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Improvements of soil salt characteristics and nutrient status in an impermeable saline–sodic soil reclaimed with an improved drip irrigation while ridge planting Lycium barbarum L.

  • Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Takyric solonetz is spread widely across the arid area of northwest China. The extremely poor soil structure and low hydraulic conductivity (Ks < 0.1 mm day−1) hinder its amelioration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the soil salt leaching characteristics, nutrient contents, and distributions in the impermeable saline–sodic soil reclaimed with an improved drip irrigation method, and to explore the impacting mechanisms of agronomic practices involved on the amelioration.

Materials and methods

A 3-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the success of planting Lycium barbarum L. in the highly saline–sodic wasteland of takyric solonetz using drip irrigation. The soil beneath the drip emitters near the plants was replaced with sand in niches that were 0.2 m in ground diameter and 0.2 m deep. Five treatments based on soil matric potential (SMP) were designed to find the optimal irrigation schedule: −5 kPa (S1), −10 kPa (S2), −15 kPa (S3), −20 kPa (S4), and −25 kPa (S5).

Results and discussion

A significant improvement was found in soil infiltration capability, which was demonstrated by the increasingly enlarged wetted area beneath the drip emitter. This improvement was resulting from the combined affects of all the agronomic practices involved, including drip irrigation, sand-filled niches, film mulching. After 3 years, soil salt leaching rates in S1–S5 root zones were 68.16 , 39.45 , 26.56 , 25.14 and 10.40%, respectively, indicating that the higher SMP improved soil salt leaching. The increased soil ECe/SAR ratio reflected the amelioration of soil physical properties. After planting, the soil nutrient status considerably improved. N fertilizer, which often was leached away, should be applied in the latter half of an irrigation event. Available P content in the soil was relatively low and it was necessary to apply adequate P fertilizer to meet crop growth needs, while the studied soil was rich in K and moderate supplement of K fertilizer was proposed. After 3 years, S2, S3, and S4 produced the significantly higher dry fruit yields (∼900 kg ha−1), which were close to those produced by local farmland.

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that an improved drip irrigation made the reclamation of an impermeable saline–sodic soil possible. The key operations included drip irrigation, sand-filled niches beneath drip emitters, ridge tillage, film mulching, and the use of thresholds to control SMP.

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Abbreviations

BD:

Soil bulk density

ECe :

Electrical conductivity of saturated paste extract

ESP:

Exchangeable sodium percentage

OC:

Soil organic carbon

pHs :

pH of saturated paste

SAR:

Sodium adsorption ratio of saturated paste extract

SMP:

Soil matric potential

TN:

Soil total nitrogen

TP:

Soil total phosphorous

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51509238, 41503078), the Fundamental Research Funds for Northwest A&F University (2452015091), and the “Light of West China” program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhang T.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    Tibin Zhang, Xiaoyun Zhan & Hao Feng

  2. National Engineering Research Center for Water Saving Irrigation at Yangling, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    Tibin Zhang & Hao Feng

  3. Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yaohu Kang & Shuqin Wan

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  1. Tibin Zhang
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  2. Xiaoyun Zhan
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Correspondence to Yaohu Kang.

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Zhang, T., Zhan, X., Kang, Y. et al. Improvements of soil salt characteristics and nutrient status in an impermeable saline–sodic soil reclaimed with an improved drip irrigation while ridge planting Lycium barbarum L.. J Soils Sediments 17, 1126–1139 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1600-5

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