Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29

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Geoderma
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/geoderma

Effect of inorganic fertilizers with organic amendments on soil chemical T

properties and rice yield in a low-productivity paddy soil
⁎ ⁎⁎
Wenhai Mia,b, ,1, Yan Sunc,1, Siqi Xiaa, Haitao Zhaoa, Wentian Mid, , Philip C. Brookese,
⁎⁎
Yanling Liuf, Lianghuan Wub,
a
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
b
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058,
China
c
Institute of Water Resources and Hydro-electric Engineering, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710054, China
d
School of Mines, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot 010051, China
e
Institute of Soil & Water Resource and Environmental Sciences, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
f
Guizhou Institute of Soil and Fertilizer, Guiyang 550006, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Integrating inorganic fertilizers (NPK) with organic materials have been common practices for sustainable
Organic amendment agriculture production in low-productivity paddy soil. A 4-year field experiment was conducted to investigate
Low-productivity paddy soil the effects of the annual application of inorganic fertilizer in contrast with the combined application of organic
Soil chemical properties manures and NPK on rice grain yield and the soil chemical properties. Six treatments, including control (no
Rice yield
fertilizer), NPK alone, NPK plus spent mushroom compost at 1.5 Mg ha−1 (NPK + MC), NPK plus green manure
at 3.6 Mg ha−1 (NPK + GM), NPK plus cattle manure at 4.7 Mg ha−1 (NPK + CM), and NPK plus rice straw at
3.0 Mg ha−1 (NPK + RS)—were applied in this study. The results indicated that the rice grain yields for 2014
under the NPK + CM and NPK + RS treatments were 11.4% and 9.3% higher, respectively, compared with the
NPK alone treatment. No significant differences in rice yield were observed between the plots using NPK and
NPK + MC or NPK + GM treatments. The application of CM to the soil surface led to significantly higher soil pH
(0.16–0.29 units), cation exchange capacity (CEC) (17.4%–21.9%), and lower exchangeable acidity and Al3+
concentrations at soil depths of 0–20 cm, compared with the NPK alone treatment. However, no significant
differences in pH or concentrations of base cations in the soil were observed in the 0–10 cm soil layer after the
application of NPK alone or NPK plus the other three organic amendments. Additionally, the application of
NPK + CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 y−1 showed the highest available P concentration at 0–10 cm depth. Overall, the rice
grain yield, soil pH, and available P were effectively improved by NPK in combination with CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1.

1. Introduction
Yellow clayey paddy soil is a typical low-productivity soil found in
an area of 1.3 million ha in southern China (Liu et al., 2014). The
limited productivity in this area is mainly attributed to the poor soil
chemical properties, such as low pH and nutrient contents, as well as
low levels of soil organic C (SOC). Yadav et al. (2000) analyzed the data
from some long-term field experiments and found a downward trend in
crop yields, owing to decreasing levels of soil nutrients. In order to
ensure a stable annual rice yield, farmers have resorted to the use of
larger than recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers (NPK) (Yadav
et al., 2000; Liu et al., 2009). However, overuse of inorganic fertilizers
inevitably causes a decline in the soil quality (e.g., soil acidification)
and crop production (Guo et al., 2010). Integrating organic amend-
ments with NPK application is a promising fertilization strategy for
creating sustainable agriculture production systems, especially in soils
of poor quality (Yang et al., 2015).
The chemical aspects of soil quality are important because they can
be used to evaluate the ability of a soil to supply nutrients and buffer
against chemical additives (Wang and Yang, 2003). Soil organic C
(SOC) is a key attribute of soil quality (Gregorich et al., 1994). Higher
SOC contents indicate higher levels of soil sorption, cation exchange
capacity (CEC), and accessible nutrient values (Brady and Weil, 2002).
It is possible to increase the SOC, along with other soil chemical

