Short-Term Effects of Spent Mushroom Substrate Mulching Thickness on the Soil Environment, Weed Suppression, Leaf Nutrients, and Nut Characteristics in a Hazelnut Orchard

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Abstract

Worldwide, a huge amount of solid fermented waste is produced every year during mushroom production. The rational utilization of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is conducive to environmental protection and the sustainable development of agriculture. The aims of this work were to analyze the effects of the SMS mulching thickness on the soil environment, weed suppression, leaf nutrients, and nut traits in a hazelnut plantation and provide a theoretical basis for the scientific and reasonable utilization of SMS. An SMS mulching experiment with four mulching thickness treatments (MT1: 5 cm, MT2: 10 cm, MT3: 15 cm, and CK: 0 cm) was conducted in a semi-arid area of North China in 2019. The soil properties, weed control efficiency, leaf nutrient content, and nut yield and quality characteristics of these treatments were all measured and analyzed. The results showed that (1) the average soil temperatures of MT2 and MT3 at different soil depths were 0.73–1.78 °C and 1.18–2.50 °C lower than when no mulch was used in warm weather and 0.67–1.05 °C and 0.99–1.56 °C higher than when no mulch was used in cold weather. The average soil moisture content of MT1, MT2, and MT3 at different soil depths was 6.27–8.13%, 10.66–17.23%, and 7.26–12.81% higher than that of CK, respectively. There were no significant differences in the soil bulk density or porosity among the four treatments. The average soil nutrient contents (soil organic matter and available N, P, and K) of MT1, MT2, and MT3 were 7.05–15.23%, 14.90–38.93%, and 17.42–40.11% higher than those of CK, respectively. Soil enzymatic activities of these treatments followed the order MT3 ≈ MT2 > MT1 > CK. (2) MT2 and MT3 both had high levels of weed control efficiency: 55.66–92.93% and 70.43–97.90%, respectively. (3) The leaf N, P, K, and SPAD increased significantly under MT2 and MT3 by about 10% compared with the CK. (4) MT2 effectively increased the nut size, nut and kernel mass, and crude fat content of the nut (CFC). In general, the short-term field experiment clearly showed that SMS is a superior mulching material for improving the soil environment and plant growth, and 10 cm thickness is suitable for mulching practice.

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Soil enzymes in a changing environment: Current knowledge and future directions

Richard G. Burns, Jared L. DeForest, Jürgen Marxsen … (2013)

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Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation?

Zacharias Steinmetz, Claudia Wollmann, Miriam Schaefer … (2016)

Plastic mulching has become a globally applied agricultural practice for its instant economic benefits such as higher yields, earlier harvests, improved fruit quality and increased water-use efficiency. However, knowledge of the sustainability of plastic mulching remains vague in terms of both an environmental and agronomic perspective. This review critically discusses the current understanding of the environmental impact of plastic mulch use by linking knowledge of agricultural benefits and research on the life cycle of plastic mulches with direct and indirect implications for long-term soil quality and ecosystem services. Adverse effects may arise from plastic additives, enhanced pesticide runoff and plastic residues likely to fragment into microplastics but remaining chemically intact and accumulating in soil where they can successively sorb agrochemicals. The quantification of microplastics in soil remains challenging due to the lack of appropriate analytical techniques. The cost and effort of recovering and recycling used mulching films may offset the aforementioned benefits in the long term. However, comparative and long-term agronomic assessments have not yet been conducted. Furthermore, plastic mulches have the potential to alter soil quality by shifting the edaphic biocoenosis (e.g. towards mycotoxigenic fungi), accelerate C/N metabolism eventually depleting soil organic matter stocks, increase soil water repellency and favour the release of greenhouse gases. A substantial process understanding of the interactions between the soil microclimate, water supply and biological activity under plastic mulches is still lacking but required to estimate potential risks for long-term soil quality. Currently, farmers mostly base their decision to apply plastic mulches rather on expected short-term benefits than on the consideration of long-term consequences. Future interdisciplinary research should therefore gain a deeper understanding of the incentives for farmers and public perception from both a psychological and economic perspective in order to develop new support strategies for the transition into a more environment-friendly food production.