Organic fertilizer enhances soil aggregate stability by altering greenhouse soil content of iron oxide and organic carbon

Both soil organic carbon (SOC) and iron (Fe) oxide content, among other factors, drive the formation and stability of soil aggregates.However, the mechanism of these drivers in greenhouse soil fertilized with organic fertilizer is not well understood.In a 3-year field experiment, we aimed to investigate the factors which drive the stability of soil aggregates in greenhouse soil.To explore the impact of organic fertilizer on soil aggregates, we established four treatments:no fertilization (CK);inorganic fertilizer (CF);organic fertilizer (OF);and combined application of inorganic and organic fertilizers(COF).The application of organic fertilizer significantly enhanced the stability of aggregates, that is it enhanced the mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter and aggregate content (%) of>0.25 mm aggregate fractions.OF and COF treatments increased the concentration of SOC, especially the aliphatic-C, aromatic-C and polysaccharide-C components of SOC, particularly in>0.25 mm aggregates.Organic fertilizer application significantly increased the content of free Fe(Fed), reactive Fe (Feo), and non-crystalline Fe in both bulk soil and aggregates.Furthermore, non-crystalline Fe showed a positive correlation with SOC content in both bulk soil and aggregates.Both non-crystalline Fe and SOC were significantly positively correlated with>2 mm mean weight diameter.Overall, we believe that the increase of SOC, aromatic-C, and non-crystal ine Fe concentrations in soil after the application of organic fertilizer is the reason for improving soil aggregate stability.

Long-term combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers increases crop yield sustainability by improving soil fertility in maize-wheat cropping systems

Organic material combined with inorganic fertilizer has been shown to greatly improve crop yield and maintain soil fertility globally. However, it remains unclear if crop yield and soil fertility can be sustained in the long term under the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers. Three long-term field trials were conducted to investigate the effects of organic amendments on the grain sustainable yield index(SYI), soil fertility index(SFI)and nutrient balance in maize–wheat cropping systems of central and southern China during 1991–2019. Five treatments were included in the trials: 1) no fertilization(control);2) balanced mineral fertilization(NPK);3) NPK plus manure(NPKM);4) high dose of NPK plus manure(1.5NPKM);and 5) NPK plus crop straw(NPKS). Over time, the grain yields of wheat and maize showed an increasing trend in all four fertilization treatments at the Yangling(YL) and Zhengzhou(ZZ) locations, while they declined at Qiyang(QY). The grain yield in the NPKM and 1.5NPKM treatments gradually exceeded that of the NPK and NPKS treatments at the QY site. The largest SYI was recorded in the NPKM treatment across the three sites, suggesting that inorganic fertilizer combined with manure can effectively improve crop yield sustainability. Higher SYI values were recorded at the YL and ZZ sites than at the QY site, possibly because the soil was more acid at QY. The key factors affecting grain yield were soil available phosphorus(AP) and available potassium(AK) at the YL and ZZ sites, and pH and AP at the QY site.All fertilization treatments resulted in soil N and P surpluses at the three sites, but soil K surpluses were recorded only at the QY site. The SFI was greater in the 1.5NPKM, NPKM and NPKS treatments than in the NPK treatment by 13.3–40.0 and 16.4–63.6% at the YL and ZZ sites, respectively, and was significantly higher in the NPKM and 1.5NPKM treatments than in the NPK and NPKS treatments at the QY site. A significant, positive linear relationship was found between SFI and crop yield, and SYI and nutrient balance, indicating that grain yield and its sustainability significantly increased with increasing soil fertility. The apparent N, P and K balances positively affected SFI.This study suggests that the appropriate amount of manure mixed with mineral NPK fertilizer is beneficial to the development of sustainable agriculture, which effectively increases the crop yield and yield sustainability by improving soil fertility.

