Abstract
Increasing the quantity and improving the quality of cropland can alleviate the human-land contradiction and promote the sustainable development of agriculture especially in mountainous areas. With the support of the central government’s policies, Yan’an, Northern Shaanxi, China implemented a major land consolidation engineering project in the loess hilly-gully region from 2013 to 2018, achieving 33,333.3 ha of new cropland. However, the poor quality of some newly-constructed cropland at the initial stage hindered its efficient utilization. In order to overcome this problem, red clay and Malan loess were compounded in different volume ratios to explore the method to improve the cropland quality. The Root Zone Water Quality Model was used to simulate the effects of different soil treatments on soil water, nitrogen and maize growth. Experimental data were collected from 2018 to 2019 to calibrate and validate the model. The root mean square error (RMSE) of soil water content, nitrate nitrogen concentration, above-ground biomass, leaf area index were in the range of 11.72–14.06 mm, 4.06–11.73 mg kg−1, 835.21–1151.28 kg ha−1 and 0.24–0.47, respectively, while the agreement index (d) between measured and simulated values ranged from 0.70 to 0.96. It was showed that, compared with land constructed with Malan loess only (T1), the soil structure and hydraulic characteristics of land with a volume ratio of red clay and Malan loess of 2:1 (T3) was better. Simulation indicated that, compared with T1, the soil water content and available water content of T3 increased by 14.4% and 19.0%, respectively, while N leaching decreased by 16.9%. The above-ground biomass and maize yield of T3 were 7.9% and 6.7% higher than that of T1, respectively. Furthermore, the water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency of T3 increased by 21.0% and 16.6% compared with that of T1. These results indicated that compounding red clay and Malan loess in an appropriate ratio was an effective method to improve soil quality. This study provides a technical idea and specific technical parameters for the construction or improvement of cropland in loess hilly-gully region, which may also provide reference for similar projects in other places.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbott LK, Murphy DV (2007) Soil Biological Fertility. Netherlands: Kluwer Academia Publishers.
Abrahamson DA, Radcliffe DE, Steiner JL, et al. (2005) Calibration of the root zone water quality model for simulating tile drainage and leached nitrate in the Georgia Piedmont. Agron J 97(6): 1584–1602. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2004.0160
Bronick CJ, and Lal R (2005) Soil structure and management: a review. Geoderma 124(1–2): 0–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2004.03.005
Cameira MR, Fernando RM, Ahuja LR, et al. (2007) Using RZWQM to simulate the fate of nitrogen in field soil-crop environment in the Mediterranean region. Agric Water Manage 90(1–2): 121–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2007.03.002
Cameira MR, Pereira A, Ahuja L, et al. (2014) Sustainability and environmental assessment of fertigation in an intensive olive grove under Mediterranean conditions. Agric Water Manage 146: 346–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2014.09.007
Cao LK, Chen GJ, Lu YT (2005) Nitrogen leaching in vegetable fields in the suburbs of Shanghai. Pedosphere 15(5): 641–645. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.200521793
Cao SX, Chen L, Xu CG, et al. (2007) Impact of three soil types on afforestation in China’s Loess Plateau: Growth and survival of six tree species and their effects on soil properties. Landscape Urban Plann 83(2–3): 208–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.04.006
Chen YP, Wang KB, Lin YS, et al. (2015) Balancing green and grain trade. Nat Geosci 8: 739–741. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2544
Cui M, Zeng L, Qin W, et al. (2020) Measures for reducing nitrate leaching in orchards:A review. Environ Pollut 263: 114553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114553
Ding JL, Hu W, Wu JC, et al. (2020) Simulating the effects of conventional versus conservation tillage on soil water, nitrogen dynamics, and yield of winter wheat with RZWQM2. Agric Water Manage 230: 105956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105956
Esmaeili S, Thomson NR, Rudolph DL (2020) Evaluation of nutrient beneficial management practices on nitrate loading to groundwater in a Southern Ontario agricultural landscape. Can Water Resour J 45(1): 90–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/07011784.2019.1692697
Fatemeh R, Ahmad G, Ali BAA, et al. (2017) Effects of exchangeable cations, mineralogy and clay content on the mineralization of plant residue carbon. Geoderma 307: 150–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.07.010
Han JC, Liu YS, Zhang Y (2015) Sand stabilization effect of feldspathic sandstone during the fallow period in Mu Us Sandy Land. J Geogr Sci 25(4): 428–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-015-1178-7
Hanson JD, Ahuja LR, Shaffer MD, et al. (1998) RZWQM: Simulating the effects of management on water quality and crop production. Agric Syst 57(2): 161–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-521X(98)00002-X
