Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the combined application effects of fly ash (FA) (0, 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) soil) and polyacrylamide (PAM) (0, 0.006% and 0.012% (w/w) soil) on the edge of Hobq Desert in Inner Mongolia, China from May 2016 to October 2018. Seven different ratios of FA and PAM were selected as evaluation objects, a total of 14 soil property indices and 9 Artemisia ordosica growth indices were selected as evaluation indicators, and the entropy weight method was employed to evaluate the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation growth performances under FA and PAM amendments. The results showed that the F15P1 (15% FA + 0.006% PAM) and F5P1 (5% FA + 0.006% PAM) were the effective treatments for soil improvement and Artemisia ordosica growth respectively. Considering the soil properties and Artemisia ordosica growth in 2016–2018 synthetically, the highest score was observed in the F5P1, followed by the F5P2 (5% FA + 0.012% PAM) and F10P1 (10% FA + 0.006% PAM) treatments. The optimal amounts for FA and PAM should be recommended as 5% and 0.006%, respectively.
Highlights
China is one of the countries that is seriously affected by desertification in the world; the desertified and sandified land area reached up to 4.33 × 106 km2, especially in the northern arid and semi-arid region
According to the principles of representativeness, dominance, stability, diversity, and comparability, ten soil physical and chemical indexes are selected as soil evaluation indexes, which reflect the arrangement of soil particles, soil porosity, soil nutrients, and fertility, making the comprehensive evaluation of soil improvement more scientific and reasonable
Seven different ratios of fly ash (FA) and PAM were selected as evaluation objects, a total of 14 soil property indices and 9 Artemisia ordosica growth indices were selected as evaluation indicators, and the entropy weight method was employed to evaluate the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation growth performances under FA and PAM amendments
Summary
China is one of the countries that is seriously affected by desertification in the world; the desertified and sandified land area reached up to 4.33 × 106 km , especially in the northern arid and semi-arid region. In these regions, under intensive interference of human activities, the erosion, migration and accumulation of loose sandy sediments on the surface of the earth, which is mainly driven by wind, is more likely to occur. The desertification and sandification has led to the impoverishment of land, which is characterized by the negative changes in soil physical, chemical, and biological properties [1,2,3,4]. Because of its unique structure and properties
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