ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effect of Organic Amendment and Mineral
Fertilizer on Soil Aggregate Stability and Maize
Yield on the Loess Plateau of China
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1
Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited, Xi’an 710065, China
2
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
3
Department of Animal Engineering, Yangling Vocational & Technical College, Yangling 712100,China
Submission date: 2023-08-22
Final revision date: 2023-10-06
Acceptance date: 2023-11-02
Online publication date: 2024-01-12
Publication date: 2024-02-28
Corresponding author
Xiangting Zhuang
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2024;33(3):2255-2265
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ABSTRACT
Organic amendment has proven to improve soil quality and crop production, in addition to reduce
resource waste. However, the effect of organic amendment on soil water-stable aggregates and soil
organic carbon is unclear. A two-year field experiment with four organic amendment treatments,
biochar, organic fertilizer, microbial agents and polyacrylamide (PAM), was conducted to investigate
the effect of different soil organic amendments on Loess Plateau. The results revealed that organic
amendments significantly influenced the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter
(GMD) of water-stable aggregates, particularly in the case of PAM treatment. The MWD and GMD
values increased significantly by 33.7% and 29.8% in the PAM treatment. The proportion of macroaggregates
(2-0.25 mm) showed a remarkable 52.9% increase compared to the control (CK) treatment in
the PAM-treated soil. Biochar-amended treatments increased soil organic carbon (SOC) in all aggregate
fractions compared to CK treatment. Soil organic amendments also decreased soil bulk density and
increased total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP). Compared to CK treatment, the maize
yields in the organic fertilizer and biochar treated soil increased by 19.8 and 30.3%, respectively. These
findings suggest that biochar and PAM amendments are particularly suitable for loessal soil in arid and
semi-arid regions