Effect of lucerne-crop rotations on soil physical properties in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of Central Gansu
A long-term field experiment comparing the effects of different lucerne-crop rotations on soil physical properties was conducted at Dingxi,western Loess Plateau.Six rotation patterns [lucerne-lucerne (L-L),lu-cerne-fallow (L-F),lucerne-wheat (L-W),lucerne-corn (L-C),lucerne-potato (L-P)and lucerne-millet (L-M)]were compared.There were significant differences in soil bulk density,soil total porosity,soil saturated hydraulic conductivity,soil sorptivity,macroscopic capillary length and mean pore diameter among the six ro-tation patterns,but soil aggregate stability was not affected.Compared with those under L-L,soil bulk density under L-F,L-W,L-C,L-P and L-M was reduced by 6.86%,7.69%,6.22%,7.69% and 6.22% respective-ly,soil sorptivity increased by 1.19,2.31,0.25,0.66 and 0.75 times respectively,macroscopic capillary length increased by 3.73,2.92,1.49,2.62 and 1.15 times respectively and mean pore diameter reduced by 79.43%,72.99%,79.43%,69.41% and 56.35% respectively.Compared with L-L,soil saturated hydraulic conductivity under L-F,L-W and L-M increased by 0.32,1.52 and 0.33 times,respectively.The effect of rota-tion on soil aggregate mainly influenced the 0-10 and 10-30 cm soil layers.It was concluded that lucerne-crop rotations improved soil structure and permeability,improving soil physical quality in the semi-arid areas on the Loess Plateau.
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