Effects of biological soil crusts on plant growth and nutrient dynamics in the Minqin oasis-desert ecotone,Northwest China

Biological soil crusts(BSCs)play crucial roles in improving soil fertility and promoting plants settlement and reproduction in arid areas.However,the specific effects of BSCs on growth status and nutrient accumulation of plants are still unclear in different arid areas.This study analyzed the effects of three different BSCs treatments(without crust(WC),intact crust(IC),and broken crust(BC))on the growth,inorganic nutrient absorption,and organic solute synthesis of three typical desert plants(Grubovia dasyphylla(Fisch.&C.A.Mey.)Freitag&G.Kadereit,Nitraria tangutorum Bobrov,and Caragana koraiensis Kom.)in the Minqin desert-oasis ecotone of Northwest China.Results showed that the effects of three BSCs treatments on seed emergence and survival of three plants varied with seed types.The IC treatment significantly hindered the emergence and survival of seeds,while the BC treatment was more conducive to seed emergence and survival of plants.BSCs significantly promoted the growth of three plants,but their effects on plant growth varied at different stages of the growth.Briefly,the growth of G.dasyphylla was affected by BSCs in early stage,but the effects on the growth of G.dasyphylla significantly weakened in the middle and late stages.However,the growth of N.tangutorum and C.koraiensis only showed differences at the middle and late stages,with a significant enhancement in growth.Analysis of variance showed that BSCs,plant species,growth period,and their interactions had significant effects on the biomass and root:shoot ratio of three plants.BSC significantly affected the nutrients absorption and organic solute synthesis in plants.Specifically,BSCs significantly promoted nitrogen(N)absorption in plants and increased plant adaptability in N poor desert ecosystems,but had no significant effects on phosphorus(P)absorption.The effects of BSCs on inorganic nutrient absorption and organic solute synthesis in plants varied significantly among different plant species.The results suggest that BSCs have significant effects on the growth and nutrient accumulation of desert plants,which will provide theoretical basis for exploring the effects of BSCs on desert plant diversity,biodiversity conservation,and ecosystem management measures in arid and semi-arid areas.

Model tests and numerical analysis of emergency treatment of cohesionless soil landslide with quick-setting polyurethane

Shotcrete is one of the common solutions for shallow sliding.It works by forming a protective layer with high strength and cementing the loose soil particles on the slope surface to prevent shallow sliding.However,the solidification time of conventional cement paste is long when shotcrete is used to treat cohesionless soil landslide.The idea of reinforcing slope with polyurethane solidified soil(i.e.,mixture of polyurethane and sand)was proposed.Model tests and finite element analysis were carried out to study the effectiveness of the proposed new method on the emergency treatment of cohesionless soil landslide.Surcharge loading on the crest of the slope was applied step by step until landslide was triggered so as to test and compare the stability and bearing capacity of slope models with different conditions.The simulated slope displacements were relatively close to the measured results,and the simulated slope deformation characteristics were in good agreement with the observed phenomena,which verifies the accuracy of the numerical method.Under the condition of surcharge loading on the crest of the slope,the unreinforced slope slid when the surcharge loading exceeded 30 k Pa,which presented a failure mode of local instability and collapse at the shallow layer of slope top.The reinforced slope remained stable even when the surcharge loading reached 48 k Pa.The displacement of the reinforced slope was reduced by more than 95%.Overall,this study verifies the effectiveness of polyurethane in the emergency treatment of cohesionless soil landslide and should have broad application prospects in the field of geological disasters concerning the safety of people's live.

Aerated irrigation increases tomato production by improving soil nitrogen availability

