Effects of the Salt-Tolerant Gramineous Forage Echinochloa frumentacea on Biological Improvement and Crop Productivity in Saline–Alkali Land on the Hetao Ningxia Plain in China

Yunlong Cheng, Xiaowei Xie, Xueqin Wang, Lin Zhu, Quan-Sheng Qiu () and Xing Xu ()
Additional contact information
Yunlong Cheng: School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Xiaowei Xie: School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Xueqin Wang: Ningxia Institute of Science and Technology Development Strategy and Information, Yinchuan 750021, China
Lin Zhu: School of Ecology and Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Quan-Sheng Qiu: MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Biological improvement is a sustainable approach for saline–alkali land amelioration and utilization. Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) link is a salt-tolerant gramineous forage, which plays an important role in improving saline–alkali land. The Hetao Ningxia Plain is located in the upper–middle reaches of the Yellow River with a large area of saline–alkali soil, where E. frumentacea has potential applications for improving saline–alkali land. Three experiments were conducted on saline–alkali land in Pingluo County, Ningxia, including soil-leaching experiments in pots as well as monoculture or intercropping experiments involving E. frumentacea in fields. The results showed that: (1) E. frumentacea had a strong leaching ability of Na + and SO 4 2− in saline–alkali soil. (2) The planting of E. frumentacea decreased soil pH and total salt; enhanced the available N, P and K; and increased plant height, stem thickness and yields compared with the control. (3) The diversity of soil bacteria and land use efficiency could be improved by the intercropping of E. frumentacea with legume forages. Overall, E. frumentacea is an important pioneer species of biological improvement for the sustainable utilization of secondary saline–alkali land produced by irrigation around the world.

Keywords: Echinochloa frumentacea; saline–alkaline land; biological improvement; soil ion leaching; intercropping; microorganisms; land use efficiency; Hetao Ningxia Plain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5319/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5319/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:5319-:d:1099708

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().