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The return of straw and manure to agricultural fields can impact soil organic carbon (SOC) and biological properties. However, there is a lack of research on how to use swine manure, maize straw, and various conditioners together affects soil bacterial and fungal populations. This study aimed to investigate six treatments, namely, only maize straw (S00), maize straw combined with swine manure (S0Z), maize straw combined with biochar and swine manure (SCZ), maize straw combined with boron slag and swine manure (SBZ), maize straw combined with biological agent and swine manure (SJZ), and maize straw combined with bio-organic fertilizer and swine manure (SFZ). The results showed that after the two-year return, all treatments increased the SOC content in 2023, which was 12.55–26.89% higher than S00. And the SCZ treatment significantly increased the soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), easily oxidizable carbon (EOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content by 26.89%, 25.44%, 56.88%, 16.08%, and 43.54%, compared to S00. A redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the continuous application of manure, maize straw, and conditioners has a positive impact on the diversity and abundance of soil microbial communities, enhancing the accumulation of soil carbon. Furthermore, our research revealed that soil fungi exhibited higher sensitivity in soil carbon composition following the addition of manure, straw, and conditioners to agricultural fields than bacteria. In conclusion, the addition of different conditioners to the fields is beneficial to biodiversity conservation from the perspective of achieving soil carbon storage and soil protection. Our findings suggested that the combination of maize straw, biochar, and swine manure was been proven to be the most effective treatment for increasing labile organic carbon fractions and enhancing the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor soil fertility conditions limit agricultural production and development in saline-alkali areas. At the same time, in order to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by agricultural wastes, agricultural wastes are used for organic fertilization of saline-alkali soils. In this study, the amount and structure of soil dissolved organic carbon after the application of different organic wastes was assessed. The results showed that the content of dissolved organic carbon in each component increased significantly (p <.05), while treatment GS recorded the highest content of dissolved organic carbon in each organic carbon component. The UV-visible spectrum of soil dissolved organic carbon recorded different results after the application of organic materials. For water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), treatment CS was most effective in increasing the molecular weight of soil WSOC while treatment GS was most beneficial in improving the hydrophobicity and aromaticity of soil WSOC. For thermal hydrolyzed organic carbon (THOC), treatment GS was most effective for increasing the molecular weight and hydrophobicity, while treatment SM was most beneficial for increasing aromaticity. For hydrochloric acid and hydrolyzed organic carbon (HHOC), treatment SM was most effective in increasing molecular weight, while treatment FG and GS were most beneficial in improving the hydrophobicity and aromaticity of HHOC. For Alkali hydrolysis of organic carbon (AHOC), treatment GS was most beneficial for increasing the molecular weight, aromaticity, and hydrophobicity of AHOC. Amongst all the treatments the organic material treatments increased the aromaticity, hydrophobicity, molecular weight, and humification degree of soil soluble organic carbon compared with CK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor soil has restricted the crop production in semiarid soil. Fulvic acid (FA) is considered to play an significant role in soil fertility. The amount and structure of FA after application of different organic wastes (OWs) was assessed in this work. Six treatments were involved in this experiment: chemical fertilizer combined with chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), maize straw (MS), fodder grass (FG), and tree leaves (TL), while chemical fertilizer only was used as control (CK). The soil FA content (P < 0.05) after the application of TL was the highest than other OWs. The E 4 /E 6 ratios, Δlog K values, aliphatic C/aromatic C ratios of soil FA after the application of TL were the lowest than other OWs, whereas the C/H ratio was the highest. The specific fluorescence intensities (SFI) of peak A (Ex/Em 260–265/415-430 nm) and peak B (Ex/Em 310–315/415-430 nm) from EEM fluorescence spectrum of FA were the lowest after the application of TL. In conclusion, the application of TL was the most effective for improving FA accumulation, and making FA complex and stability. Thus, TL is the recommended OW for use in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation conditions. The soil FA content after application of TL was the highest. • The application of TL could make the structure of FA complex and stability, and improve storage of soil organic matter. • The application of CM could make the structure of FA simple and improve the updating of FA. • TL would be used as the most suitable OW type in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the variation in labile organic carbon fractions after the application of organic wastes (OWs) in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation. The two-year experiment involved six treatments: chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), mushroom residue (MR), maize straw (MS), fodder grass (FG), and tree leaves (TL), with an unamended soil (no OWs) as control. In 2015 and 2016, treatment with OWs led to increased levels of soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon, as well as higher carbon management indexes and yields and lower oxidation stability coefficients. Higher SOC contents (p <0.01) were achieved in both years for TL and MS compared to the other OWs. In particular, the SOC content in 2016 was higher (p <0.05) for TL than MS. Compared to the other OWs, the easily oxidized organic carbon levels and carbon management indexes in both years were higher (p <0.01) for CM, SM, and MS, whereas the oxidation stability coefficients were lower (p <0.01). In conclusion, among the studied treatments, the application of MS was the most effective for improving soil fertility and enhancing soil carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the variation in the amount and structure of humic acid (HA) after the application of organic wastes (OWs) in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation, measured by elemental composition, excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence, and carbon 13 nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C CPMAS NMR). The experiment involved chemical fertilizer combined with chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), maize straw (MS), fodder grass (FG), and tree leaves (TL), while chemical fertilizer only was used as control (CK). The highest cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and HA contents ( P < 0.05) were achieved for TL compared to other OWs. The E 4 /E 6 ratio, Δlog K value, and the aliphatic C/aromatic C ratio of HA were the lowest for TL treatment than for other OW treatments, whereas the highest C/H ratio was obtained. The specific fluorescence intensities (SFI) of peak A (330–370/460-490 nm), peak B (450–465/515-525 nm), and peak C (255–270/465-490 nm) mainly referred to humic acid component from EEM fluorescence spectrum of HA were lower for TL compared to other OWs. In conclusion, the application of TL was the most effective for improving the accumulation of SOC and HA, and making the structure of HA complex and stability. Thus, TL is the recommended OW for use in semiarid soil under plastic mulched drip irrigation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the effects of different maize straw returning modes on humus composition and humic acid (HA) structural, a field experiment was designed to have five treatments, i.e. Treatment CK (no straw returned), Treatment EIS (straw incorporated evenly into the soil using the crashing-ridging technique), Treatment SP (straw plowed into the soil), Treatment SM (straw returned as mulch) and Treatment SG (straw returned as pellets). Our results showed that Treatment EIS significantly increased the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil humus substances (HEC), soil humic acid carbon (HAC) and fulvic acid carbon (FAC) by 27.8%, 47.6%, 63.3% and 33.8%, respectively, as compared with CK. Among all the straw returning treatments, Treatment EIS was the most significant in effect of increasing the content of HEC, HAC and FAC. Moreover, Treatment EIS altered the composition of humus more significantly than all the other treatments, by increasing the proportion of alkyl C and the ratio of aliphatic C/aromatic C. These results suggest that straw returning accelerated the accumulation of soil organic C and various components of humus, significantly improved the structure of soil HA, with the practice of EIS in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of agricultural wastes to the soil does not only improve soil fertility but also helps in the recycling of agricultural waste resources. However, the effects of agricultural organic materials on soil physicochemical properties in primary saline and alkaline lands unsatisfactory. In this study, the effects of different organic materials on the physicochemical properties of primary saline-alkali soil were studied in the west of Jilin province for two consecutive years. The organic materials included: grass (FG), sheep manure (SM), coarse corn straw (CS), and granular corn straw (GS). Soil pH, EC, total salt content, CEC, exchangeable sodium, ESP, organic matter, field capacity, water