Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments
Soil covering is a soil management technique used to address issues such as high alkalinity, nutrient deficiency, and a low soil and water-holding capacity in saline–alkali lands. Coal gangue, a solid waste generated from coal mining, contains nutrients and trace elements comparable to those in soil...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/23/3419 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850060372889829376 |
|---|---|
| author | Siqi Li Xingqiang Li Xiaolin Qiang Zhao Yu Hongyuan Li Zhaojun Sun Qian Li Jun He Lei Han Ningxin Zhao |
| author_facet | Siqi Li Xingqiang Li Xiaolin Qiang Zhao Yu Hongyuan Li Zhaojun Sun Qian Li Jun He Lei Han Ningxin Zhao |
| author_sort | Siqi Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil covering is a soil management technique used to address issues such as high alkalinity, nutrient deficiency, and a low soil and water-holding capacity in saline–alkali lands. Coal gangue, a solid waste generated from coal mining, contains nutrients and trace elements comparable to those in soil, making it a promising covering material. This study investigates the effects and mechanisms of coal gangue coverage on the physicochemical properties of soil, enzyme activity, and the growth of ryegrass. The experimental treatments comprised (1) three coal gangue particle sizes (0–0.5 cm, 0.5–1 cm, and 1–2 cm) and (2) three coverage thicknesses (4 cm, 8 cm, and 12 cm). The results show that with particle sizes of 0–1 cm and cover thicknesses of 8–12 cm, the saturated water content of the soil increased by 11.1% to 17.23%, the content of organic matter rose by 4.99 to 13.64 mg/kg, the total nitrogen increased by 0.07 to 0.12 mg/kg, and the urease activity increased by 0.56 to 0.64 μg/(d·g). Our analyses indicated that an improvement in soil porosity, a reduction in pH, and an increase in urease, organic matter, and total nitrogen collectively promoted ryegrass growth, with similar impacts. Among the treatments, coverage with 12 cm of coal gangue with a size of 0.5–1 cm produced the best results, increasing the ryegrass height by 16.24 cm, primarily due to a high level of soil porosity and elevated urease activity. In conclusion, coal gangue coverage significantly improves the properties of soil, enhances enzyme activity, and promotes ryegrass growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-761497b2c8f94de1b28432c462b326a2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-761497b2c8f94de1b28432c462b326a22025-08-20T02:50:34ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-12-011323341910.3390/plants13233419Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue TreatmentsSiqi Li0Xingqiang Li1Xiaolin Qiang2Zhao Yu3Hongyuan Li4Zhaojun Sun5Qian Li6Jun He7Lei Han8Ningxin Zhao9School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaSchool of Geography and Planning, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, ChinaGuoneng Jiangsu Jianbi Power Generation Co., Ltd., Nantong 226000, ChinaSoil covering is a soil management technique used to address issues such as high alkalinity, nutrient deficiency, and a low soil and water-holding capacity in saline–alkali lands. Coal gangue, a solid waste generated from coal mining, contains nutrients and trace elements comparable to those in soil, making it a promising covering material. This study investigates the effects and mechanisms of coal gangue coverage on the physicochemical properties of soil, enzyme activity, and the growth of ryegrass. The experimental treatments comprised (1) three coal gangue particle sizes (0–0.5 cm, 0.5–1 cm, and 1–2 cm) and (2) three coverage thicknesses (4 cm, 8 cm, and 12 cm). The results show that with particle sizes of 0–1 cm and cover thicknesses of 8–12 cm, the saturated water content of the soil increased by 11.1% to 17.23%, the content of organic matter rose by 4.99 to 13.64 mg/kg, the total nitrogen increased by 0.07 to 0.12 mg/kg, and the urease activity increased by 0.56 to 0.64 μg/(d·g). Our analyses indicated that an improvement in soil porosity, a reduction in pH, and an increase in urease, organic matter, and total nitrogen collectively promoted ryegrass growth, with similar impacts. Among the treatments, coverage with 12 cm of coal gangue with a size of 0.5–1 cm produced the best results, increasing the ryegrass height by 16.24 cm, primarily due to a high level of soil porosity and elevated urease activity. In conclusion, coal gangue coverage significantly improves the properties of soil, enhances enzyme activity, and promotes ryegrass growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/23/3419solid wastecoversoil ameliorationprincipal component analysis |
| spellingShingle | Siqi Li Xingqiang Li Xiaolin Qiang Zhao Yu Hongyuan Li Zhaojun Sun Qian Li Jun He Lei Han Ningxin Zhao Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments Plants solid waste cover soil amelioration principal component analysis |
| title | Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments |
| title_full | Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments |
| title_fullStr | Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments |
| title_short | Improving Saline–Alkaline Soil and Ryegrass Growth with Coal Gangue Treatments |
| title_sort | improving saline alkaline soil and ryegrass growth with coal gangue treatments |
| topic | solid waste cover soil amelioration principal component analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/23/3419 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT siqili improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT xingqiangli improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT xiaolinqiang improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT zhaoyu improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT hongyuanli improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT zhaojunsun improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT qianli improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT junhe improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT leihan improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments AT ningxinzhao improvingsalinealkalinesoilandryegrassgrowthwithcoalganguetreatments |