Soil nitrogen(N)is the main limiting nutrient for plant growth,which is sensitive to variations in the soil oxygen environment.To provide insights into plant N accumulation and yield under aerated and drip irrigation,a greenhouse tomato experiment was conducted with six treatments,including three fertilization types:inorganic fertilizer(NPK);organic fertilizer(OM);chemical(75%of applied N)+organic fertilizer(25%)(NPK+OM)under drip irrigation(DI)and aerated irrigation(AI)methods.Under Al,total soil carbon mineralization(C_(min))was significantly higher(by 5.7-7.0%)than under DI irrigation.C_(min)in the fertilizer treatments followed the order NPK+OM>OM>NPK under both AI and DI.Potentially mineralizable C(C_(0))and N(N_(0))was greater under AI than under DI.Gross N mineralization,gross nitrification,and NH_(4)^(+)immobilization rates were significantly higher under the AINPK treatment than the DINPK treatment by 2.58-3.27-,1.25-1.44-,and 1-1.26-fold,respectively.These findings demonstrated that AI and the addition of organic fertilizer accelerated the turnover of soil organic matter and N transformation processes,thereby enhancing N availability.Moreover,the combination of AI and organic fertilizer application was found to promote root growth(8.4-10.6%),increase the duration of the period of rapid N accumulation(ΔT),and increase the maximum N accumulation rate(V_(max)),subsequently encouraging aboveground dry matter accumulation.Consequently,the AI treatment yield was significantly greater(by 6.3-12.4%)than under the DI treatment.Further,N partial factor productivity(NPFP)and N harvest index(NHI)were greater under AI than under DI,by 6.3 to 12.4%,and 4.6 to 8.1%,respectively.The rankings of yield and NPFP remained consistent,with NPK+OM>OM>NPK under both AI and DI treatments.These results highlighted the positive impacts of AI and organic fertilizer application on soil N availability,N uptake,and overall crop yield in tomato.The optimal management measure was identified as the AINPK+OM treatment,which led to more efficient N management,better crop growth,higher yield,and more sustainable agricultural practices.

Application research of enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation of petroleum contaminated soil

Experimental study of enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation of petroleum contaminated loess soil was carried out in Zhongyuan oil production areas, and the enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation technique includes optimistic in-situ microbial communities, physical chemistry methods, alfalfa planting and regulation of soil environmental elements. Experiments showed that the oil content in the contaminated soil with oil content about 2 898.25 mg/kg can be reduced about 98.61% after in-situ micro-ecological remediation for 99 days, which demonstrated the effectiveness of in-situ micro-ecological remediation methods for petroleum contaminated soil in central plains of China, and explored the practical and feasible application of these methods.

Effects of Different Preceding Crops on Soil Micro-ecological Environment and Yield of Cucumber

Pepper, celery, eggplant and tomato were used as preceding crops to study their effects on the yield, soil microorganism quantity and soil enzyme activities of cucumber. Results showed that four preceding crops all increased soil microorganism quantity in cucumber, but decreased population of Fusarium oxysporum. The effect of pepper was more significant than that of the others Populations of soil bacteria, fungi and actinomyces of pepper treatment were significantly higher than those of the other treatments, except that the populations of fungi had no significant difference with celery and eggplant treatments on 50 days after transplanting, while that of Fusarium oxysporum was fewer than that of the other treatments. The soil microorganism quantity in celery and eggplant treatment was more significant than tomato, but lower population of Fusarium oxysporum. Four preceding crops all increased sol enzyme activities, lnvertase and urease activities of pepper treatment were significantly higher than those of the other treatments, catalase activities of pepper, celery and eggplant treatments were significantly higher than those of tomato and the control treatments All preceding crops remarkably increased cucumber yield, with pepper as the highest. Comparing with the control, cucumber yields of pepper, celery and eggplant treatments increased by 24.9%, 13.6% and 11.9%, respectively. Results suggested that four preceding crops all improved soil microbial ecology and increased cucumber yield. The pepper was the most suitable preceding crop, then followed by celery and eggplant. Tomato had the similar effect as the control.

The competition between Bidens pilosa and Setaria viridis alters soil microbial composition and soil ecological function

