Switchgrass Establishment Can Ameliorate Soil Properties of the Abandoned Cropland in Northern China

Chunqiao Zhao, Xincun Hou, Qiang Guo, Yuesen Yue, Juying Wu, Yawei Cao, Qinghai Wang, Cui Li, Zhengang Wang and Xifeng Fan
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Chunqiao Zhao: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Xincun Hou: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Qiang Guo: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Yuesen Yue: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Juying Wu: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Yawei Cao: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Qinghai Wang: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Cui Li: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
Zhengang Wang: China Environmental Protection Foundation, No. 16, Guangqumennei Street, Chongwen District, Beijing 100062, China
Xifeng Fan: Institute of Grassland, Flowers and Ecology, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, No. 9, Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: The bioenergy crop switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) has been recognized as friendly to the soil of cultivated land depending on the previous land use types and management practices. However, the effects of switchgrass establishment on soil properties at a broader depth when it is harvested annually without any fertilization in northern China largely remain unknown. To explore the impacts of unfertilized switchgrass on soil physical and chemical properties, 0–100 cm soil samples were collected from 7-year cropland-to-switchgrass conversion and the bare land (control). The results showed that switchgrass establishment increased soil total and capillary porosity, CFU numbers of the microbial communities (fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes), contents of microbial biomass (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), and water-soluble organic carbon, and decreased soil bulk density, mostly at 0–60 cm depths, compared to the control values. Notably, the annual harvest of switchgrass insignificantly increased soil total and available nitrogen contents and slightly reduced available phosphorus and potassium contents. In conclusion, long-term cropland conversion to unfertilized switchgrass could ameliorate soil properties and does not cause soil depletion. The output of this study could inspire governments and farmers to make large-scale use of switchgrass in the ecological restoration of abandoned cropland in north China.

Keywords: Switchgrass; abandoned cropland; soil organic carbon; soil nitrogen; soil microbial biomass; soil microbial communities (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: 2022
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