Soil properties, crop productivity and irrigation effects on five croplands of Inner Mongolia

Abstract

In the Horqin Sand Land, more than half of the original pasture area has been converted to farmland over the last century. A field experiment was conducted from 2000 to 2001 on five croplands in the Horqin Sand Land of Inner Mongolia to examine differences in soil properties, crop productivity and irrigation effects across different soils in the region to assess their relative suitability for cultivation, in the face of continued pressure for conversion of these generally fragile, sandy soils to agriculture. Two irrigated croplands studied were originally sandy meadow (ISM) and sandy grassland (ISG), and three dry croplands were from sandy meadow (DSM), sandy grassland (DSG) and fixed sand dunes (DFD). Results showed that most measured properties of soils, and crop productivity, differed among the five croplands. The silt + clay fraction, bulk density, organic matter content, total N and P, available N and P, average soil moisture and temperature, plant height and aboveground biomass were as follows in the DSM|DSG|DFD soils: 51.1%|47.5%|24.3%; 1.44 g/cm 3|1.49 g/cm 3|1.58 g/cm 3; 6.3 g/kg|4.6 g/kg|3.4 g/kg; 0.55 g/kg|0.33 g/kg|0.21 g/kg; 0.21 g/kg|0.17 g/kg|0.13 g/kg; 27.0 mg/kg|13.7 mg/kg|7.7 mg/kg; 2.9 mg/kg|2.9 mg/kg|3.0 mg/kg; 9.4%|7.0%|6.2%; 21.4 °C|21.7 °C|22.0 °C; 225 cm|220 cm|181 cm; and 2116 g/m 2|1864 g/m 2|1338 g/m 2. Corresponding values for ISM|ISG soils were: 54.3%|47.9%; 1.42 g/cm 3|1.49 g/cm 3; 8.5 g/kg|6.4 g/kg; 0.58 g/kg|0.42 g/kg; 0.20 g/kg|0.19 g/kg; 29.0 mg/kg|23.3 mg/kg; 4.7 mg/kg|7.9 mg/kg; 13.0%|10.1%; 21.0 °C|21.1 °C; 266 cm|245 cm; and 2958 g/m 2|2702 g/m 2. In general, the ecological origin of a cropland was a stronger determinant of its current characteristics than was irrigation history, although irrigation was correlated with significantly increased organic matter content, some soil nutrient levels, and aboveground biomass productivity. Results indicate that fixed sand dunes should not be converted to cropland because of their very sandy and poorer soil, lower biomass productivity and greater wind-erosion risk. Although both the sandy meadow and sandy grassland may be reclaimed for farming, the cropland derived from the sandy meadow had higher resistance to wind erosion and higher crop productivity, so is somewhat more suitable than sandy grassland.