Bidens pilosa is recognized as one of the major invasive plants in China.Its invasion has been associated with significant losses in agriculture,forestry,husbandry,and biodiversity.Soil ecosystems play an important role in alien plant invasion.Microorganisms within the soil act as intermediaries between plants and soil ecological functions,playing a role in regulating soil enzyme activities and nutrient dynamics.Understanding the interactions between invasive plants,soil microorganisms,and soil ecological processes is vital for managing and mitigating the impacts of invasive species on the environment.In this study,we conducted a systematic analysis focusing on B.pilosa and Setaria viridis,a common native companion plant in the invaded area.To simulate the invasion process of B.pilosa,we constructed homogeneous plots consisting of B.pilosa and S.viridis grown separately as monocultures,as well as in mixtures.The rhizosphere and bulk soils were collected from the alien plant B.pilosa and the native plant S.viridis.In order to focus on the soil ecological functional mechanisms that contribute to the successful invasion of B.pilosa,we analyzed the effects of B.pilosa on the composition of soil microbial communities and soil ecological functions.The results showed that the biomass of B.pilosa increased by 27.51% and that of S.viridis was significantly reduced by 66.56%.The organic matter contents in the bulk and rhizosphere soils of B.pilosa were approximately 1.30 times those in the native plant soils.The TN and NO_(3)^(-)contents in the rhizosphere soil of B.pilosa were 1.30 to 2.71 times those in the native plant soils.The activities of acid phosphatase,alkaline phosphatase,and urease in the rhizosphere soil of B.pilosa were 1.98-2.25 times higher than in the native plant soils.Using high-throughput sequencing of the16S rRNA gene,we found that B.pilosa altered the composition of the soil microbial community.Specifically,many genera in Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were enriched in B.pilosa soils.Further correlation analyses verified that these genera had significantly positive relationships with soil nutrients and enzyme activities.Plant biomass,soil p H,and the contents of organic matter,TN,NO_(3)^(-),TP,AP,TK,and AK were the main factors affecting soil microbial communities.This study showed that the invasion of B.pilosa led to significant alterations in the composition of the soil microbial communities.These changes were closely linked to modifications in plant traits as well as soil physical and chemical properties.Some microbial species related to C,N and P cycling were enriched in the soil invaded by B.pilosa.These findings provide additional support for the hypothesis of soil-microbe feedback in the successful invasion of alien plants.They also offer insights into the ecological mechanism by which soil microbes contribute to the successful invasion of B.pilosa.Overall,our research contributes to a better understanding of the complex interactions between invasive plants,soil microbial communities,and ecosystem dynamics.

Biochar Decreases Soil Cadmium(Cd) Availability and Regulates Expression Levels of Cd Uptake/Transport-Related Genes to Reduce Cd Translocation in Rice

Biochar has been used as a soil amendment for heavy metal-contaminated soils, and it has the potential to mitigate Cd accumulation in plants. In this study, we used rice straw biochar(RSB) and kitchen waste biochar(KWB) to clarify the effect of biochar on Cd-contaminated neutral soil, the physiological responses to biochar application, and the gene regulatory networks in a rice genotype.

Subsoil tillage enhances wheat productivity,soil organic carbon and available nutrient status in dryland fields

Tillage practices during the fallow period benefit water storage and yield in dryland wheat crops.However,there is currently no clarity on the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),and available nutrients to tillage practices within the growing season.This study evaluated the effects of three tillage practices(NT,no tillage;SS,subsoil tillage;DT,deep tillage)over five years on soil physicochemical properties.Soil samples at harvest stage from the fifth year were analyzed to determine the soil aggregate and aggregate-associated C and N fractions.The results indicated that SS and DT improved grain yield,straw biomass and straw carbon return of wheat compared with NT.In contrast to DT and NT,SS favored SOC and TN concentrations and stocks by increasing the soil organic carbon sequestration rate(SOCSR)and soil nitrogen sequestration rate(TNSR)in the 0-40 cm layer.Higher SOC levels under SS and NT were associated with greater aggregate-associated C fractions,while TN was positively associated with soluble organic nitrogen(SON).Compared with DT,the NT and SS treatments improved soil available nutrients in the 0-20 cm layer.These findings suggest that SS is an excellent practice for increasing soil carbon,nitrogen and nutrient availability in dryland wheat fields in North China.