Hatfield JL, Sauer TJ, Prueger JH (2001) Managing soils to achieve greater water use efficiency: A review. Agron J 93(2): 271–280. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.932271x
Hoffmann M, Johnsson H, Gustafson A, et al. (2000) Leaching of nitrogen in Swedish agriculture — a historical perspective. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 80(3): 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-8809(00)00154-7
Hong SZ, Jiao FL, Kuang NK, et al. (2021) Simulating the effects of irrigation and tillage on soil water, evapotranspiration, and yield of winter wheat with RZWQM2. Soil Tillage Res 214: 105170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105956
Hu C, Saseendran SA, Green TR, et al. (2006) Evaluating nitrogen and water management in a double-crop** system using RZWQM. Vadose Zone J 5(1): 493–505. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2005.0004
Huang YX, Li YR, Liu YS, et al. (2021) Effects of soil-layer compounding schemes on the soil fertility of newly-constructed cultivated land. Trans Chin Soc Agric Eng 37(12): 64–72. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2021.12.008
Jat RA, Wani SP, Sahrawat KL, et al. (2012) Recent approaches in nitrogen management for sustainable agricultural production and eco-safety. Arch Agron Soil Sci 58(9): 1033–1060. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2011.557368
Jones JW, Hoogenboom G, Porter CH, et al. (2003) The DSSAT crop** system model. European J Agron 18(3–4): 235–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1161-0301(02)00107-7
Ju XT, Zhang C (2017) Nitrogen cycling and environmental impacts in upland agricultural soils in North China: A review. J Integr Agric 16(12): 2848–2862. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(17)61743-X
Kladivko EJ, Kenney DR (1987) Soil-nitrogen mineralization as affected by water and temperature interactions. Biol Fertil Soils 5(3): 248–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00256909
Lal R, Lorenz K, Hüttl RF, et al. (2012) Recarbonization of the biosphere: Ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. Springer Science and Business Media.
Li F, Li XJ, Hou L, et al. (2020a) A long-term study on the soil reconstruction process of reclaimed land by coal gangue filling. Catena 195: 104874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104874
Li H, Qiu J, Gao C, et al. (2012) Simulation of potential nitrate leaching in croplands of typical watershed around Bohai Bay using DNDC model. Trans Chin Soc Agric Eng 28(13): 127–134. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1002-6819.2012.13.021
Li SX, Wang ZH, Malhi SS, et al. (2009) Nutrient and water management effects on crop production, and nutrient and water use efficiency in dryland areas of China. Adv Agron 102: 223–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(09)01007-4
Li YR, Fan PC, Cao Z, et al. (2017) Sand-fixation effect and micro-mechanism of remixing soil by pisha sandstone and sand in the Mu Us Sandy Land, China. J Desert Res 37(3): 139–148. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2017.00020
Li Z, Feng H, Wu P, et al. (2009) Simulated experiment on effects of soil clay particle content on soil water holding capacity. J Soil Water Conserv 23(3): 204–208. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.13870/j.cnki.stbcxb.2009.03.034
Li ZT, Wen XM, Hu CS, et al. (2020b) Regional simulation of nitrate leaching potential from winter wheat-summer maize rotation croplands on the North China Plain using the NLEAP-GIS model. Agric, Ecosyst. Environ 294: 106861. https://doi.org/106861.10.1016/j.agee.2020.106861
Liao RK, Han YG, Guo ZF (2021) Assessing the impact of soil aggregate size on mineralization of nitrogen in different soils, China. Catena 203: 1058358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105358
Lipton M, Saghaib Y (2017) Food security, farmland access ethics, and land reform. Global Food Secur 12: 59–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2016.03.004
Liu HT, Hu KL, Li BG, et al. (2015) Effects of soil profile basic properties on water and nitrogen movement and crop yield. Sci Agric Sin 48(7): 1348–1360. (in Chinese) https://doi.org/10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2015.07.10
Liu YS (2020) Modern human-earth relationship and human-earth system science. Sci Geogr Sin 40(8): 1221–1234. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.13249/j.cnki.sgs.2020.08.001
Liu YS, Fang F, Li YH (2014) Key issues of land use in China and implications for policy making. Land Use Policy 40: 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.03.013
Liu YS, Li YH (2017) Revitalize the world’s countryside. Nat 548(7667): 275–277. https://doi.org/10.1038/548275a
Liu YS, Li YR (2017) Engineering philosophy and design scheme of gully land consolidation in Loess Plateau. Trans Chin Soc Agric Eng 33(10): 1–9. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.11975/j.issn.1002-6819.2017.10.001
Liu YS, Wang YS (2019) Rural land engineering and poverty alleviation: Lessons from typical regions in China. J Geogr Sci 29(5): 643–657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-019-1619-9
Ma JF, Chen YP, Wang HJ, et al. (2020) Newly created farmland should be artificially ameliorated to sustain agricultural production on the Loess Plateau. Land Degrad Dev 31(17): 2565–2576. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3618
