Effect of Bacterial Manure on the Properties of Complex Soil and Growth of Ryegrass

Abstract

To cope with the growing population, there is a growing demand for more land to be rendered cultivable. A complex soil created by applying soft rocks into sandy soil can be cultivated. However, the strong water-retaining ability and extreme poverty in nutrients of this complex soil has a negative effect on plant growth. To solve this problem, a complex of microbes and bacterial manure (BM) was added to the complex soil. The soil column culture test was used to detect the influence of BM application on soil bulk-density and infiltration parameters, and a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate its effect on the physical and chemical properties of soil, and ryegrass growth. The addition of 0.15% of BM to the complex soil decreased soil bulk-density, and increased the wetting front migration distance and soil hydraulic conductivity. The BM application also increased soil enzyme activities, which increased the available nitrogen and phosphorus content. As a result, BM increased the ryegrass root and shoot biomass. Overall, this study indicates that BM could be used as an eco-friendly sandy soil conditioner for improving the quality of complex soils, thereby, sustaining agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions.

Keywords

• biomass
• complex soils
• microbial fertilizer
• soil infiltration parameters
• soil organic matter
• soil enzyme activities