⁎
Correspondence to: W.H. Mi, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
⁎⁎
Corresponding authors.
E-mail addresses: 006636@yzu.edu.cn (W. Mi), 294390291@qq.com (W. Mi), finm@zju.edu.cn (L. Wu).
1
These authors contributed equally to this work.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.01.016
Received 25 August 2016; Received in revised form 17 November 2017; Accepted 15 January 2018
Available online 04 February 2018
0016-7061/ © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
W. Mi et al. Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29

properties, through the addition of organic materials. However, the Table 2

benefits of organic amendments for soil chemical properties might vary, Application rate and element input for spent mushroom compost, milk vetch, cattle
manure and rice straw.
depending on their addition rates and composition (Arif et al., 2016).
Spent mushroom compost (MC), green manure (GM), cattle manure Organic materials Application rate C N K Ca Mg P S
(CM), and rice straw (RS) are the four common organic materials
widely used by local farmers in southern China. However, the impact of Mg ha−1 kg ha−1
these organic amendments on soil chemical and biological properties
Spent mushroom 1.5 742 15 4 45 3 3 2
can vary, as they all possess very specific and distinct qualities. compost
Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of different organic Milk vetch 3.6 1372 60 58 45 12 11 13
amendments on the sustainability of agriculture systems. Recent studies Cattle manure 4.7 1364 98 56 106 25 48 14
have assessed the long-term impact resulting from integrated use of Rice straw 3.0 1313 26 60 16 7 4 4

organic materials and NPK on soil properties and crop yield (Hati et al.,
C, N, P, and K means total C, N, P and K.
2007; Liu et al., 2010; Zhou et al., 2013; Yang et al., 2015). However,
only a few studies have been conducted in poor-quality paddy soils, and
Table 3
little is known about the short-term changes in the chemical properties Rice grain yields under different fertilizer managements from 2011 to 2014 (Mg ha−1).
of this soil profile under mulching with a wide range of organic mate-
rials. Treatment 2011 2012 2013 2014
Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the ef-
CK 5.9 ± 0.1c 6.5 ± 0.7c 6.9 ± 0.4b 5.5 ± 0.7c
fects of inorganic fertilizers with organic amendments on soil properties NPK 8.5 ± 0.1b 8.4 ± 0.2b 9.3 ± 0.2a 8.3 ± 0.2b
and yield; 2) explore the relationship between soil properties and yield. NPK + MC 10.1 ± 0.03a 9.4 ± 0.2a 9.3 ± 0.1a 8.3 ± 0.1b
NPK + GM 10.2 ± 0.04a 9.3 ± 0.6a 9.2 ± 0.1a 8.7 ± 0.1ab
NPK + CM 10.2 ± 0.03a 9.5 ± 0.3a 9.7 ± 0.3a 9.2 ± 0.2a
2. Materials and methods
NPK + RS 10.1 ± 0.1a 9.4 ± 0.3a 9.2 ± 0.3a 9.1 ± 0.1a

2.1. Experimental site and climate
This experiment has been running since 2011 in the town of Langya
(29°1′N, 119°27′E), Jinhua, Zhejiang province, southeastern China. The
climate is that of a typical subtropical monsoon region, with four dis-
tinct seasons, a mean annual temperature of 17.5 °C, and mean annual
precipitation of 1424 mm. The cropping system in this area has his-
torically included rice (middle June to early October). The soil is
classified as Ultisols (USDA Soil Taxonomy), with 36.8% sand, 34.9%
silt, and 28.3% clay. In April 2011, ten soil core samples from a depth of
0–20 cm were randomly collected for soil chemical analysis. Selected
basic soil chemical properties of the topsoil before transplanting are
shown in Table 1.
Different small letters in a column present significant difference at the 5% level. For all
other abbreviations see Fig. 1.
manually in the first week of October every year, after which all the
straw was removed from the plots. The soil was ploughed to a depth of
15 cm in early June every year. All the varieties of organic manure were
applied to the soil surface one day before rice transplanting. GM and RS
were applied as intact plants. These four organic amendment applica-
tion rates were adopted according to the local common use. On an
average, MC, GM, CM, and RS were applied annually at rates of 1.5, 3.6,
4.7, and 3.0 Mg ha−1, respectively, based on oven-dried weight. The
application rates and chemical compositions of the different organic
manures are shown in Table 2 and S1.

