Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity
(1) Background: Previous research has demonstrated that the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil and the balance of exchangeable cations Ca, Mg, and K are key factors affecting plant growth and development. We hypothesized that balancing exchangeable cations based on increased CEC would improve pl...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/3/629 |
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| author | Mengyuan Yang Dongxian Zhou Huixian Hang Shuo Chen Hua Liu Jikang Su Huilin Lv Huixin Jia Gengmao Zhao |
| author_facet | Mengyuan Yang Dongxian Zhou Huixian Hang Shuo Chen Hua Liu Jikang Su Huilin Lv Huixin Jia Gengmao Zhao |
| author_sort | Mengyuan Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Previous research has demonstrated that the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil and the balance of exchangeable cations Ca, Mg, and K are key factors affecting plant growth and development. We hypothesized that balancing exchangeable cations based on increased CEC would improve plant growth and development. (2) Methods: This study conducted a two-phase experiment to evaluate methods for increasing soil CEC and the effects of increasing CEC and balancing Ca, Mg, and K on plant growth. Therefore, we first conducted a soil culture experiment using organic fertilizer, montmorillonite, and humic acid to investigate fertilizers that can effectively increase CEC in the short term. Then, a tomato seedling pot experiment was conducted using the control (CK) and OMHA fertilizer-treated soils collected from soil culture experiments. The CK and OMHA treatment soils were constructed with balanced exchangeable cations and an unbalanced control, respectively. (3) Results: The soil culture experiments revealed that the combination of organic fertilizer, montmorillonite, and humic acid (OMHA treatment) had the most significant effect on increasing CEC. The CEC of the OMHA treatment increased by 41.07%, reaching 27.10 cmol·kg<sup>−1</sup>. The tomato pot experiments demonstrated that balancing the exchangeable cations in OMHA soil improved the Mg and K nutrition of tomato seedlings and significantly increased SPAD, leaf nitrogen content, and dry weight, while balancing the exchangeable cations in CK soil improved only the K nutrition of tomato seedlings. (4) Conclusions: Overall, balancing exchangeable cations based on increasing CEC can improve soil nutrient availability and alleviate the competition effects of Ca, Mg, and K cations. Low CEC and imbalanced exchangeable cations can be detrimental to tomato seedling growth. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:38:16Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-e95e7e1d6b08481b95d7e0b7b14d22f82024-03-27T13:17:06ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-03-0114362910.3390/agronomy14030629Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange CapacityMengyuan Yang0Dongxian Zhou1Huixian Hang2Shuo Chen3Hua Liu4Jikang Su5Huilin Lv6Huixin Jia7Gengmao Zhao8College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaDivision of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China(1) Background: Previous research has demonstrated that the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soil and the balance of exchangeable cations Ca, Mg, and K are key factors affecting plant growth and development. We hypothesized that balancing exchangeable cations based on increased CEC would improve plant growth and development. (2) Methods: This study conducted a two-phase experiment to evaluate methods for increasing soil CEC and the effects of increasing CEC and balancing Ca, Mg, and K on plant growth. Therefore, we first conducted a soil culture experiment using organic fertilizer, montmorillonite, and humic acid to investigate fertilizers that can effectively increase CEC in the short term. Then, a tomato seedling pot experiment was conducted using the control (CK) and OMHA fertilizer-treated soils collected from soil culture experiments. The CK and OMHA treatment soils were constructed with balanced exchangeable cations and an unbalanced control, respectively. (3) Results: The soil culture experiments revealed that the combination of organic fertilizer, montmorillonite, and humic acid (OMHA treatment) had the most significant effect on increasing CEC. The CEC of the OMHA treatment increased by 41.07%, reaching 27.10 cmol·kg<sup>−1</sup>. The tomato pot experiments demonstrated that balancing the exchangeable cations in OMHA soil improved the Mg and K nutrition of tomato seedlings and significantly increased SPAD, leaf nitrogen content, and dry weight, while balancing the exchangeable cations in CK soil improved only the K nutrition of tomato seedlings. (4) Conclusions: Overall, balancing exchangeable cations based on increasing CEC can improve soil nutrient availability and alleviate the competition effects of Ca, Mg, and K cations. Low CEC and imbalanced exchangeable cations can be detrimental to tomato seedling growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/3/629soil cation exchange capacitybase cation saturation ratiopercentage base saturationbalance exchangeable cationstomato |
| spellingShingle | Mengyuan Yang Dongxian Zhou Huixian Hang Shuo Chen Hua Liu Jikang Su Huilin Lv Huixin Jia Gengmao Zhao Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity Agronomy soil cation exchange capacity base cation saturation ratio percentage base saturation balance exchangeable cations tomato |
| title | Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity |
| title_full | Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity |
| title_short | Effects of Balancing Exchangeable Cations Ca, Mg, and K on the Growth of Tomato Seedlings (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Based on Increased Soil Cation Exchange Capacity |
| title_sort | effects of balancing exchangeable cations ca mg and k on the growth of tomato seedlings i solanum lycopersicum i l based on increased soil cation exchange capacity |
| topic | soil cation exchange capacity base cation saturation ratio percentage base saturation balance exchangeable cations tomato |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/3/629 |
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