REVIEW PAPER
Excessive Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Causes
Rapid Degradation of Greenhouse Soil in China
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1
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
2
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing, 210095, China
Submission date: 2021-09-16
Final revision date: 2021-10-23
Acceptance date: 2021-10-23
Online publication date: 2022-02-14
Publication date: 2022-03-22
Corresponding author
Xiaobing Wang
College of environmental science and engineering, Yangzhou University, No.196 Huayang West Road, 225127, Yangzhou, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(2):1527-1534
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ABSTRACT
Greenhouse cultivation has expanded for years to provide vegetables for a growing population
in China. It’s reported that total area of greenhouse soil has reached 4.708 million hectares in 2019.
To maintain good productivity, a large quantity of fertilizers was continuously applied to the soil.
Due to low nitrogen (N) use efficiency, excessive nutrients are accumulated in soil profile. As a result,
greenhouse soil is often compromised by the secondary soil salinization. This paper summarized
the typical characteristics of secondary salinization of greenhouse soil such as nitrate accumulation
and soil acidification as a result of excessive N application. The adverse impacts of soil salinization
were also reviewed on major physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. It can be found that
many physiological diseases due to nutrient disorder and soil borne diseases because of changes in soil
microflora, are associated with higher salt concentration in soil and the lower soil pH. To reclaim the
degraded soil with high nitrate concentration, an economical and environmentally friendly approach
by incorporation of appropriate amount of plant materials with high C/N ratio into the soil was
discussed. It was demonstrated that biomass addition could promote humification of nitrate with the
help of microorganisms.