A dynamic soil freezing characteristic curve model for frozen soil

The soil freezing characteristic curve(SFCC)plays a fundamental role in comprehending thermohydraulic behavior and numerical simulation of frozen soil.This study proposes a dynamic model to uniformly express SFCCs amidst varying total water contents throughout the freezing-thawing process.Firstly,a general model is proposed,wherein the unfrozen water content at arbitrary temperature is determined as the lesser of the current total water content and the reference value derived from saturated SFCC.The dynamic performance of this model is verified through test data.Subsequently,in accordance with electric double layer(EDL)theory,the theoretical residual and minimum temperatures in SFCC are calculated to be-14.5℃to-20℃for clay particles and-260℃,respectively.To ensure that the SFCC curve ends at minimum temperature,a correction function is introduced into the general model.Furthermore,a simplified dynamic model is proposed and investigated,necessitating only three parameters inherited from the general model.Additionally,both general and simplified models are evaluated based on a test database and proven to fit the test data exactly across the entire temperature range.Typical recommended parameter values for various types of soils are summarized.Overall,this study provides not only a theoretical basis for most empirical equations but also proposes a new and more general equation to describe the SFCC.

Straw return increases crop production by improving soil organic carbon sequestration and soil aggregation in a long-term wheat-cotton cropping system

Straw return is a promising strategy for managing soil organic carbon(SOC)and improving yield stability.However,the optimal straw return strategy for sustainable crop production in the wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)-cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)cropping system remains uncertain.The objective of this study was to quantify the long-term(10 years)impact of carbon(C)input on SOC sequestration,soil aggregation and crop yields in a wheat-cotton cropping system in the Yangtze River Valley,China.Five treatments were arranged with a single-factor randomized design as follows:no straw return(Control),return of wheat straw only(Wt),return of cotton straw only(Ct),return of 50%wheat and 50%cotton straw(Wh-Ch)and return of 100%wheat and 100%cotton straw(Wt-Ct).In comparison to the Control,the SOC content increased by 8.4 to 20.2%under straw return.A significant linear positive correlation between SOC sequestration and C input(1.42-7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1))(P<0.05)was detected.The percentages of aggregates of sizes>2 and 1-2 mm at the 0-20 cm soil depth were also significantly elevated under straw return,with the greatest increase of the aggregate stability in the Wt-Ct treatment(28.1%).The average wheat yields increased by 12.4-36.0%and cotton yields increased by 29.4-73.7%,and significantly linear positive correlations were also detected between C input and the yields of wheat and cotton.The average sustainable yield index(SYI)reached a maximum value of 0.69 when the C input was 7.08 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1),which was close to the maximum value(SYI of 0.69,C input of 7.19 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(-1))in the Wt-Ct treatment.Overall,the return of both wheat and cotton straw was the best strategy for improving SOC sequestration,soil aggregation,yields and their sustainability in the wheat-cotton rotation system.

Assessment of soil erosion in the Irga watershed on the eastern edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau,India

Human activities to improve the quality of life have accelerated the natural rate of soil erosion.In turn,these natural disasters have taken a great impact on humans.Human activities,particularly the conversion of vegetated land into agricultural land and built-up area,stand out as primary contributors to soil erosion.The present study investigated the risk of soil erosion in the Irga watershed located on the eastern fringe of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand,India,which is dominated by sandy loam and sandy clay loam soil with low soil organic carbon(SOC)content.The study used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)and Geographical Information System(GIS)technique to determine the rate of soil erosion.The five parameters(rainfall-runoff erosivity(R)factor,soil erodibility(K)factor,slope length and steepness(LS)factor,cover-management(C)factor,and support practice(P)factor)of the RUSLE were applied to present a more accurate distribution characteristic of soil erosion in the Irga watershed.The result shows that the R factor is positively correlated with rainfall and follows the same distribution pattern as the rainfall.The K factor values in the northern part of the study area are relatively low,while they are relatively high in the southern part.The mean value of the LS factor is 2.74,which is low due to the flat terrain of the Irga watershed.There is a negative linear correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)and the C factor,and the high values of the C factor are observed in places with low NDVI.The mean value of the P factor is 0.210,with a range from 0.000 to 1.000.After calculating all parameters,we obtained the average soil erosion rate of 1.43 t/(hm^(2)•a),with the highest rate reaching as high as 32.71 t/(hm^(2)•a).Therefore,the study area faces a low risk of soil erosion.However,preventative measures are essential to avoid future damage to productive and constructive activities caused by soil erosion.This study also identifies the spatial distribution of soil erosion rate,which will help policy-makers to implement targeted soil erosion control measures.