2.2. Experimental design and treatments

2.3. Sampling and chemical analysis
Six treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block de-
Soil samples were collected by randomly taking six cores at depths
sign with three replicates, on individual plots of 5 m × 10 m. The six
of 0–5 cm, 5–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–30 cm from each plot on
treatments, all applied annually, were (1) unfertilized control (CK), (2)
October 10, 2014, four years after the experiment was established.
nitrogen (N), inorganic phosphorus (P) fertilizer, and potash (K) ferti-
Samples were air-dried and sieved through a < 2 mm mesh for analysis.
lizer (NPK), (3) NPK plus spent mushroom compost at 1.5 Mg ha−1
Soil pH (H2O) was measured in 1:2.5 soil to water suspensions. The CEC
(NPK + MC), (4) NPK plus milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) at
was determined using the ammonium acetate compulsory displacement
3.6 Mg ha−1 (NPK + GM), (5) NPK plus cattle manure at 4.7 Mg ha−1
method (Pansu and Gautheyrou, 2006). Soil exchangeable K+ was ex-
(NPK + CM), and (6) NPK plus rice straw at 3.0 Mg ha−1 (NPK + RS).
tracted using 1 M NH4OAc and analyzed using flame photometry. Soil
Urea, calcium superphosphate, and potassium chloride were the sources
exchangeable Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ were extracted using 1 M KCl
of the N, P, and K, respectively. The same rates of NPK fertilizers were
(1:10), and their levels were determined using atomic absorption
applied for treatments (2)–(6). The recommended rates of use of NPK
spectrophotometry (NovAA300, Analytik Jena, Germany). The total
fertilizer are 180 kg N, 90 kg P, and 120 kg K per hectare annually. Two-
exchangeable base cations (EBC) was defined as the sum of exchange-
fifths of the N and a full dose of the P and K fertilizers were broadcast
able K+, Ca2+, Na+, and Mg2+ (Yuan and Xu, 2011). The base sa-
one day before transplanting. The remaining N was applied as a split-
turation (BS) was defined as the proportion of EBC divided by the CEC.
application in two equal rates at the tillering and booting stages.
The total soil exchangeable acidity (H+ and Al3+) was extracted using
In this experiment, the cropping system involved single cropping of
1 M KCl, and then titrated with 0.02 M NaOH to the phenolphthalein
rice. The fields remained fallow between the harvest and next planting.
endpoint. One milliliter of 3% NaF was added to 100 ml of the ex-
Each year, rice (Oryza sativa L.) was transplanted in mid-June, using
tractant, and then the mixed solution was titrated with 0.02 M NaOH to
two seedlings per hill at 19.8 cm × 19.8 cm spacing. Rice was harvested
the phenolphthalein endpoint to obtain the value of exchangeable H+.
The difference between exchangeable acidity and exchangeable H+ is
Table 1
Soil chemical attributes before experiment establishment in April 2011. exchangeable Al3+ (Cai et al., 2015). Available P in the soil was mea-
sured using the ammonium fluorine extraction method (Bray and Kurtz,
pH SOC Total N Bray–P NH4OAc-exchangeable K+ 1945). Dissolved organic C (DOC) was measured as described by Jones
(g kg−1) (g kg−1) (mg kg−1) (mg kg−1) and Willett (2006). The microbial biomass C (MBC) was determined
5.14 15.3 1.53 17 97 through fumigation-extraction (Vance et al., 1987; Wu et al., 1990).
SOM was determined using K2Cr2O7-H2SO4 oxidation (Walkley and

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W. Mi et al. Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29

Table 4
Rice total biomass and yield components under different treatments in 2014.

Treatment Total biomass Effective panicle Spikelet per panicle Grain filling 1000-grain weight
Mg ha−1 104 m−2 % g

CK 8.8 ± 1.1d 159 ± 1e 159 ± 9b 93.5 ± 0.8a 26.2 ± 0.1a

NPK 13.9 ± 1.5c 206 ± 6d 177 ± 6a 92.5 ± 1.7a 26.4 ± 0.6a
NPK + MC 14.7 ± 0.7c 213 ± 1c 179 ± 4a 92.4 ± 1.6a 26.2 ± 0.1a
NPK + GM 15.4 ± 1.8bc 217 ± 3bc 177 ± 5a 91.6 ± 0.3a 26.2 ± 0.4a
NPK + CM 17.8 ± 0.3a 236 ± 6a 179 ± 10a 91.3 ± 3.0a 26.2 ± 0.1a
NPK + RS 17.1 ± 0.4ab 221 ± 4b 179 ± 3a 92.9 ± 0.2a 26.5 ± 0.7a

