Advanced Search
Combined effects of soil microbes and organic matter on aggregate formation in saline-alkali soil
Received:March 16, 2017  
View Full Text  View/Add Comment  Download reader
KeyWord:saline-alkali soil in Qinghai;improvement;soil aggregates;soil microorganism;organic matter
Author NameAffiliationE-mail
YANG Hua College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China  
CHEN Sha-sha College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China  
FENG Zhe-ye College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China  
DENG Zhao-liang College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China  
LI Zhen College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China  
WANG Shi-mei College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China smwang@njau.edu.cn 
Hits: 2180
Download times: 2524
Abstract:
      Saline-alkali soil is widely distributed in China. The saline-alkali properties of this soil are the primary factors affecting agricultural management. Promoting the formation of soil macro-aggregates is a key step for the improvement of saline-alkali soil. In this study, experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of adding various microbial communities and multiple types of organic matter on formation of soil aggregates in saline-alkali soil. The microbial communities were prepared in soil suspension of saline-alkali and yellow brown soil. In addition, decomposed organic or semi-decomposed organic matter were provided by inoculating maize straw and cow dung. Soil samples were cultured at room temperature for 45 or 90 days. The results showed that treatment with indigenous microorganisms plus semi-decomposed organic matter(SS+MS-CD) resulted in the greatest improvement in aggregate formation among all treatments. For example, aggregates of more than 2 mm were increased to 0.62%, whereas no aggregates of more than 2 mm formed in the other treatments. Additionally, the contents of 0.25~2 mm aggregates increased to 14.3%~23.9% from 0.5% of CK. Moreover, the pH value decreased around 0.6 pH units, and the population of microorganisms was significantly elevated. Furthermore, the treatment significantly improved the soil enzyme activities and soil respiration intensities. These findings provide insights into the promising applications of saline-alkali soil in agriculture.