Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China
Continuous cropping causes soil degradation and decreases crop yield in the karst region of southwestern China. However, the relationship between continuous cropping systems and soil hydraulic and physicochemical properties remains incompletely elucidated. In this study, we performed a comparative i...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/5/1416 |
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| author | Xu Yang Ke Zhang Hiba Shaghaleh Zhiming Qi Chao Gao Tingting Chang Jie Zhang Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman Yousef Alhaj Hamoud |
| author_facet | Xu Yang Ke Zhang Hiba Shaghaleh Zhiming Qi Chao Gao Tingting Chang Jie Zhang Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman Yousef Alhaj Hamoud |
| author_sort | Xu Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Continuous cropping causes soil degradation and decreases crop yield in the karst region of southwestern China. However, the relationship between continuous cropping systems and soil hydraulic and physicochemical properties remains incompletely elucidated. In this study, we performed a comparative investigation on the soil physicochemical properties and soil-water-characteristic-curve-derived parameters from sites subjected to 3, 5, or 7 years of continuous cropping (CC3, CC5, and CC7) and cropping rotation (CC0). Soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH were significantly greater in soils under CC0 and short-term cropping (CC3) than in soils under long-term cropping (CC5 and CC7). This finding illustrated that continuous cropping reduced soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH. Across all continuous cropping durations, soil water holding capacity at 40~60 cm was greater than the 20~40 cm and 0~20 cm layers. The significantly greater soil water characteristics (except saturated moisture) in CC0 and CC3 soils than in CC5 or CC7 soils at all soil depths demonstrated that soil water characteristics deteriorated with the prolongation of cropping duration. The same soil water characteristics were positively correlated with soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH. These correlations, when viewed within the context of continuous cropping, can inform the development of more sustainable cropping systems in similar karst regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:01:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffb57294b092477281e9532d9c353b2d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:01:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffb57294b092477281e9532d9c353b2d2023-11-18T00:08:02ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-05-01135141610.3390/agronomy13051416Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern ChinaXu Yang0Ke Zhang1Hiba Shaghaleh2Zhiming Qi3Chao Gao4Tingting Chang5Jie Zhang6Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman7Yousef Alhaj Hamoud8College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, ChinaCollege of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, ChinaCollege of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, ChinaDepartment of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9, CanadaCollege of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaInstitute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, PakistanCollege of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, ChinaContinuous cropping causes soil degradation and decreases crop yield in the karst region of southwestern China. However, the relationship between continuous cropping systems and soil hydraulic and physicochemical properties remains incompletely elucidated. In this study, we performed a comparative investigation on the soil physicochemical properties and soil-water-characteristic-curve-derived parameters from sites subjected to 3, 5, or 7 years of continuous cropping (CC3, CC5, and CC7) and cropping rotation (CC0). Soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH were significantly greater in soils under CC0 and short-term cropping (CC3) than in soils under long-term cropping (CC5 and CC7). This finding illustrated that continuous cropping reduced soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH. Across all continuous cropping durations, soil water holding capacity at 40~60 cm was greater than the 20~40 cm and 0~20 cm layers. The significantly greater soil water characteristics (except saturated moisture) in CC0 and CC3 soils than in CC5 or CC7 soils at all soil depths demonstrated that soil water characteristics deteriorated with the prolongation of cropping duration. The same soil water characteristics were positively correlated with soil organic matter content, clay content, and pH. These correlations, when viewed within the context of continuous cropping, can inform the development of more sustainable cropping systems in similar karst regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/5/1416continuous croppingsoil water characteristic curvesoil water holding capacitysoil water availabilitysoil physicochemical properties |
| spellingShingle | Xu Yang Ke Zhang Hiba Shaghaleh Zhiming Qi Chao Gao Tingting Chang Jie Zhang Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman Yousef Alhaj Hamoud Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China Agronomy continuous cropping soil water characteristic curve soil water holding capacity soil water availability soil physicochemical properties |
| title | Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China |
| title_full | Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China |
| title_fullStr | Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China |
| title_short | Continuous Cropping Alters Soil Hydraulic and Physicochemical Properties in the Karst Region of Southwestern China |
| title_sort | continuous cropping alters soil hydraulic and physicochemical properties in the karst region of southwestern china |
| topic | continuous cropping soil water characteristic curve soil water holding capacity soil water availability soil physicochemical properties |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/5/1416 |
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