Title: Effects of Different Plant Species on the Chemical and Microbial Properties of Coastal Saline?Alkaline Soils in Southeast China

Authors:  Xinxin Zhang, Xindi Zhao, Qi Chai *, Rong Liu, Zhenhua Li, Minting Liu

Journal: Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

Impact Factor: IF₂₀₂₂ = 3.9

Abstract: The study aimed to explore the biological amendment effect of different plants on the coastal saline-alkali soils. The different plant species were planted on the coastal saline-alkali soils in Nantong for three consecutive years. High-throughput analysis was used to determine the soil microbial diversity under different planting treatments. Soil organic matter, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium content of plots harboring the cool-season turfgrass increased by 28.94%, 31.36%, 11.42%, and 15.65%, respectively, compared to the bare land. The exchangeable sodium percentage, pH, electrical conductivity, and total soil salt content of warm-season turfgrass planting plots decreased by 78.37%, 3.69%, 30.59%, and 23.06%. The planting treatments had higher Chao1 and ACE indexes of bacteria and fungi than control treatment; the values of Chao1 and ACE of the leguminous forage treatment were the highest. Soil in plots harboring the leguminous forage had a higher bacterial and fungal community diversity, abundance, and higher proportion of the dominant bacterial communities, soil in plots harboring the cool-season turfgrass had higher nutrient content, and soil in plots harboring the warm-season turfgrass had lower salt content than other treatments. Planting cool- and warm-season turfgrass and leguminous forage can affect soil chemical and microbial properties, thereby playing a role in biological improvement of coastal saline-alkali soils.

Linkage: https://rdcu.be/dgk7m