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Effects of long-term fertilization and mulch on soil fertility in contour hedgerow systems: A case study on steeplands from the Three Gorges Area, China

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Abstract

The use of contour hedgerows is widely advocated to sustain crop production and reduce soil loss on steeplands in the Three Gorges Area of China. However, little is known about the effects of soil management on soil fertility within these systems, or about the spatial gradients in soil nutrients that may develop in terraces formed behind the vegetative barriers. Therefore, we carried out a study on the effects of various long-term soil management practices on soil fertility and spatial variation of fertility between hedgerows. At a site in the Three Gorges Area, China, we applied five treatments to a contour hedgerow system: control (no fertilizer and manure); chemical fertilizer (CF); chemical fertilizer and mulch (CF + MU); pig manure (PM); and mulch, pig manure, and chemical fertilizer (CF + PM + MU). Soil samples were collected from the topsoil horizon (0–20 cm) of the selected five treatments in 2006 after 11 crop cycles, and physical and chemical properties were analyzed. The results showed that chemical fertilizer clearly improves nutrient status of the topsoil, while pig manure also increased the amount of soil organic matter. This increase in organic matter was associated with an increase in soil aggregate stability, a reduction in bulk density, and reduced penetration resistance of the soil. Mulch with pig manure and chemical fertilizer was the best management practice for improving soil quality and crop yields in the Three Gorges Area. Further, mulch and pig manure addition also decreased the magnitude of the spatial variation, but did not offset the soil fertility gradients because tillage resulted in significant movement of soil. More favorable soil properties were found at the lower positions within each alley, regardless of the management practice applied.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this project was provided by the National Basic Research Program of China (Project No. 2007CB407201) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 90502007). The authors thank the staff of the Soil and Water Conservation Experimental Station of Zigui County for assistance with field management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, Peoples Republic of China

    Zhi-Hua Shi, Li-Ding Chen & Guo-Hua Liu

  2. Key Lab of Subtropical Agriculture and Environment Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Peoples Republic of China

    Zhi-Hua Shi, Chong-Fa Cai & Zhao-Xia Li

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  1. Zhi-Hua Shi
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  2. Li-Ding Chen
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  3. Chong-Fa Cai
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  4. Zhao-Xia Li
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  5. Guo-Hua Liu
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Correspondence to Li-Ding Chen.

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Shi, ZH., Chen, LD., Cai, CF. et al. Effects of long-term fertilization and mulch on soil fertility in contour hedgerow systems: A case study on steeplands from the Three Gorges Area, China. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 84, 39–48 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-008-9223-x

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