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Recovery Role in Soil Structural, Carbon and Nitrogen Properties of the Conversion of Vegetable Land to Alfalfa Land in Northwest China

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Abstract

Soil structural, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) properties could be influenced by land-use change. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the conversion from vegetable (Brassica pekinensis) planting for 7 years (2007–2014) to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) planting with 5 nitrogen levels (N0~N4) for 3 years (2015–2017) on soil structural, C, and N properties. After vegetable cultivation, soil structural, C, and N properties declined significantly. However, after alfalfa planting, especially in 2017, the lowest values of bulk density (N1 = 1.32 g m−3, N2 = 1.33 g m−3) and the highest values of macroaggregate proportion (N1 = 78.17%, N2 = 77.33%) were obtained. The highest values of SOC (N1 = 11.11 g kg−1, N2 = 11.08 g kg−1), SMBC (N1 = 390.97 mg kg−1), and sucrase (N1 = 17.47 mg g−1 d−1) were appeared. The maximum values of available nitrogen (N1 = 57.83 mg kg−1, N2 = 59.82 mg kg−1), SMBN (N1 = 56.01 mg kg−1, N2 = 58.14 mg kg−1), and urease (N2 = 2.71 mg g−1 d−1) were obtained. Taken together, our findings suggest that the conversion of vegetable land to alfalfa land with low N level could significantly improve soil structural, C, and N properties.

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Abbreviations

C:

Carbon

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

SMBC:

Soil microbial biomass C

N:

Nitrogen

SOM:

Soil organic matter

SMBN:

Soil microbial biomass N

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Funding

This study was funded by Science and Technology Innovation Funds of Gansu Agricultural University (No. GSAU-XKJS-2018-008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31460622), and Modern Agriculture Industry Technology System of Gansu Province–Herbivorous Livestock Industry System (No. GARS-CS-3).

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Author notes

  1. Tiefeng Yu and Fang Lin contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

    Tiefeng Yu, Fang Lin & Xiaojing Liu

  2. Vegetable Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

    Xiaowei Wang

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  1. Tiefeng Yu
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  2. Fang Lin
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  3. Xiaojing Liu
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Correspondence to Xiaojing Liu.

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Yu, T., Lin, F., Liu, X. et al. Recovery Role in Soil Structural, Carbon and Nitrogen Properties of the Conversion of Vegetable Land to Alfalfa Land in Northwest China. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 20, 1366–1377 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00218-w

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