Different small letters in a column present significant difference at the 5% level. For all other abbreviations see Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Effects of different fertilizer managements on exchangeable Al3+, exchangeable acidity, and soil pH at four soil depths. Horizontal bars indicated standard error of the mean
(n = 3). CK, no fertilizer; NPK, inorganic fertilizer alone; NPK + MC, NPK plus spent mushroom compost at 1.5 Mg ha−1; NPK + GM, NPK plus green manure at 3.6 Mg ha−1; NPK + CM,
NPK plus cattle manure at 4.7 Mg ha−1; NPK + RS, NPK plus rice straw at 3.0 Mg ha−1. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the
web version of this article.)

Black, 1934). Total N was measured using the Kjeldahl method
(ISSCAS, 1978). The soil NH4+-N and NO3−-N were extracted by 2 M
KCl using a 1:5 soil to solution concentration (Pansu and Gautheyrou,
2006). The exchangeable inorganic N (EIN) was calculated as the sum
of NH4+-N and NO3−-N (Dai et al., 2013). Alkali-hydrolyzable N (AN)
was released and transformed to NH3 using 1 M NaOH and FeSO4
powder at 40 °C over 24 h, and then absorbed with a 2% (w/v) H3BO3
solution and titrated with a 0.005 M H2SO4 solution (Xiong et al.,
2008).
During 2011–2014, the number of effective panicles was de-
termined from 3 m2 squares in each plot. Spikelet numbers per panicle,
the grain filling percentage, and 1000-grain weight were measured
using the samples at maturity. Grain yield was determined by har-
vesting the whole plot and then adjusting to a standard 14% moisture
content.
2.4. Statistical analysis
Mixed model analyses were used to account for the randomized
block design. Data were compared statistically by analysis of variance
(ANOVA) with Duncan's multiple range tests at the 0.05 probability
level. Arithmetic means were calculated for each of the three replicates
separately. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate
the responsive soil properties to different management practices. Soil
parameters including SOM, TN, AN, NH4+, NO3−, EIN, pH, P, K+,
Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, exchangeable acidity, EBC, BS, Al3+, H+, CEC, EC,
MBC, and DOC were introduced as variables in the PCA. All statistical
analyses were conducted using SPSS 18.0 software.

25
W. Mi et al. Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29

Table 5
Effects of different fertilization strategies on exchangeable K+, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+.

