Soil structure shifts with earthworms under different organic fertilization in salt-affected soils
Xinchang Kou
Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Search for more papers by this authorJie Chen
Key Laboratory for Ecology and Pollution Control of Coastal Wetlands (Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Yan Tao
Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Correspondence
Yan Tao, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
Email: [email protected]
Jun Tao, School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jun Tao
School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Yan Tao, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
Email: [email protected]
Jun Tao, School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorXinchang Kou
Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Search for more papers by this authorJie Chen
Key Laboratory for Ecology and Pollution Control of Coastal Wetlands (Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Yan Tao
Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Correspondence
Yan Tao, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
Email: [email protected]
Jun Tao, School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jun Tao
School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Yan Tao, Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
Email: [email protected]
Jun Tao, School of National Safety and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Earthworm incubation combined with organic fertilization is promoted as an amended measure to improve soil properties in the ecological restoration of various degraded soils. However, the impacts of earthworms on the soil aggregate size under different organic fertilization in salt-affected soils have not yet been fully revealed. This hinders our ability to develop policies by which to alleviate soil salinization. In this study, under mesocosm experiments, we investigate the effects of earthworm (Aporrectodea trapezoides) and organic fertilization on the soil aggregate size after 16 weeks of incubation. The soil treated with clover residues showed lower earthworm survival rates and biomass compared to that treated with sheep manure. However, the soil macropores and large macroaggregate were higher in the soils treated with clover residue when earthworms were present. In addition, earthworm burrowing activities form pathways toward food patches improve the characteristics of soil macropores, and the properties of the residue itself play a decisive role. Moreover, whether earthworms are present or not significantly influences the soil macroporosity, macropore number, and soil electrical conductivity. This demonstrates that earthworms exhibit a key feature of soil physical functioning in salt-affected soil. In conclusion, we propose that the application of earthworms with organic residues in salt-affected soils is a priority in producing and maintaining favorable soil structure.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this paper.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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