immersed bulk density, sedimentation coefficient, hardness and the morphological characteristics of soil aggregates were measured by conventional methods. CEC, SOM, and the physical properties varied significantly among the different treatments, whereas pH, EC, total salt content and exchangeable sodium did not. Moreover, the morphology of the organic materials significantly affected pH, EC1 : 5, total salt content, SOM and physical properties of the soil however, it did not affect the CEC, exchangeable sodium and ESP. Comparing granular corn straw with coarse corn straw, granular corn straw increased the SOM and field capacity by 48.5 and 17.0% respectively and decreased the pH, EC1 : 5, total salt content, water immersed bulk density, sedimentation coefficient and soil hardness by 2.6, 2.4, 3.7, 11.3, 6.2 and 7.7% respectively. In conclusion, the application of organic materials effectively improved the physical and chemical properties in the saline-alkali soil however did not cause a complete change in the saline-alkaline nature of the soil. The morphology of the organic materials also significantly affected soil properties, with granular corn straw having a better effect than the other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for sustaining grape production and improving crop water productivity in semi-arid areas through direct root-zone irrigation (DRZ) has been demonstrated in recent studies; however, it has only been tested for red wine grapes in sandy soils. To expand its application, a field study was conducted to investigate the influences of DRZ with reduced irrigation rate on yield, berry quality, root growth, plant water status and crop water productivity of white wine grape Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay grown in a silt loam soil within a semi-arid region of Washington state, USA. Compared with the surface drip irrigation which has been applied for decades in the study area, DRZ could improve the crop water productivity by 23 – 34 % and reduce the irrigation amount by 16 – 23 % without yield loss under variable weather conditions, indicating the efficacy of the DRZ as a novel subsurface irrigation strategy. Concurrently, DRZ restricted root distribution within 0 – 60 cm soil layers, and significantly reduced root number and root length density were observed in 20 – 40 cm soil depth. Moreover, grapevines under moderate water stress induced by DRZ accumulated more soluble sugar (8.8 % increase in °Brix on average) and yeast assimilable nitrogen (24.4 % increase on average) in berries. We conclude that proper deficit irrigation applied through DRZ would be applicable to optimize the water use for production and efficiently alter the root distribution pattern of Chardonnay grapevine cultivated in moderately permeable soils with improved berry quality. • Direct root-zone irrigation (DRZ) was compared with surface drip irrigation in Chardonnay vineyards. • DRZ strategy enhanced crop water productivity with minor effects on yield. • DRZ significantly restricted root growth in the 20–40 cm soil layer. • Total soluble solids and yeast assimilable nitrogen in berries were increased under DRZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Returning organic materials is recognized as an effective practice to alter soil organic carbon (SOC) content, in which microorganisms play a critical role. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different kinds of animal manure combined with stover (AM-S treatments) on labile organic C fractions and soil microbial community. The two-year experiment involved four treatments: maize stover only (S), maize stover plus ox manure (SO), maize stover plus chicken manure (SC), and maize stover plus pig manure (SP). In 2018 and 2019, AM-S treatments increased the levels of SOC, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), easily oxidized carbon (EOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and maize yields. Maize stover plus ox manure treatment could provide better accumulation of MBC, and enhance bacterial and fungal richness and diversity. Maize stover plus pig manure treatment enhanced the contents of DOC and maize yield and also recorded the highest percentage of Proteobacteria (57.6%). Also, the EOC contents were 13.0% and 21.5% higher than SO and SC respectively. In all, our findings suggested that the application of maize stover plus pig manure was the most effective treatment for enhancing labile SOC fractions and improving the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures of soil humus (HS) amended with organic wastes (OWs) were closely related to properties of OWs-derived humus-like substances (HSL). This work evaluated the properties of HSL isolated from mushroom residue (MR), chicken manure (CM), sheep manure (SM), tree leaves (TL), maize straw (MS) and fodder grass (FG) and studied the structures of soil humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) amended with these OW. FTIR results showed that the relative intensities