Article
Soil Science
Qingyin Zhang, Xiaoxu Jia, Tongchuan Li, Mingan Shao, Qiang Yu, Xiaorong Wei
Summary: The results of the study showed a significant decrease in soil total phosphorus concentration following artificial plantation, with no significant change in available phosphorus. Spatial distribution of phosphorus concentration varied based on climate, prior land use, tree species, and soil properties.
Article
Agronomy
Zewei Qi, Weihua Cui, Zimeng Tian, Jiahua Li, Yuechao Wang, Peng Wu, Zhiqiang Gao, Jianfu Xue
Summary: Soil aggregates are important indicators of soil quality and are strongly influenced by soil tillage. However, little is known about the composition and stability of soil aggregates in rainfed winter wheat fields. In this study, soil aggregates were assessed under three tillage treatments - minimum tillage, subsoiling, and plough tillage - before sowing and after harvest. The results showed that plough tillage significantly increased the mechanical-stable aggregates (MSA) in the 0-40 cm soil layer before sowing, while minimum tillage significantly increased the water-stable aggregates (WSA) in the 0-20 cm soil layer before sowing and after harvesting. Plough tillage also decreased the geometric mean diameter and stability rate, and increased the destruction rate and unstable aggregate index of WSA in the 0-20 cm soil layer before sowing.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lulu Bai, Peng Shi, Zhanbin Li, Peng Li, Zhun Zhao, Jingbin Dong, Lingzhou Cui
Summary: The slope-gully system on the Loess Plateau is greatly affected by soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients. Restoring vegetation can effectively reduce soil erosion and loss of nitrogen and phosphorus. This study found that different vegetation patterns significantly affected the loss of soil nitrogen and phosphorus, with the down-slope vegetation pattern being the most effective in reducing runoff and sediment yields, therefore reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loss. It is suggested to consider the lower part of the slope in vegetation restoration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Jinjin Wang, Xu Sun, Yuqing Zhang, Yujing Fang, Yizhe Zhan, Ru Guo, Rui Qian, Tie Cai, Tiening Liu, Zhikuan Jia, Xiaoli Chen, Xiaolong Ren
Summary: Soil aggregation is essential for maintaining soil structure and crop productivity. Fertilization has a significant impact on soil aggregation by regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents. Our study found that appropriate nitrogen application can improve soil aggregate stability, enhance the sequestration of SOC and TN in aggregates, and increase crop productivity.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuchuan He, Jian Sun, Junnan Xiong, Hua Shang, Xin Wang
Summary: This study used machine learning to investigate the patterns, dynamics, and drivers of soil available nitrogen and soil available phosphorus in alpine grasslands on the QingZang Plateau. The results showed that the nutrient contents varied across different grassland types and changed over time. Environmental factors explained 80% of the spatial variation in nutrient contents. The findings suggest that the increase in soil available phosphorus and decrease in soil available nitrogen may have implications for nutrient limitation in alpine meadows.
