Effects of Polyacrylamide-Based Super Absorbent Polymer and Corn Straw Biochar on the Arid and Semi-Arid Salinized Soil

Weiying Feng, Jiayue Gao, Rui Cen, Fang Yang, Zhongqi He, Jin Wu, Qingfeng Miao and Haiqing Liao
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Weiying Feng: School of Space and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Jiayue Gao: School of Space and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Rui Cen: Department of Irrigation and Drainage, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100089, China
Fang Yang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Zhongqi He: USDA-ARS, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA
Jin Wu: College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Qingfeng Miao: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Haiqing Liao: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China

Agriculture, 2020, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: Green approaches are much more appreciable during the present scenario. Soil amendments are frequently applied for improving water use efficiency, reducing soil salinity in arid and semi-arid areas, controlling the secondary salinization of cultivated soils, and increasing the carbon sequestration capacity of soils. Thus, lab soil column simulation experiments and field experiments were carried out to evaluate these functions of two separate amendments, polyacrylamide-based super absorbent polymer (SAP) and corn straw biochar at different application rates. The simulation experiments showed that both SAP and biochar inhibited the accumulation of soil salinity, with a reduced rate of 9.7–26.3% and 13.5–37.2%, respectively, dependent on the amendment application rates. The field experiments found different salt inhibition effects of the two amendments with growth stages of maize. Soil salinization was inhibited in the pre-germination and early jointing stages by SAP, but throughout the whole growth period by biochar. Both soil amendments reduced soil electrical conductivity, and biochar increased the soil contents of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and K + . Our observations demonstrated that application of biochar and SAP played important roles in increasing soil fertility and inhibiting soil salt accumulation. It provided an effective method to potentially mitigate the environmental crisis and promote sustainable development in agriculture.

Keywords: electrical conductivity; field trials; ion concentration; irrigation district (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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