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The persistent scarcity of water resources and suboptimal nutrient utilization rates are predominant challenges in agricultural production, both in China and globally. The modified cellulose and biochar have good functions of retaining water and fertilizer in soil. Authors employed these substances as soil amendments, investigating their individual and combined effects on the soil's physicochemical properties, nutrient content, moisture, and the germination of upland rice. The experiment was conducted in an artificial climate greenhouse, using upland rice as the test crop. A pot experiment was established with a control group CK (no modified cellulose or biochar), three types of modified cellulose (CMC-NH4, CMC-Na and CMC-K) each at a 0.05% mass fraction (labelled A1, B1 and C1), a 0.10% mass fraction (labelled A2, B2 and C2), and 0.50% biochar (D1), combinations of three modified celluloses at 0.05% and 0.10% mass fractions were used with 0.50% biochar (labeled A1D1, B1D1, C1D1, A2D1, B2D1 and C2D1) across 14 treatments. These treatments on soil's physicochemical properties (pH, compactness, surface crust thickness), nutrients (ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium), water loss, and upland rice germination (plant height, above-ground biomass) were analyzed. The results showed that: relative to CK, the A1 and A2 treatments reduced soil pH by 0.20 and 0.17 unit, respectively, whereas the B1, B2, C2 and D1 treatments increased it by 0.32, 0.43, 0.20 and 0.42 unit, respectively. CMC-NH4 and CMC-K combined with biochar showed a tendency to increase soil pH, in contrast to CMC-Na combined with biochar, which had no significant impact. Compared with CK, the A1, A2, B1 and B2 treatments notably enhanced soil compactness by 13.69%, 22.90%, 99.66% and 113.58%, respectively. Each modified cellulose type, when applied singly, variably increased soil clumping and surface crust formation. The A1D1, A2D1, B1D1 and B2D1 treatments moderately reduced soil compactness (8.88%, 11.78%, 14.95% and 14.24%), and when combined with biochar, also diminished the surface crust thickness of the soil (52.55%, 60.59%, 29.94%, 38.65%, 43.54% and 45.20%). Notably, the A2 and A2D1 treatments increased soil ammonium nitrogen by 275.84% and 48.99%, respectively, while the C1, C2, C1D1 and C2D1 treatments significantly reduced it (51.01%, 53.02%, 41.61% and 45.64%). The application of modified cellulose and biochar, either singly or in combination, enhanced the soil content of nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium (ranging from 9.01% to 95.72%). The combined application proved more beneficial for increasing soil nutrients. Only the A2D1, B1D1 and B2D1 treatments significantly lessened cumulative soil water loss (8.86%, 6.33% and 6.33%), with no notable differences in the other treatments. The A1, B1, C1 and BC treatments considerably augmented the biomass of upland rice, achieving increases of 203.88%, 133.49%, 111.16% and 18.93%, respectively. Among the high-dose modified cellulose treatments, only C2 significantly raised the aboveground biomass of upland rice by 71.84%. The combined treatments A1D1, A2D1, B1D1, B2D1, C1D1 and C2D1 notably enhanced the aboveground biomass of upland rice (225.24%, 147.57%, 143.20%, 138.83%, 125.73% and 119.90%). Overall, the synergistic application of 0.05% modified cellulose with 0.50% biochar markedly improves soil structure, boosts nutrient content, and enhances the aboveground biomass of upland rice. This combination is a promising approach for soil amelioration in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven Japonica rice varieties were compared in Shouguang, Weifang City. Their agronomic characters, yield, field resistance and grain quality were analyzed. Results showed that Jinyuan U99 showed early maturity, high quality and high yield, which was suitable for high quality rice planting in Shouguang experimental area. Shengdao 22 and Shengxiang 1826 had good yield, good rice quality and moderate susceptibility to rice blast, Shengdao 2620 was susceptible to rice blast, so the control of rice blast should be strengthened. Jinyuan U99, Runnong 303 and Runnong 11 showed resistance to rice blast, and Jinyuan 985 was highly susceptible to rice blast. This experiment provided reference for the rational selection of local varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the demand of non-point source pollution control in Songhua River basin, the technique of short ridge of clover (Trifolium) hedgerow with ridge tillage (SRCHRT) was applied to research the control effect of the runoff, sediment, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses in sloping farmland. SRCHRT is a novel technique that could decrease soil and water losses in sloping farmland, in which, the furrow between ridges the short ridge that is as high as ridge is piled up by a certain distance, and grass is planted in these short ridge, the grass and short ridge form hedgerow ridge, and hedgerow ridge and long ridge form the technique that is named SRCHRT. SRCHRT gained the national invention patent in 2018 and can retard runoff and control soil and soil N and P losses. A three-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of application of SRCHRT on reducing sediment, runoff, and soil N and P losses in sloping farmland in the Songhua River basin. There are eight treatments, including two control, three space SRCHRT and three space short ridge of non-clover hedgerow with ridge tillage (SRNCHRT), the two controls were traditional longitudinal ridge tillage (CK1) and cross ridge tillage (CK2), three space SRCHRT were longitudinal ridge tillage + 1 m space short ridge with clover hedgerow (T1), longitudinal ridge tillage + 3 m space short ridge with clover hedgerow (T2), longitudinal ridge tillage + 5 m space short ridge with clover hedgerow (T3), longitudinal ridge tillage + 1 m space short ridge without clover hedgerow (T4), longitudinal ridge tillage + 3 m space short ridge without clover hedgerow (T5), and longitudinal ridge tillage + 5 m space short ridge without clover hedgerow (T6). Clover was chosen as the hedgerow. The results indicated as follow: 1) Compared with the traditional longitudinal ridge tillage (CK1), the sediment and runoff of CK2 decreased 46.9% and 52.9%; T1, T2 and T3 decreased sediment by 44.6%, 44.1% and 42.1%, respectively, and runoff by 50.6%, 49.8% and 49.2%, respectively. T4, T5 and T6 can also decrease water and soil losses in sloping farmland, compared with T1, T2 and T3, T4, T5 and T6 increased sediment by 16.3%, 12.6% and 29.5%, respectively, and runoff by 29.6%, 46.8% and 76.9%, respectively. The SRCHRT method in controlling sediment and runoff losses were close to cross ridge tillage (CK2), but there were significant differences (P<0.05). 2) Compared with the traditional longitudinal ridge tillage (CK1), total N (TN) concentration of sediment and TN concentration of runoff of all treatments were increased but total P (TP) concentration of sediment and TN concentration of runoff of all treatments were unchanged. TN and TP concentration of all treatments were increased and there were significant differences among treatments about TN concentration and no significant differences among treatments about TP concentration. The soil N from sloping farmland was not increased at all because of the higher TN concentration of SRCHRT runoff, and the losses of soil N was reduced by an average of 19.7% because the contribution of runoff reduction was more than TN concentration of runoff increment. 3) SRCHRT had significant effect of water and soil control and can decrease sediment, runoff, soil N and P losses in sloping farmland. From the cost-effective considerations, the 3-5 space short ridge of SRCHRT was recommended, and small spaces were suitable for bigger slope, the top and middle slope, longer spaces were suitable for smaller slope and the down of slope. SRCHRT can increase the corn yield by 5%-5.6% [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]