Theory and application of soil nutrient regulation for degraded steppe in Hulun Buir, China

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0124

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims In China, the restoration of degraded grasslands is impeding the management of grasslands and their sustainable utilization. Soil nutrient deficiency is one of the main constraints for restoring degraded grassland. The essence of soil nutrient regulation is to restore the original dominant species, promote grassland productivity and the occupancy of high-quality forage in degraded grasslands, and meanwhile diminish the negative environmental effects caused by nutrient addition.

Methods Taking advantage of a restoration experiment carried out in a degraded grassland of Hulun Buir, in terms of the deficient soil nutrients, the limiting elements for plant growth and the nutrient specificity for different plant species, we developed soil nutrient regulation technique.

Important findings The key technical points are as follow: demand-based dosage, synergy of nitrogen and phosphorus, microelements supplemention, early-spring fertilization, deep fertilizaiton and strip operation. Soil nutrient regulation technique has broad prospects in application in Hulun Buir grassland, China. Improving the productive and ecological functions of degraded grasslands is of great significance for increasing the income of farmers and herders, ensuring the security of fodder grass supply, and safeguarding ecological security and national unity in northern China.

Key words: grassland degradation, meadow steppe, limiting element, fertilization, productivity

LIU Wei, HAO Yi-Qing, SUN Jia-Mei, WANG Jing, FAN Bing, HAO Jian-Xi, JIN Na-Shen, PAN Qing-Min. Theory and application of soil nutrient regulation for degraded steppe in Hulun Buir, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(1): 138-147.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0124

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I1/138

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 Technical roadmap of soil nutrient regulation technology in degraded grassland.

Fig. 2 Nitrogen and phosphorus budget under different forage production of Leymus chinensis steppe in Hulun Buir.

Fig. 3 Effects of different numbers of added nutrients on aboveground biomass in Hulun Buir steppe (mean ± SE). Eight nutrient factors are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron and micronutrients (iodine, boron, manganese, zinc, sodium, molybdenum, copper, cobalt and chlorine as one factor). N0P0, no nitrogen and phosphorus addition; N1P0, nitrogen addition; N1P1, nitrogen and phosphorus co-addition. The amount of nitrogen and phosphorus added is 20 and 2.95 g·m-2·a-1 (modified from Peng et al., 2022).

Fig. 4 Effects of different nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N:P) on aboveground biomass in Hulun Buir steppe (mean ± SE, n = 12). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05).

Fig. 5 Aboveground biomass of all species (A), Leymus chinensis (B) and the density of Leymus chinensis (C) under different timing of nutrient addition in Hulun Buir steppe (mean ± SE, n = 6). CK stands for no fertilization. April and July stand for fertilization time. Nutrient additions are 10 and 3 g·m-2, respectively. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among different treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 6 Aboveground biomass (A), biomass proportion of Leymus chinensis (B) and species richness (C) under different nutrient addition treatments in Hulun Buir steppe (mean ± SE, n = 5). CK, N1P1, N2P2, N3P3, N4P4, N5P5 stand for no addition, addition of 4.8 g N·m-2 + 1.5 g P·m-2, 7.2 g N·m-2 + 2.25 g P·m-2, 9.6 g N·m-2 + 3.0 g P·m-2, 12.0 g N·m-2 + 3.75 g P·m-2, 14.4 g N·m-2 + 4.5 g P·m-2, respectively; N, nitrogen; P, phosphorus. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05); ns, p > 0.05.

Table 1 Soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content in Hulun Buir degraded grassland and corresponding nitrogen and phosphorus application rates

土壤全氮含量 Soil total N content (g·kg^-1)	土壤全磷含量 Soil total P content (g·kg^-1)	氮施用量 N application rate (kg·hm^-2)	磷施用量 P application rate (kg·hm^-2)
<1.5	<0.3	80-100	20-25
1.5-2.5	0.3-0.4	60-80	15-20
≥2.5	≥0.4	40-60	10-15

Fig. 7 Effects of nutrient regulation and restoration technology on aboveground biomass (A), the ratio of high-quality forage (B), the density of Leymus chinensis (C), species richness (D) (mean ± SE, n = 5) and the aerial photography (E).

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