Soil depth Treatment K+ Ca2+ Na+ Mg2+

0−5 cm CK 17.6 ± 2.7b 340 ± 34c 25.6 ± 3.2a 34.2 ± 4.2b

NPK 17.9 ± 2.5b 402 ± 38bc 24.0 ± 2.2a 29.1 ± 1.9b
NPK + MC 22.8 ± 2.9ab 465 ± 48b 25.0 ± 2.5a 30.9 ± 2.1b
NPK + GM 22.2 ± 2.4ab 379 ± 14bc 24.8 ± 0.9a 28.8 ± 1.8b
NPK + CM 23.8 ± 4.8ab 590 ± 87a 25.2 ± 3.2a 45.8 ± 3.1a
NPK + RS 25.7 ± 2.6a 367 ± 39c 26.0 ± 2.1a 30.7 ± 2.9b
5−10 cm CK 8.9 ± 1.7b 348 ± 36b 22.9 ± 1.4a 32.1 ± 2.0b
NPK 13.8 ± 2.7a 358 ± 4b 24.7 ± 3.7a 32.2 ± 1.6b
NPK + MC 16.6 ± 2.8a 387 ± 27b 25.1 ± 1.9a 34.6 ± 1.8b
NPK + GM 14.7 ± 2.8a 377 ± 38b 24.2 ± 4.2a 31.6 ± 2.4b
NPK + CM 15.1 ± 1.3a 529 ± 30a 27.8 ± 2.3a 52.7 ± 3.0a
NPK + RS 17.2 ± 2.7a 358 ± 41b 28.8 ± 4.9a 34.0 ± 1.7b
10−20 cm CK 16.7 ± 3.1b 361 ± 31bcd 26.6 ± 1.7a 42.1 ± 5.1b
NPK 20.3 ± 2.4ab 340 ± 13 cd 28.4 ± 2.2a 32.5 ± 1.8c
NPK + MC 16.8 ± 2.6b 399 ± 23b 24.0 ± 4.3a 39.0 ± 4.9bc
NPK + GM 20.7 ± 2.3ab 381 ± 32bc 22.9 ± 3.7a 34.5 ± 2.3bc
NPK + CM 23.1 ± 3.8ab 517 ± 20a 26.6 ± 4.4a 54.2 ± 1.6a
NPK + RS 24.7 ± 4.8a 324 ± 27d 26.7 ± 3.1a 40.1 ± 7.2bc
20−30 cm CK 10.3 ± 1.0bc 394 ± 57c 22.2 ± 1.1a 53.2 ± 5.6ab
NPK 8.9 ± 0.1c 528 ± 98b 24.5 ± 4.1a 55.9 ± 8.6ab
NPK + MC 14.4 ± 2.7a 453 ± 28bc 28.4 ± 3.4a 60.9 ± 6.4a
NPK + GM 12.7 ± 1.3ab 482 ± 46bc 24.3 ± 3.0a 45.9 ± 2.4b
NPK + CM 11.5 ± 1.7abc 677 ± 86a 27.4 ± 3.4a 59.3 ± 2.7a
NPK + RS 14.4 ± 1.7a 485 ± 59bc 27.0 ± 5.1a 54.9 ± 3.1ab

Within each depth, values in column followed by different lowercase letters are significant different at P < .05. For all other abbreviations see Fig. 1.