Analysis of the Influence of Probiotics on Intestinal Micro-ecology and Related Diseases

Probiotics are a kind of living microorganisms added into food or drug,which are beneficial to our health.Probiotics can regulate the balance of microecosystem in intestine.Recently,people have paid more attention to the effect on the intestinal microecology.This article mainly made a review on the mechanism and application of probiotics.

Three-year field study on grass growth and soil hydrological properties in biochar-amended soil

Field monitoring was conducted to investigate and quantify the long-term effects of peanut shell biochar on soil-grass interaction over three years.Three 10 m5 m grassed plots were constructed in completely decomposed granitic soil.Two of them were amended,respectively,with 5%and 10%biochar contents(m^(3)/m^(3))for grass growth,while the third was without biochar amendment.During the threeyear monitoring,plant characteristics,saturated water permeability(k_(s))of grassed soil and soil suction were measured.The monitored results show that the grass leaf area index(LAI)and root length density(RLD)with biochar amendment were improved by 38%and 200%,respectively.In the grassed plot without biochar,a threshold RLD existed with a value of 1.7 cm/cm^(3),beyond which k_(s) raised pronouncedly.The threshold RLD increased by 52%when biochar content increased from 0%to 10%.This implies that biochar may restrict the increase in k_(s) of grassed soil due to the rise in the threshold RLD.The presence of biochar and grass can retain over 100%higher suction after heavy rainfalls,while 54%lower peak suction under evapotranspiration(ET)compared with the non-amended plot.Biochar can alleviate the negative effects on hydraulic properties caused by plant growth and reduce ET-induced excessive water loss.A 5%peanut shell biochar content is recommended for the long-term management of vegetated earthen infrastructures.

Manure substitution improves maize yield by promoting soil fertility and mediating the microbial community in lime concretion black soil

Synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilizer has made a great contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and productivity,but excessive application of synthetic N fertilizer may cause agroecosystem risks,such as soil acidification,groundwater contamination and biodiversity reduction.Meanwhile,organic substitution has received increasing attention for its ecologically and environmentally friendly and productivity benefits.However,the linkages between manure substitution,crop yield and the underlying microbial mechanisms remain uncertain.To bridge this gap,a three-year field experiment was conducted with five fertilization regimes:i)Control,non-fertilization;CF,conventional synthetic fertilizer application;CF_(1/2)M_(1/2),1/2 N input via synthetic fertilizer and 1/2 N input via manure;CF_(1/4)M_(3/4),1/4 N input synthetic fertilizer and 3/4 N input via manure;M,manure application.All fertilization treatments were designed to have equal N input.Our results showed that all manure substituted treatments achieved high soil fertility indexes(SFI)and productivities by increasing the soil organic carbon(SOC),total N(TN)and available phosphorus(AP)concentrations,and by altering the bacterial community diversity and composition compared with CF.SOC,AP,and the soil C:N ratio were mainly responsible for microbial community variations.The co-occurrence network revealed that SOC and AP had strong positive associations with Rhodospirillales and Burkholderiales,while TN and C:N ratio had positive and negative associations with Micromonosporaceae,respectively.These specific taxa are implicated in soil macroelement turnover.Random Forest analysis predicted that both biotic(bacterial composition and Micromonosporaceae)and abiotic(AP,SOC,SFI,and TN)factors had significant effects on crop yield.The present work strengthens our understanding of the effects of manure substitution on crop yield and provides theoretical support for optimizing fertilization strategies.

Time-domain dynamic constitutive model suitable for mucky soil site seismic response

Soil nonlinear behavior displays noticeable effects on the site seismic response.This study proposes a new functional expression of the skeleton curve to replace the hyperbolic skeleton curve.By integrating shear modulus and combining the dynamic skeleton curve and the damping degradation coefficient,the constitutive equation of the logarithmic dynamic skeleton can be obtained,which considers the damping effect in a soil dynamics problem.Based on the finite difference method and the multi-transmitting boundary condition,a 1D site seismic response analysis program called Soilresp1D has been developed herein and used to analyze the time-domain seismic response in three types of sites.At the same time,this study also provides numerical simulation results based on the hyperbolic constitutive model and the equivalent linear method.The results verify the rationality of the new soil dynamic constitutive model.It can analyze the mucky soil site nonlinear seismic response,reflecting the deformation characteristics and damping effect of the silty soil.The hysteresis loop area is more extensive,and the residual strain is evident.

