Soil Salinity Weakening and Soil Quality Enhancement after Long-Term Reclamation of Different Croplands in the Yellow River Delta

Shanbao Liu, Qiuying Zhang (), Zhao Li, Chao Tian, Yunfeng Qiao, Kun Du, Hefa Cheng, Gang Chen, Xiaoyan Li and Fadong Li ()
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Shanbao Liu: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Qiuying Zhang: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Zhao Li: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Chao Tian: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yunfeng Qiao: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Kun Du: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Hefa Cheng: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Gang Chen: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Florida A&M University—Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
Xiaoyan Li: State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Fadong Li: Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Saline soils are of great concern globally. Selecting the Yellow River Delta as a model site, the influence of reclamation on soil salinity and saline soil quality was investigated. Soil quality index (SQI) was applied to statistically analyze 210 soil profile samples collected at seven depth layers in 30 sampling sites among native saline soils and three croplands (peanut, cotton, and wheat) in May 2020. After reclamation, the soil salt content (SSC) reduced from 4.52 g/kg to 1.44 g/kg after reclamation, with the degree of soil salinity reducing from severe to slight. The nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 − -N) contents of peanut, cotton, and wheat croplands were 1.90, 2.02, and 4.29 times higher and the available phosphorus (AP) contents were 5.43, 3.57, and 8.77 mg/kg higher than that of the saline soils, respectively, while the soil ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) and available potassium (AK) contents were decreased. The NO 3 − -N, AN, and AP contents of the three croplands showed a significant surface aggregation at depth of 0–30 cm. SQI increased by 0.10, 0.09, and 0.02 after the reclamation with the enhancement effect of wheat and cotton was more pronounced. It was discovered that reclamation notably improved the soil quality as a result of crop growth and field management of fertilization and irrigation.

Keywords: reclamation; cropland; saline soil; soil quality; Yellow River Delta (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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