Abstract
The sandy land leaks water and fertilizer, and is seriously degraded, while the soft rock has a special depression structure, which plays a role in retaining water and fertilizer. The application of soft rock new material to sand reclamation can improve the ecological environment and ensure the quality of basic cultivated land. The soft rock and sand were mixed in different volume ratios (1:0, 11:1, 5:1, 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 7:5, 1:1, 5:7, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:11, 0:1) to prepare the composite soil, and its Raman spectrum characteristics, microstructure, texture composition and potato yield were studied. The results show that there are more silt and clay particles in the soft rock and more coarse particles in the sand. The peak position of the sand is 464.5 cm−1. With the increase of the content of the soft rock, the peak position decreases gradually. When the content of the soft rock accounts for more than 50%, the soil structure collapses and also becomes compact, at the same time the compressive stress is generated between the soil particles. When the ratio of soft rock to sand is 1:1, the soil texture is loam. The potato yield of the soil with the ratio of 1:5 of soft rock and sand cover increases significantly by 4.89–37.31% and 4.08–35.95% compared with that of 1:1 and 1:2 compound soils. Under the condition of 1:1 and 1:2 compounded ratio of soft rock and sand, there are more cementitious materials between the soil particles generated. The compounded ratio 1:5 is most suitable ratio for potato growth of local economic crop. The results confirmed that the Raman spectroscopy characteristics of SiO2 molecules can be used to study the cementation force between composite soil particles. When the compound ratio is 1:5, the soil improvement of Mu Us sandy land and the high yield of potatoes can be achieved, which could also provides a theoretical basis for sandy land remediation.
Highlights
The sandy land leaks water and fertilizer, and is seriously degraded, while the soft rock has a special depression structure, which plays a role in retaining water and fertilizer
Wang et al.13analyzed the hydraulic characteristics of the sandy soil in the Mu Us Sandy Land, and the results showed that the addition of soft rock can significantly increase the bulk density of the sandy soil with reducing the saturated water content and saturated hydraulic conductivity
The soil with the ratio of 1:5 of soft rock and sand could promote the high yield of potato, which can be widely popularized in Mu Us sandy land
Summary
The sandy land leaks water and fertilizer, and is seriously degraded, while the soft rock has a special depression structure, which plays a role in retaining water and fertilizer. The objectives of this study are to (1) reveal the influence of different proportions of soft rock on the mechanical composition and texture of sandy soil; and (2) screen the ratio which is the most suitable one for the growth of local crops, conduct field trials and study the microstructure of the composite soil. Three hypotheses are put forward: (1) when the ratio of soft rock to sand is 1:1, the critical point of soil texture change show ups and the peak position of Raman spectra changes abruptly; (2) when the ratio is 1:5, it is most suitable ratio for the growth of local crops; and (3) after 3 years of planting, the soil with a ratio of 1:1 has more adhesives and its structure was tighter
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