Enhancing Deep Learning Soil Moisture Forecasting Models by Integrating Physics-based Models

Accurate soil moisture(SM)prediction is critical for understanding hydrological processes.Physics-based(PB)models exhibit large uncertainties in SM predictions arising from uncertain parameterizations and insufficient representation of land-surface processes.In addition to PB models,deep learning(DL)models have been widely used in SM predictions recently.However,few pure DL models have notably high success rates due to lacking physical information.Thus,we developed hybrid models to effectively integrate the outputs of PB models into DL models to improve SM predictions.To this end,we first developed a hybrid model based on the attention mechanism to take advantage of PB models at each forecast time scale(attention model).We further built an ensemble model that combined the advantages of different hybrid schemes(ensemble model).We utilized SM forecasts from the Global Forecast System to enhance the convolutional long short-term memory(ConvLSTM)model for 1–16 days of SM predictions.The performances of the proposed hybrid models were investigated and compared with two existing hybrid models.The results showed that the attention model could leverage benefits of PB models and achieved the best predictability of drought events among the different hybrid models.Moreover,the ensemble model performed best among all hybrid models at all forecast time scales and different soil conditions.It is highlighted that the ensemble model outperformed the pure DL model over 79.5%of in situ stations for 16-day predictions.These findings suggest that our proposed hybrid models can adequately exploit the benefits of PB model outputs to aid DL models in making SM predictions.

Plastic mulch increases dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity,while straw mulch increases soil water storage

Amplifying drought stress and high precipitation variability impair dryland wheat production.These problems can potentially be minimized by using plastic mulch(PM)or straw mulch(SM).Therefore,wheat grain yield,soil water storage,soil temperature and water-use productivity of PM and SM treatments were compared with no mulch(CK)treatment on dryland wheat over a period of eight seasons.Compared to the CK treatment,PM and SM treatments on average significantly increased grain yield by 12.6 and 10.5%,respectively.Compared to the CK treatment,SM treatment significantly decreased soil daily temperature by 0.57,0.60 and 0.48℃ for the whole seasons,growing periods and summer fallow periods,respectively.In contrast,compared to the CK treatment,PM treatment increased soil daily temperature by 0.44,0.51 and 0.27℃ for the whole seasons,growing periods and summer fallow periods,respectively.Lower soil temperature under SM allowed greater soil water storage than under PM.Soil water storage pre-seeding was 17%greater under the SM than under the PM treatment.Soil water storage post-harvest was similar for the PM and SM treatments,but evapotranspiration was 4.5%higher in the SM than in the PM treatment.Consequently,water-use productivity was 6.6%greater under PM than under the SM treatment.Therefore,PM treatment increased dryland wheat yield and water-use productivity,while straw mulch increased soil water storage.

Quantitatively characterizing sandy soil structure altered by MICP using multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm

The influences of biological,chemical,and flow processes on soil structure through microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)are not yet fully understood.In this study,we use a multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm,genetic algorithm(GA)enhanced Kapur entropy(KE)(GAE-KE),to accomplish quantitative characterization of sandy soil structure altered by MICP cementation.A sandy soil sample was treated using MICP method and scanned by the synchrotron radiation(SR)micro-CT with a resolution of 6.5 mm.After validation,tri-level thresholding segmentation using GAE-KE successfully separated the precipitated calcium carbonate crystals from sand particles and pores.The spatial distributions of porosity,pore structure parameters,and flow characteristics were calculated for quantitative characterization.The results offer pore-scale insights into the MICP treatment effect,and the quantitative understanding confirms the feasibility of the GAE-KE multi-level thresholding segmentation algorithm.