of reducing nitrogen showed no superiority in soil physical-chemical properties and wheat yield, indicating that sufficient nitrogen was essential for the growth of wheat.

Simulation of the Bare Soil Surface Energy Balance at the Tongyu Reference Site in Semiarid Area of North China

The performance of a I-D soil model in a semiarid area of North China was investigated using observational data from a cropland station at the Tongyu reference site of the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period （CEOP） during the non-growing period, when the ground surface was covered with bare soil. Comparisons between simulated and observed soil surface energy balance components as well as soil temperatures and water contents were conducted to validate the soil model. Results show that the soil model could produce good simulations of soil surface temperature, net radiation flux, and sensible heat flux against observed values with the RMSE of 1.54℃, 7.71 W m^-2, and 27.79 W m^-2, respectively. The simulated volumetric soil water content is close to the observed values at various depths with the maximal difference between them being 0.03. Simulated latent heat and ground heat fluxes have relatively larger errors in relative to net radiation and sensible heat flux. In conclusion, the soil model has good capacity to simulate the bare soil surface energy balance at the Tongyu cropland station and needs to be further tested in longer period and at more sites in semiarid areas.

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.

Measurement and simulation of evaporation from a bare soil

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Seed movement of bare alkali-saline patches and their potential role in the ecological restoration in Songnen grassland, China

The dynamics of soil seed banks and seed movement was investigated in three bare alkali-saline patches in Songnen grassland, Northeast China, for exploring their potential role in the vegetation restoration of bare alkali-saline patches. The results showed that the seed banks and the seed movement in these patches were very similar to each other, and to some extent the seed movement was related to patch-side vegetation there. Seed movement across the soil surface of these bare alkali-saline patches was abundant and dominated by the seeds of pioneer species, such as Chloris virgata and Suaeda corniculata, which accounted for over 96% of these trapped seeds. In the contrast, soil seed banks of bare patches were extremely small, in different seasons, especially in May and June, even no any seed have been found, mainly due to lowest retaining capacity of surface soil to those abundant seed movement. Both soil seed banks and seed movement showed seasonal variation, and usually reached the maximum in October. Soil seed banks of bare alkali-saline patches, which were extremely small and difficult to recruit naturally, may inhibit speed of vegetation restoration. It is suggested that seed movement would be the potential seed source and play a potentially important role in the process of vegetation restoration of bare alkali-saline patches by enhancing the soft retaining capacity to seed movement.