Article
Forestry
Xueshu Song, Shaomin Shi, Sen Lu, Rongxiu Ren, Chunxia He, Ping Meng, Jinsong Zhang, Changjun Yin, Xiao Zhang
Summary: The study found that both planting and natural restoration can increase soil organic carbon stocks, but the increase after 16 years is slight. Soil organic carbon concentrations were negatively correlated with soil pH for all four land use patterns, with the correlation strength increasing over time. Plantations may lead to soil acidification, while cropland and naturally restored forests did not show this trend.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Hanbo Wang, Dasheng Zhang, Jiuxing He, Lijuan Wang, Jiameng Ren, Shuantang Zhang, Wenbo Bai, Jiqing Song, Guohua Lv, Jiusheng Li
Summary: The study found that subsoiling in wheat-maize rotation fields in the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province helped increase water storage, organic carbon, and total nitrogen content in deep soil layers, improving soil nutrient status. However, subsoiling decreased soil bacterial richness and diversity compared to conventional tillage, but increased abundance of beneficial bacteria.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yixuan Zhao, Junhong Guo, Shiheng Luo, Yuying Shen, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Yuan Li
Summary: This study found that using the recommended dosage of herbicide (100%) effectively terminates lucerne growth in the Loess Plateau of China without negatively impacting soil carbon and nitrogen storage. However, it is important to note that this study only conducted one-year trials at a single site, so caution should be exercised when considering the findings for policy decisions.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Tong Li, Deqiang Zhao, Yuze Li, Ziting Wang, Xiaoxia Wen, Yuncheng Liao
Summary: The long-term use of conventional management practices and overapplication of synthetic fertilizers negatively impact the environment of farmland. Therefore, improved agronomic management practices are needed to enhance crop productivity. A 3-year experiment conducted in China's Loess Plateau evaluated the effects of integrated rotation-tillage management on the farmland environment and wheat productivity. The results showed that conservation tillage increased soil nutrient levels, decreased soil pH and C/N values, and improved soil moisture compared to conventional management practices. Additionally, conservation tillage increased aboveground biomass, nitrogen content, and wheat yield, while reducing nitrogen fertilizer productivity and uptake efficiency.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jinxi He, Lin Du, Cheng Zhai, Yupeng Guan, Shuai Wu, Zehui Zhang, Abiola O. Ogundeji, Siyu Gu
Summary: Different tillage practices significantly affect the distribution of soil aggregates and phosphorus forms. No-tillage can improve soil structure and enhance phosphorus reserves, aiding in the conversion of phosphorus from scarce to available.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Shenqiang Lv, Jia Li, Zeyu Yang, Ting Yang, Huitong Li, Xiaofei Wang, Yi Peng, Chunju Zhou, Linquan Wang, Ahmed I. Abdo
Summary: This study investigated the effects of ridge tillage and plastic film or straw mulching on yield stability, soil water storage, nitrogen budget, and soil nitrogen and organic carbon contents in rain-fed spring maize on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that plastic film mulching increased maize yield and stability, improved water use efficiency, and maintained soil nitrogen and organic carbon contents. However, the potential impact of microplastic contamination should be considered.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Jiaxing Wang, Haoqiang Zhang, Ren Yang, Jing Gao, Yaqin Liu, Huijuan Zhang, Yuanyuan Wang, Ming Tang
Summary: The study demonstrates the positive effects of inoculating Suillus variegatus on ten-year-old Pinus tabuliformis in terms of growth, nutrient absorption, and soil fungal diversity. The results suggest that ectomycorrhizal fungi play an important role in ecological restoration and can be applied to enhance the survival of forest trees and increase soil fungal diversity.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shengdong Cheng, Ganggang Ke, Zhanbin Li, Yuting Cheng, Heng Wu
Summary: Soil phosphorus is a crucial indicator of soil fertility and quality, as well as a source of nonpoint-source pollution. Different land uses and topographies influence the spatial distribution of soil available phosphorus, with slope and soil texture being key factors affecting its concentration in the catchment.
Article
Soil Science
Yaqi Zhang, Ram C. Dalal, Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Gregor Meyer, Peng Wang, Neal W. Menzies, Peter M. Kopittke
Summary: This study examined the effects of long-term low-phosphorus cropping systems in subtropical Queensland, Australia. It found that tillage practices and nitrogen fertilization did not significantly impact total phosphorus levels or various forms of phosphorus in the soil, but did result in pH changes and significant effects on soil organic carbon concentrations. While the use of no-tillage practices may increase soil organic carbon content in low-input soils, it does not necessarily lead to a concomitant increase in organic phosphorus, which is crucial for soil fertility and functioning.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zi-Qiang Yuan, Xin Song, Zhaozhong Feng, Jian Wang, Runzhi Wang, Evgenios Agathokleous, Chao Fang, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas
Summary: Grazing exclusion is an effective management practice to restore degraded ecosystems, resulting in significant increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) stock. The rates of SOC and N sequestration increase with the duration of grazing exclusion. The controlling factors include the age of grazing exclusion, initial SOC and N contents, altitude, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation.