Inclusion of peanut in wheat–maize rotation increases wheat yield and net return and improves soil organic carbon pool by optimizing bacterial community

Improving soil quality while achieving higher productivity is the major challenge in the agricultural industry. Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)–maize(Zea mays L.)(W–M) rotation is the dominant planting pattern in the Huang-HuaiHai Plain and is important for food security in China. However, the soil quality is deteriorating due to the W–M rotation’s long-term, intensive, and continuous cultivation. Introducing legumes into the W–M rotation system may be an effective way to improve soil quality. In this study, we aimed to verify this hypothesis by exploring efficient planting systems(wheat–peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)(W–P) rotation and wheat rotated with maize and peanut intercropping(W–M/P)) to achieve higher agricultural production in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. Using traditional W–M rotation as the control, we evaluated crop productivity, net returns, soil microorganisms(SMs), and soil organic carbon(SOC) fractions for three consecutive years. The results indicated that wheat yields were significantly increased under W–P and W–M/P(382.5–579.0 and 179.8–513.1 kg ha-1, respectively) compared with W–M. W–P and W–M/P provided significantly higher net returns(58.2 and 70.4%, respectively) than W–M. W–M/P and W–M retained the SOC stock more efficiently than W–P, increasing by 25.46–31.03 and 14.47–27.64%, respectively, in the 0–20 cm soil layer. Compared with W–M, W–M/P improved labile carbon fractions;the sensitivity index of potentially mineralizable carbon, microbial biomass carbon(MBC), and dissolved organic carbon was 31.5, 96.5–157.2, and 17.8% in 20–40, 10–40, and 10–20 cm soil layers, respectively. The bacterial community composition and bacteria function were altered as per the soil depth and planting pattern. W–M/P and W–M exhibited similar bacterial community composition and function in 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers. Compared with W–P, a higher abundance of functional genes, namely, contains mobile elements and stress-tolerant, and a lower abundance of genes, namely,potentially pathogenic, were observed in the 10–20 cm soil layer of W–M and the 0–20 cm soil layer of W–M/P. SOC and MBC were the main factors affecting soil bacterial communities, positively correlated with Sphingomonadales and Gemmatimonadales and negatively correlated with Blastocatellales. Organic input was the main factor affecting SOC and SMs, which exhibited feedback effects on crop productivity. In summary, W–M/P improved productivity, net returns, and SOC pool compared with traditional W–M rotation systems, and it is recommended that plant–soil–microbial interactions be considered while designing high-yield cropping systems.

Plant Diversity Performance After Natural Restoration in Reclaimed Deyeuxia angustifolia Wetland

Deyeuxia angustifolia wetlands were widely distributed in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeast China. Due to strong demand for food production, large-area wetlands were reclaimed to farmlands, which threatened regional ecological security greatly. Since the 21 th century, returning farmlands to wetlands was widely adopted for natural restoration in the Sangjiang Plain. As the first reflection of wetland restoration, vegetation succession of restored D. angustifolia wetlands should be fully assessed. In this study, vegetation investigation was carried out in three restored D. angustifolia wetlands with 5, 8 and 12 yr restoration, respectively. Meanwhile, a natural D. angustifolia wetland was selected as reference wetland. Results showed that community composition changed greatly and there was visible community succession. Community dominant species changed from composite to gramineae as restoration time increasing.At first, weeds community appeared in the restored wetlands, especially the xerophytes developed to the pioneer species rapidly. And then, mesophytes and wetland species became the dominant species in the restored wetlands. Finally, wetland species, especially D. angustifolia, occupied the dominant position of restored community. Shannon-wiener index(H) and Simpson index(D) both decreased to close to natural D. angustifolia wetlands. Compared with natural D. angustifolia wetland, species composition and diversity in restored wetlands were more complex and higher. As restoration time increasing, there were not significant differences between community characteristics of restored wetlands and natural wetland. All these suggested that vegetation in reclaimed D. angustifolia wetland could be restored naturally, but its restored period is 10 yr at least. From another angle, it is important to protect current natural wetlands.

青藏高原东部采伐迹地早期人工重建序列梯度上植物多样性的变化

采伐是青藏高原东部亚高山森林过去经营管理中最常见的实践。采伐的一个重要后果就是林地生物多样性的衰退和损失。目前虽然对采伐环境退化与迹地人工林恢复重建开展过许多研究 ,但对采伐迹地以及人工重建过程中的生物多样性变化研究很少。人工重建时间序列上的植物组成变化还不清楚 ,也没有人去检测人工林早期发展阶段间多样性的差异。作者选择大渡河上游亚高山针叶林序列采伐迹地 ,调查了采伐后 8个人工造林时间序列梯度 (1年、2年、5年、7年、10年、15年、19年和 30年 )和相邻的原始林内的物种组成和丰富度 ,比较分析了序列梯度上的植物多样性的变化。结果表明 ,8个人工造林时间序列样地上共采集到种子植物 16 7种 ,其中大多数是喜光的草本植物和灌木。根据这些植物的重要值在该时间序列梯度上的变化 ,可基本分成具有不同适应性的 3个种组。重要值在林分郁闭前逐渐增加而后减少的植物种组成了侵入种组 ,包括 75种喜光植物 ;敏感种组包括 12种原来就存在于原始林下的耐荫植物种 ,它们的重要值在郁闭前逐渐减少而后增大 ,它们对采伐迹地环境退化敏感性强 ;忍耐种组有 2 2种 ,它们的重要值在时间序列上没有表现出明显的变化趋势 ,表明它们对环境的变化具有较强的适应性 ;另外 5

青藏高原高寒草原区工程迹地面积对其恢复植物群落特征的影响

恢复工程迹地是青藏高原受损草地生态系统修复的重要内容。通过调查和计算不同工程迹地面积经历相同恢复时期后植物群落的组分,空间结构,多样性,生物量和恢复力,研究了工程迹地面积变化对青藏高原高寒草原区植物群落恢复的影响。结果表明,工程迹地上恢复植物群落的优势种和主要伴生种随着工程迹地面积减小而发生明显变化,当工程迹地面积为156m2,草原指示性植物紫花针茅(Stipa purpurea)零星出现,面积缩小至55 m2,紫花针茅已演变为主要伴生种;恢复植物群落的高度、盖度、α多样性指数和地上生物量均随工程迹地面积减小而逐渐增加,高度、α多样性指数和地上生物量在工程迹地面积为156 m2时,接近于未受干扰群落,盖度在工程迹地面积为55 m2时接近未干扰群落。β多样性指数随着工程迹地面积减小而减小,植被恢复能力随着工程迹地面积减小而增加,工程迹地面积越小,其恢复度越好。从恢复植物群落各项指标分析,筑路工程迹地历经19a能够自然恢复的适宜面积为156 m2,最高临界值为254m2。