Table 6 higher total aboveground biomass by 27.8% and 22.6% in 2014, re-
Effects of different fertilization strategies on exchange base cations (EBC), cation ex- spectively (Table 3). However, there were no significant differences in
changeable capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS) in four soil depths.
grain yield and total biomass between the plots receiving NPK alone
Soil depth Treatment EBC CEC BS and NPK plus MC at 1.5 Mg ha−1 or NPK plus GM at 3.6 Mg ha−1
(Tables 3 and 4). The significant differences in grain yield among the
−1
cmol kg % treatments were likely due to the variation in effective panicles. The
NPK plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 and NPK plus RS at 3.0 Mg ha−1 treat-
0−5 cm CK 2.14 ± 0.16c 8.59 ± 0.16d 24.9 ± 2.2c
NPK 2.39 ± 0.20bc 8.78 ± 0.25d 27.3 ± 3.0bc ments had 14.7% and 7.3% higher effective panicles compared with the
NPK + MC 2.74 ± 0.23b 9.01 ± 0.38 cd 30.5 ± 3.4ab NPK treatment, respectively (Tables 3 and 4).
NPK + GM 2.29 ± 0.08bc 9.78 ± 0.35b 23.5 ± 1.2c
NPK + CM 3.49 ± 0.46a 10.7 ± 0.57a 32.7 ± 3.6a
NPK + RS 2.26 ± 0.22bc 9.52 ± 0.30bc 23.7 ± 1.6c
3.2. Effect of different management practices on soil properties
5−10 cm CK 2.12 ± 0.20b 8.59 ± 0.17ab 24.7 ± 2.8b
NPK 2.19 ± 0.01b 8.29 ± 0.14c 26.5 ± 0.6b As revealed by the ANOVA, soil parameters including SOM, TN, AN,
NPK + MC 2.37 ± 0.12b 9.04 ± 0.37b 26.1 ± 0.5b pH, P, Mg2+, H+, Al3+, exchangeable acidity, and MBC varied sig-
NPK + GM 2.29 ± 0.21b 9.67 ± 0.96ab 23.7 ± 3.0b
nificantly among the treatments in 0–10 cm soil depth. However, there
NPK + CM 3.23 ± 0.18a 10.10 ± 0.12a 32.0 ± 1.6a
NPK + RS 2.23 ± 0.21b 9.61 ± 0.30ab 23.3 ± 2.7b were no differences in the concentrations of Na+ and DOC among
10−20 cm CK 2.30 ± 0.19bc 9.25 ± 0.41ab 24.9 ± 1.2c treatments.
NPK 2.14 ± 0.05c 8.46 ± 0.21c 25.3 ± 0.2c
NPK + MC 2.46 ± 0.15b 8.46 ± 0.24c 29.1 ± 1.6b
NPK + GM 2.33 ± 0.15bc 8.82 ± 0.64bc 26.5 ± 0.5bc
3.2.1. Exchangeable Al3+, acidity, and soil pH
NPK + CM 3.20 ± 0.12a 9.93 ± 0.21a 32.3 ± 1.3a The concentrations of Al3+ and exchangeable acidity were the
NPK + RS 2.12 ± 0.15c 8.31 ± 0.52c 25.7 ± 3.0c highest in the upper soil layer (0–10 cm), and showed a downward
20−30 cm CK 2.53 ± 0.32c 9.00 ± 0.53a 28.1 ± 3.1b trend with increasing soil depth (Fig. 1a and b). The use of NPK ferti-
NPK 3.22 ± 0.53b 8.81 ± 0.50a 36.7 ± 6.5ab
lizers plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 resulted in significantly lower levels of
NPK + MC 2.92 ± 0.07bc 9.25 ± 1.32a 32.1 ± 5.1b
NPK + GM 2.93 ± 0.23bc 9.27 ± 0.22a 31.5 ± 2.1b Al3+ and exchangeable acidity compared with the other three treat-
NPK + CM 4.02 ± 0.45a 9.52 ± 0.49a 42.2 ± 3.2a ments in 0–30 cm soil layers (P < .05) (Fig. 1a and b). Compared with
NPK + RS 3.03 ± 0.30bc 8.80 ± 1.30a 34.8 ± 5.6ab the use of CK and NPK alone, the use of NPK plus MC at 1.5 Mg ha−1
caused significant decreases (P < .05) in Al3+ concentrations (16.7%
Within each depth, values in column followed by different lowercase letters are sig-
and 13.2%) at depths of 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm, respectively (Fig. 1a). In
nificant different at P < .05. For all other abbreviations see Fig. 1.
contrast to MC at 1.5 Mg ha−1 and CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1, the treatments
with GM at 3.6 Mg ha−1 and RS 3.0 Mg ha−1 surface application did not
3. Results
change the levels of exchangeable acidity and Al3+ within the soil
profile (0–30 cm), compared with the control and the treatment of NPK
3.1. Yield and yield components
alone (P > .05) (Fig. 1a and b).
Within the 0–30 cm soil layer, pH values were the lowest at 5–10 cm
Plots that received fertilizer treatments produced significantly
soil depth and highest at the lowest measured soil depth (20–30 cm)
higher rice grain yields (50.8%–68.0%) than that of the CK treatment in
across all treatments (Fig. 1c). Within the soil profile (0–30 cm), the
2014. Compared with the plots receiving NPK alone, NPK plus CM at
treatment of NPK plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 had a significantly greater
4.7 Mg ha−1 and NPK plus RS at 3.0 Mg ha−1 treatments had sig-
positive effect than the control and NPK alone treatment, with increases
nificantly higher grain yields by 11.4% and 9.3%, respectively, and
in soil pH of 0.13 and 0.23 at 0–5 cm depth, 0.14 and 0.16 at 5–10 cm

