Long-Term Application of Organic Wastes Improves Soil Carbon and Structural Properties in Dryland Affected by Coal Mining Activity

Ahmed Ali Abdelrhman, Lili Gao, Shengping Li, Jinjing Lu, Xiaojun Song, Mengni Zhang, Fengjun Zheng, Huijun Wu and Xueping Wu
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Ahmed Ali Abdelrhman: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Lili Gao: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shengping Li: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jinjing Lu: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xiaojun Song: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Mengni Zhang: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Fengjun Zheng: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Huijun Wu: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xueping Wu: Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Organic wastes have a positive impact on soil physical and chemical properties in the agroecosystems. However, its main effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) or total organic carbon, TOC (SOC and coal-C) contents as well as their effects on soil physico-chemical properties are still unclear. Two types of organic wastes (maize straw and manure) were utilized in dryland affected by mining activities to quantify their relative effect on soil physico-chemical properties. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the soil physical properties, SOC, and TOC as well as their respective contributions to improving these properties. Treatments included control (CK), straw (S), low manure (LM), medium manure plus straw (S-MM), and high manure plus straw (S-HM). The results showed that SOC, soil bulk density, mean weight diameter (MWD), soil total porosity, soil penetration resistance, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and soil infiltration rate were strongly influenced by the application of organic wastes. A stronger linear relationship between SOC and the MWD, (R 2 = 0.93, p < 0.05) compared to that between TOC and MWD indicated the important role of SOC in improving soil aggregation relative to the effect of TOC. According to the principal component analysis (PCA), the application of organic wastes had stronger effects on SOC contents and physical properties than TOC (SOC and coal-C). These findings advance our understanding of the actual effect of organic wastes on soil physical properties and SOC in dryland affected by mining activities and could inform fertilizer management decisions to improve soil properties.

Keywords: soil organic carbon; total organic carbon; soil aggregate stability; saturated hydraulic conductivity; infiltration rate; mine soils (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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