at 1,640 cm−1 peaks of TL-, FG- and SM-derived HAL were higher than other CM-, MS- and MR-derived HAL (p < 0.05), while the 2,930/1,640 ratios were lower (p < 0.05). Relatively lower E4/E6 ratios and ΔlogK values of TL-, FG- and SM-derived HAL were recorded (p < 0.05). Relative intensities at 1,620 cm−1 peaks of soil HA and soil FA amended with TL, FG and SM were higher than other OWs, while the 2,930/1,620 ratios were significantly lower (p < 0.05). The 2,930/1,620 ratio of soil HA and soil FA amended with MS and CM was the highest, respectively. In conclusion, the properties of OWs-derived HSL play important roles in functional groups of soil HS amended with these OWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil available nutrients and soil salt ions are considered to play a significant role in soil fertility. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different agricultural organic wastes on soil available nutrients and soil ions in a primary saline soil, located in the west of Jilin Province, China. The treatments were granular corn straw (GS), coarse corn straw (CS), sheep manure (SM), fodder grass (FG), and control (CK). The results showed that agricultural organic wastes effectively decreased soil pH by 1.28%-3.83%. The application of agricultural organic wastes also improved soil available nutrients, of which the available nitrogen (AN) increased by 23.64%-32.54%, the available phosphorus (AP) increased by 16% −19.93%, and the available potassium (AK) increased by 2.78% – 8.42%. In contrast, the content of soil salt ions decreased significantly with the exception of potassium ions. Linear dependence suggests that, with the decrease of soil pH, the soil available nutrient content was higher. From the correlation analysis, the relationship between other salt ions and soil available nutrients showed an extremely significant negative correlation with the exception of potassium (K+). The redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that calcium (Ca2+) and potassium (K+) are the main factor affecting soil available nutrient content in 2a (about 12 months after organic wastes were applied) and 3a (about 24 months after organic wastes were applied), respectively. In conclusion, treatment GS is recommended for improving soil available nutrients and decreasing the pH and content of soil salt ions in primary saline-alkali soils. CK: control without orgaanic material; GS: granular corn straw; CS: coarse corn straw; SM: sheep manure; FG: fodder grass; AN: available nitrogen; AP: available phosphorus; AK: available potassium; RDA: redundancy analysis; 1a: before the application of organic wastes; 2a: about 12 months after organic wastes were applied (first year); 3a: about 24 months after organic wastes were applied (second year). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant parasitic nematodes are the most devastating pest in continuous soybean monoculture, which have been managed mainly by chemical nematicides. However, safe and alternative methods need to be developed. A variety of organic materials are used for this purpose, but the control efficiency of different organic materials for nematodes has not been assessed in a comparative manner. Therefore, based on a 7-year experiment of continuous soybean monoculture, we directly compared the effects of different organic materials (maize straw combined with chemical fertilizer (F + S), poplar leaf combined with chemical fertilizer (F + L), cow manure combined with chemical fertilizer (F + C) and only fertilizer as CK) on nematode trophic groups and functional guilds under the same condition. Despite the lack of total nematode density differences, organic materials altered the soil nematode community in a soybean monoculture system. The relative abundance of plant parasites was highest in F + L treatment, followed by F + S treatment, while lowest in F + C and CK treatments. Meanwhile, bacterivores and fungivores had a higher relative abundance in CK and F + C treatments and a lower relative abundance in F + L and F + S treatments. Furthermore, significant treatment effects were also observed on the relative abundance of different functional guilds, except colonizer-persister (c-p) 5 plant parasites. The relative abundance of c-p 2 bacterivores was significantly higher in CK and F + C treatments than in F + S and F + L treatments, while the relative abundance of c-p 3 omnivore-carnivores was significantly higher in F + S and F + L treatments than in CK and F + C treatments. Organic materials treatments had a significant effect on Shannon index (H’), plant parasite index (PPI), structure index (SI) and enrichment index (EI) ( P  < .05), and the significant effects varied among different organic materials treatments. The results of this study suggest that the influence on the soil nematode community of organic materials is associated with their chemical composition, and so is its efficacy of controlling plant parasitic nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]