Summary
This field experiment in the Yellow River Delta examined how straw retention (10 t·ha⁻¹) and desulfurization gypsum (29 t·ha⁻¹), alone and in combination, influence soil organic carbon sequestration and bacterial community composition in saline-alkali soils. Combined straw plus gypsum treatment was more effective than straw alone at reducing soil pH and salinity indicators, increasing SOC sequestration and enzyme activity, and modulating bacterial diversity and community structure across different soil aggregate fractions. The results suggest that integrated amendment strategies may better address the twin challenges of salinity stress and carbon depletion in coastal saline soils.
UK applicability
The findings have limited direct applicability to UK farming systems, as saline-alkali soils are not a widespread agronomic constraint in the United Kingdom. However, the mechanistic insights regarding how organic matter and mineral amendments interact to shape soil microbial communities and carbon dynamics may inform practices in UK coastal or alkaline arable systems, and the methodological approach to linking soil physics, chemistry and microbiology could inform UK soil health monitoring protocols.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon (SOC), aggregate-related carbon fractions, bacterial Shannon and Chao1 indices, β-diversity (multidimensional scaling), bacterial phylum abundance (Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Woeseia, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, Tumebacillus), soil pH, sodium adsorption ratio, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), enzyme activity (β-glucosidase), mean weight diameter, exchangeable sodium percentage
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil organic carbon fractions, bacterial community structure and diversity, soil chemical properties, enzyme activity, and aggregate stability in response to straw retention and desulfurization gypsum application. Key outcomes included changes in bacterial α- and β-diversity, shifts in dominant bacterial phyla across soil aggregate sizes, and improvements in soil physical and chemical properties.
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