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Improving soil pH, nutrient concentrations, and enzyme activities by green manure returning in young and mature rubber plantation on Hainan Island, China

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Abstract

Background

Studying green manure decomposition in various returning methods can establish a scientific foundation for farmland nutrient management.

Methods

In a rubber plantation on Hainan Island, China, utilized the nylon mesh bag method to imitate the decomposition of kudzu (whole plant, stem, and leaf) under two returning methods (mulching and burying) in two different sites (young and mature rubber plantations). The study examined the decomposition rate and nutrient release dynamics of kudzu, as well as the effects of kudzu reintroduction on several soil properties including soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), available phosphorus (AP), and enzyme activities.

Results

Compared with mulching, the burying returning method significantly increased the kudzu decomposition rate and nutrient release proportions. After 270 days, more than 80% of the C, N, and P in different components of kudzu were released. The decomposition rate was found to be more affected by the initial soil factors than by the endogenous nutrients of kudzu. Compared with CK, all kudzu treatments led to significant increases in soil enzyme activities and soil pH, SOC, NO3−-N, and AP concentrations in two rubber plantations. The TN and NH4+-N concentrations were significantly increased in mature rubber plantations, while the TP was the opposite.

Conclusion

The kudzu returned can effectively alleviate soil acidic, improve soil nutrient availability, regulating soil enzyme activities of the rubber plantation in the short-term. These results provide a scientific basis for the rational application of kudzu in rubber plantations.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Key Research and Development Project of Hainan Province (No. ZDYF2022XDNY181; No. ZDYF2021SHFZ257), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFD0201105), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32160291; No. 42367034).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Wenxian Xu, Qiu Yang, Yamin Jiang, Jianan Yu, Jiale Li & Wenjie Liu

  2. Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China

    Wenxian Xu & Zhixiang Wu

  3. School of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Yamin Jiang

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  1. Wenxian Xu
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  2. Qiu Yang
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  3. Yamin Jiang
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  4. Jianan Yu
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  5. Jiale Li
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  6. Wenjie Liu
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Contributions

Wenxian Xu: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing- review & editing. Qiu Yang: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Supervision, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing. Yamin Jiang: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology. Jianan Yu: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources. Jiale Li: Methodology, Formal analysis, Resources. Zhixiang Wu: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision. Wenjie Liu: Investigation, Formal analysis, Supervision, Validation, Funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Qiu Yang.

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Xu, W., Yang, Q., Jiang, Y. et al. Improving soil pH, nutrient concentrations, and enzyme activities by green manure returning in young and mature rubber plantation on Hainan Island, China. Plant Soil 495, 341–358 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06327-6

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