Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 13, 2026
Monitoring Pedogenic Inorganic Carbon Accumulation Due to Weathering of Amended Silicate Minerals in Agricultural Soils.
Published on: June 4, 2021
Comprehensive evaluation system for amendment selection: A case study of degraded black soil improvement
Yue Xie1, Donghao Ma2, Yongqi Zhang2
1Fengqiu Experimental Station of National Ecosystem Research Network of China, State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University / Key Laboratory of Green and Low Carbon Agriculture on Dryland in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
A new system effectively ranks soil amendments for restoring degraded Mollisols, considering compaction, stability, and crop yield. Woody peat and a microbial composite (BOM) showed significant improvements in soil structure and fertility over three years.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Agronomy
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Soil degradation, driven by compaction and fertility loss, threatens food security and ecosystem functions.
- Selecting effective soil amendments is challenging due to varied responses and field heterogeneity.
- Existing methods for amendment evaluation are often empirical and lack a standardized, multifunctional approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a screening-evaluation system for selecting soil amendments for degraded Mollisols.
- To assess the efficacy of six organic amendments in improving soil structure, fertility, and crop productivity.
- To address spatial heterogeneity in soil properties using a root-distribution-based weighting scheme.
Main Methods:
- A three-year field trial was conducted on degraded Mollisols in Northeast China.
- A novel system integrating expert pre-screening, multi-indicator weighting, and TOPSIS was developed.
- A root-distribution-based spatial weighting scheme was used to synthesize soil physical properties (bulk density, penetration resistance, soil porosity).
Main Results:
- Woody peat (WP) and a microbial composite (BOM) consistently improved topsoil structure, reducing penetration resistance and increasing porosity and water-stable macroaggregates.
- WP enhanced soil organic matter and available potassium, while BOM promoted root biomass and the root-to-shoot ratio.
- WP achieved the highest soil comprehensive improvement score (SCIS), which positively correlated with maize yield over three years.
Conclusions:
- The developed screening-evaluation system provides a practical and transparent tool for optimizing amendment strategies in heterogeneous Mollisols.
- Woody peat and BOM are effective amendments for restoring degraded Mollisols, offering distinct benefits for soil structure and plant growth.
- The system's validation through yield correlation supports its decision relevance for soil restoration planning.