26
W. Mi et al.
Fig. 2. Effects of different fertilizer managements on alkali−hydrolyzable N and exchangeable inorganic N at different soil depths. Horizontal bars indicated standard error of the mean
(n = 3). For all abbreviations see Fig. 1.
depth, 0.23 and 0.29 at 10–20 cm depth, and 0.41 and 0.27 at 20–30 cm
depth, respectively (Fig. 1c). Other organic amendments, including MC
and GM, showed significantly greater (P < .05) soil pH in the subsoil
layer (20–30 cm) compared with the unfertilized treatment (Fig. 1c).
3.2.2. Soil exchangeable base cations
Compared with NPK alone, NPK plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 resulted in
significant increments of 46.8% and 57.7% in Ca2+ and Mg2+ at
0–5 cm depth, 47.7% and 63.8% at 5–10 cm depth, and 52.0% and
66.7% at 10–20 cm depth, respectively (P < .05) (Table 5). The con-
centration of Ca2+ in the plot with inorganic fertilizer plus MC at
1.5 Mg ha−1 was 36.5% higher than in the plot treated with CK at a soil
depth of 0–5 cm, and 17.2% higher than that of the plot treated with
NPK alone at a depth of 10–20 cm. No apparent differences in the
concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ were recorded in the 0–30 cm soil
layers between the plots treated with NPK and those treated with NPK
plus GM at 3.6 Mg ha−1 or RS at 3.0 Mg ha−1 (Table 5). The use of NPK
plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 resulted in the highest concentration of EBC,
leading to increases of 27.4%–63.4% at 0–5 cm depth, 36.7%–52.4% at
5–10 cm depth, 30.2%–50.8% at 10–20 cm depth, and 24.5%–59.0% at
20–30 cm depth compared with the other treatments (Table 6).
27
Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29
Fig. 3. Effects of different fertilizer management on available P at
different soil depths. Horizontal bars indicated standard error of the
mean (n = 3). For all abbreviations see Fig. 1.
3.2.3. Alkali-hydrolyzable N, exchangeable inorganic N, and available P
No significant differences (P > .05) in AN and EIN were observed
between the plots treated with NPK alone and with NPK plus organic
amendments in the 0–20 cm soil layer (Fig. 2). The concentrations of
available P across all the treatments decreased significantly with in-
creasing soil depth (P < .05) (Fig. 3). Available P in the soil was sig-
nificantly higher (P < .05) with NPK plus CM at 4.7 Mg ha−1 treat-
ment than with the treatment of NPK alone, by 59.9% and 63.7% at the
depths of 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm, respectively. However, no significant
differences (P > .05) in available P concentration in the soil were
observed between the treatments of NPK alone and NPK plus the other
three organic manures at the soil surface layer (0–5 cm). At a depth of
5–10 cm, NPK plus GM at 3.6 Mg ha−1 and NPK plus RS at 3.0 Mg ha−1
treatments resulted in 18.1% and 36.0% more available P, respectively,
compared with the NPK treatment (P < .05) (Fig. 3). In the 10–30 cm
soil layer, no obvious differences (P > .05) in available soil P were
recorded between any of the fertilization treatments, suggesting that
mulching with organic materials mainly causes P accumulation in the
surface soil.
W. Mi et al.
Fig. 4. Results of principal components analysis at 0–5 cm (A) and 5–10 cm (B) with different fertilizer management. For all abbreviations see Fig. 1 and Table 6.
3.3. Principal component analysis with different fertilizer management
SOM, nutrient-related properties (TN, AN, NO3−, P, K), CEC, EC,
and MBC showed positive correlations with rice grain yield, whereas
the acidity parameters (e.g., pH, H+, Al3+, and exchangeable acidity)
generally did not show a correlation (Fig. 4A). In the 0–10 cm soil layer,
SOM was generally related with N related variables (TN, AN, NH4+,
EIN), P, Ca, Mg, and CEC. BS, EBC, Ca, Mg, and pH were also correlated
in the 0–10 cm soil depth (Fig. 4).
4. Discussion
In this study, we investigated the effects of the integrated man-
agement of inorganic fertilizers and organic materials on a number of
soil properties at different soil depths. SOM and TN varied with the type
of fertilization and with soil depth, and their values have been reported
in a previous study (Mi et al., 2016). The addition of organic manures
significantly affected the nutrient-related properties (e.g., TN, AN,
NO3−, P, and K+), and acidity-related parameters (e.g., pH, BS, EBC,
CEC, H+, Al3+, and exchangeable acidity) of the soil (Tables 5 and 6).
However, soil properties differed substantially among the treatments
due to large variation in the qualities of the organic amendments.
Previous studies have reported that the effects of application of dif-
ferent organic amendments on soil chemical properties. Yan and
Schubert (2000) found that the liming effect was higher with the green
material of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) than with wheat (Triticum aestivum
