Interactive Effects of Microbial Fertilizer and Soil Salinity on the Hydraulic Properties of Salt-Affected Soil

Abstract

Significant research has been conducted on the effects of fertilizers or agents on the sustainable development of agriculture in salinization areas. By contrast, limited consideration has been given to the interactive effects of microbial fertilizer (MF) and salinity on hydraulic properties in secondary salinization soil (SS) and coastal saline soil (CS). An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of saline soil types, salinity levels (non-saline, low-salinity, and high-salinity soils), and MF amounts (32.89 g kg−1 and 0 g kg−1) on soil hydraulic properties. Applied MF improved soil water holding capacity in each saline soil compared with that in CK, and SS was higher than CS. Applied MF increased saturated moisture, field capacity, capillary fracture moisture, the wilting coefficient, and the hygroscopic coefficient by 0.02–18.91% in SS, while it was increased by 11.62–181.88% in CS. It increased soil water supply capacity in SS (except for high-salinity soil) and CS by 0.02–14.53% and 0.04–2.34%, respectively, compared with that in CK. Soil available, readily available, and unavailable water were positively correlated with MF, while soil gravity and readily available and unavailable water were positively correlated with salinity in SS. Therefore, a potential fertilization program with MF should be developed to increase hydraulic properties or mitigate the adverse effects of salinity on plants in similar SS or CS areas.

Field Examinations on the Application of Novel Biochar-Based Microbial Fertilizer on Degraded Soils and Growth Response of Flue-Cured Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

“…These parameters included moisture at saturation (θ sat defined as the equilibrium volumetric soil water content ψ m at a matric potential of −0 bar), field capacity (θ fc defined as the equilibrium volumetric soil water content ψ m at a matric potential of −0.3 bar), capillary fracture (θ cp , is about 65% of θ fc ), permanent wilting point (θ pwp , volumetric soil water content ψ m at a matric potential of −15 bar) and hygroscopic coefficient (θ hyg , θ pwp is the soil moisture at which the plant will be permanently wilted and θ has reduced to 1.5-to 2.0-times the soil's θ hyg ) [18]. The gravity water (θ gw ) was calculated as the difference between the θ sat and θ fc , available water (θ aw ) was calculated as the difference between the θ fc and θ pwp and unavailable water (θ uaw ) with water less than θ pwp [18,19].…”

Effect of the Spading Machine on Various Soil Parameters at Different Tillage Depths

“…Tillage is one of the major soil handling operations which guzzles most of the energy and cost expenditure during the crop production cycle [1][2][3][4]. Tillage tools direct the energy into the soil to cause desired effects such as cutting, breaking, inversion, and movement of soil.…”

Soil-Specific Calibration Using Plate Compression Filling Technique and Monitoring Soil Biomass Degradation Based on Dielectric Properties

“…The amount of water in the soil and the properties of the soil pore system directly impact microbial activity [19,20]. Adequate water is crucial for microbial activity, as it allows microorganisms to break down complex organic compounds into simpler forms [21].…”