Ma L, Ahuja LR, Islam A, et al. (2017) Modeling yield and biomass responses of maize cultivars to climate change under full and deficit irrigation. Agric Water Manage 180: 88–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.11.007
Ma L, Malone RW, Heilman P, et al. (2007) RZWQM simulation of long-term crop production, water and nitrogen balances in Northeast Iowa. Geoderma 140(3): 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2007.04.009
Mallory JJ, Mohtar RH, Heathman GC, et al. (2011) Evaluating the effect of tillage on soil structural properties using the pedostructure concept. Geoderma 163(3–4): 141–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2011.01.018
Moret-Fernandez D, Pueyo Y, Bueno CG, et al. (2011) Hydro-physical responses of gypseous and non-gypseous soils to livestock grazing in a semi-arid region of NE Spain. Agric Water Manage 98(12): 1822–1827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2011.07.001
Nangia V, Gowda RH, Mulla DJ, et al. (2008) Water quality modeling of fertilizer management impacts on nitrate losses in tile drains at the field scale. J Environ Qual 37(2): 296–307. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2007.0224
Peng J, Ma J, Du YY, et al. (2016) Ecological suitability evaluation for mountainous area development based on conceptual model of landscape structure, function, and dynamics. Ecol Indic 61: 500–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.10.002
Saseendran SA, Ma L, Malone R, et al. (2007) Simulating, management effects on crop production, tile drainage, and water quality using RZWQM-DSSAT. Geoderma 140(3): 297–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2007.04.013
Shahadha SS, Wendroth O, Zhu J, et al. (2019) Can measured soil hydraulic properties simulate field water dynamics and crop production?. Agric Water Manage 223: 105661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.05.045
Stenberg M, Aronsson H, Linden B, et al. (1999) Soil mineral nitrogen and nitrate leaching losses in soil tillage systems combined with a catch crop. Soil Tillage Res 50(2): 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-1987(98)00197-4
Sun ZH, Han JC (2018) Effect of soft rock amendment on soil hydraulic parameters and crop performance in Mu Us Sandy Land, China. Field Crops Res 222: 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2018.03.016
Sun ZH, Han JC, Mao ZA, et al. (2018) Simulation of effects of pisha sandstone on improving corn yield in sandy soil with RZWQM2 model. Trans Chin Soc Agric Mach 49(7): 235–243. (In Chinese) https://doi.org/10.6041/j.issn.1000-1298.2018.07.028
Warrrn GP, Whitehead DC (1988) Available soil nitrogen in relation to fractions of soil nitrogen and other soil properties. Plant Soil 112(2): 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2018.03.016
Wang XK, **ng YY (2016) Effects of mulching and nitrogen on soil nitrate-N distribution, leaching and nitrogen use efficiency of maize (Zea mays L.). Plos One 11(8): e0161612. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161612
Wang YF, Fu BJ, Chen LD, et al. (2011) Check dam in the Loess Plateau of China: engineering for environmental services and food security. Environ Sci Technol 45(24): 10298–10299. https://doi.org/10.1021/es2038992
Wang YS, Liu YS (2020) New material for transforming degraded sandy land into productive farmland. Land Use Policy 92: 10447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104477
Wang ZH, Li SX (2019) Nitrate N loss by leaching and surface runoff in agricultural land: A global issue (a review) In: Sparks, D.L. (Ed.): Adv Agron 156: 159–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2019.01.007
Willmott CJ (1981) On the validation of model. Phys Geogr 2: 184–194.
Wosten JHM, Vangenuchten MT (1988) Using texture and other soil properties to predict the unsaturated soil hydraulic functions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 52(6): 1762–1770. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1988.03615995005200060045x
Yang XL, Lu YL, Tong YA, et al. (2015) A 5-year lysimeter monitoring of nitrate leaching from wheat—maize rotation system: Comparison between optimum N fertilization and conventional farmer N fertilization. Agric, Ecosyst Environ 199: 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.08.019
Zang YZ, Yang YY, Liu YS (2021) Toward serving land consolidation on the table of sustainability: An overview of the research landscape and future directions. Land Use Policy 109: 105696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lusepol.2021.105696
Zhang BB, Xua Q, Gao DQ, et al. (2021) Soil capacity of intercepting different rainfalls across subtropical plantation: Distinct effects of plant and soil properties. Sci Total Environ 784: 147120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147120
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41931293), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFC0504701).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, Yx., Liu, Zj., Liu, Ys. et al. Compounding soils to improve cropland quality: A study based on field experiments and model simulations in the loess hilly-gully region, China. J. Mt. Sci. 19, 2776–2790 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-022-7397-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-022-7397-3