L.). Zhou et al. (2016) reported a lower C sequestration after straw
incorporation than with manure amendment on paddy soils. Steiner
et al. (2007) indicated that a larger improvement in surface soil
available P was observed in the soils receiving chicken manure com-
pared with those receiving charcoal.
On the other hand, the application rates of organic amendment also
influence the soil properties. For example, Schlegel (1992) showed that
soil organic matter, and P and K contents increased linearly with in-
creased rates of composted manure. Lou et al. (2011) observed that
topsoil C storage increased significantly along with the gradient of
straw return rate. Maobe et al. (2011) found that the soil available N
was comparable at 0 to 120 kg N mucuna green manure ha−1 applica-
tion rate but reached a higher level at 240 and 480 kg N mucuna ha−1.
In this study, PCA results showed that there were significantly positive
correlations between the rice grain yield and nutrient-related proper-
ties, suggesting that grain yield could be increased by using higher rates
of organic amendments.
28
Geoderma 320 (2018) 23–29
The minimum pH values in all treatments except NPK plus RS at
3.0 Mg ha−1 were found at the depth of 5–10 cm (Fig. 1c). This result
was similar to that of a long-term field experiment that investigated
dryland agricultural management practices (Conyers et al., 1996).
However, in this study, the stratification of soil pH was not obviously
affected by surface-applied organic manure. The differences in pH be-
tween the depths of 0–5 and 5–10 cm ranged from 0.03 to 0.11 pH
units, which was narrower than the range reported by Conyers et al.
(1996) (0.07–0.74). Although pH values in the treatment of NPK alone
were lower than in that of CK at the depths of 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm,
the differences were not significant (Fig. 1). This result was probably
due to the fact that the soil was usually flooded, which prevented ni-
trification. Nitrification is an acid-producing process, that proceeds via
the oxidation of NH4+ to NO3−. (Xu et al., 2006; Schroder et al., 2011;
Rukshana et al., 2012). Compared to the CK and NPK alone treatments,
there was a significant increase in exchangeable base cations and a
decrease in Al3+ and exchangeable acidity at four soil depths after
4 years of CM addition. Yuan et al. (2011) indicated that base cations
exchange with Al3+ and H+, and thus decrease the exchangeable
acidity while increasing the EBC. This result was similar to that of
Mokolobate and Haynes (2002), who reported that the use of poultry
manure decreased the exchangeable Al3+ in acidic soil from native
grassland. Another possible explanation is that the CM had a higher
proton consumption capacity than the other three organic amendments
(Wong et al., 1998). Mokolobate and Haynes (2002) indicated that
manures containing humic-type substances also include large amounts
of carboxyl, phenolic, and enolic functional groups, which are able to
consume the protons. However, there were no correlations between
grain yield and acidity-related parameters, implying that it could not be
sufficiently regarded as the critical limiting factor for grain yield in this
study.
In recent times, driven by the economic benefits, the number of
cattle farms has increased over the years. CM has gradually become an
important organic amendment and is expected to remain so for the
foreseeable future, as its positive effects, especially with respect to soil
acidity, are better than that of RS. However, because of the limitation of
CM sources and their high prices, it would not possible to replace rice
straw completely. Therefore, the use of alternatives to CM and RS is
expected to increase in the future.
5. Conclusions
This study demonstrated that the integrated use of CM at
W. Mi et al.
4.7 Mg ha−1 and the recommended dose of NPK resulted in the highest
rice grain yield as well as significant improvement in the chemical
properties of yellow clay paddy soil. Specifically, it increased the levels
of soil pH, exchangeable base cations, and available P and SOM, while
decreasing the levels of exchangeable Al3+. The use of NPK plus MC at
1.5 Mg ha−1 or GM at 3.6 Mg ha−1 was found to have no obvious im-
pact on acidity-related soil parameters in the upper soil depth, though it
did result in a greater amelioration in the subsoil layer. The use of NPK
plus RS at 3.0 Mg ha−1 was found to be more appropriate for increasing
soil nutrients than for ameliorating soil acidity.
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.01.016.
Acknowledgements
This research was financed by the special fund for National Key
Research and Development Program (2016YFD0200102), Zhejiang
Science and Technology Cooperation Project, Science and Technology
Project of Guizhou Province (Guizhou [2017]2852).
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