Evaluation of Soil Quality in Saline-Alkaline Sandy Wasteland After Applying Soil Conditioner Using Grey Relational Analysis
In order to address the issues of low soil fertility and poor water and fertilizer retention in saline-alkali sandy wasteland,this paper studied the effects of different application rates of carbon-based soil conditioners(0(CK),1.0(SC-T1),1.5(SC-T2),2.0(SC-T3),2.5(SC-T4),3.0(SC-T5)t/667 m²)on soil properties and plant growth using Zoysia matrella as an indicator crop.The effects of the soil conditioner were evaluated using correlation analysis and grey correlation degree analysis.The results showed that:① The application of carbon-based soil conditioner could effectively improve the physical and chemical properties and microbial properties of saline-alkali sand wasteland.Compared to CK,soil porosity increased by 7.65%in SC-T1 and 7.04%in SC-T4.The Chao1 indices of SC-T1,SC-T2,SC-T3,SC-T4,and SC-T5 were higher by 1.65%,10.90%,4.72%,0.48%,and 6.21%respectively,and the Shannon indices increased by 1.60%,5.34%,3.10%,1.07%,and 4.27%respectively.Soil pH decreased and organic matter content significantly increased,with SC-T4 and SC-T5 showing 51.85%and 73.99%increases compared to CK.② Key factors influencing the improvement of soil quality by the soil conditioner included pH(0.95),Shannon index(0.95),soil porosity(0.93),and soil bulk density(0.91).③ Grey correlation degree analysis indicated that all treated soils scored higher than CK,with SC-T2 achieving the highest score and the best comprehensive improvement effect.