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Methane uptake by saline–alkaline soils with varying electrical conductivity in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia, China

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Abstract

Soil salinization adversely affects sustainable land use and limitation of greenhouse gas emission. Methane (CH4) uptake and the specific activity of methanotrophs in three saline–alkaline soils—S1, electrical conductivity (EC) 4.80 dS m−1; S2, EC 2.60 dS m−1; and S3, EC 0.74 dS m−1—were observed and measured across crop phenological development in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia, China. There were significant differences in CH4 uptake between the three soil types. The cumulative uptake of CH4 was 97.97 mg m−2, 109.49 mg m−2, and 150.0 mg m−2 in S1, S2, and S3, respectively. Cumulative CH4 uptake was 35%, 35%, and 53% lower in S1 than in S3, and was 27%, 28%, and 19% lower in S2 than in S3 in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Differences in CH4 uptake were driven by the different specific activities of the methanotrophs in the three soils, of which the key controlling factor was soil EC. The findings demonstrate that saline–alkaline soils with high EC led to low CH4 uptake and thereby significantly increased the total greenhouse effect of CH4.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41675140, 41565009, 41765010) and the Inner Mongolia Youth Innovative Talent Training Program of Prairie Excellence Project 2016.

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  1. Wenzhu Yang

    Present address: College of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, 010022, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Hohhot, 010022, China

    Wenzhu Yang, Yan Jiao, Mingde Yang & Huiyang Wen

  2. Water-Saving Agricultural Engineering Research Center, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, 010022, China

    Wenzhu Yang

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  1. Wenzhu Yang
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Correspondence to Yan Jiao.

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Yang, W., Jiao, Y., Yang, M. et al. Methane uptake by saline–alkaline soils with varying electrical conductivity in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia, China. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 112, 265–276 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-018-9943-5

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