Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effects of short-term summer fallow and rotations on soil quality under plastic greenhouse cultivation

Author(s):

Qiang Li ¹, Le-Yuan Ma ¹, Xiu-Feng Wang ^{1, 2}, Min Wei ^{1, 2}, Qing-Hua Shi ^{1, 2}, Feng-Juan Yang ^{1, 2}*

Recieved Date: 2012-04-10, Accepted Date: 2012-10-02

Abstract:

Overwinter cucumber with summer fallow (SF) rotation is the predominant cropping system in plastic greenhouses in China; however, problems with continuous cropping systems have become increasingly serious as the greenhouse ages, for example, acidification, secondary salinisation and an imbalance of nutrients and microbial communities. In this study, we evaluated the effects of short-term rotations on enzyme activities, physico- chemical properties and microbial populations in soils (0-20 cm) of plastic greenhouses in ShouGuang City, China. Soil samples were collected from different stages of treatments. Specifically, soil was sampled before fallow and rotation (BFR), after fallow and rotation (AFR) and at following cucumber harvest period (AHP). Compared with SF and RC (rice-cucumber), a rotation composed of cucumber and scallion (SC) was effective in preventing continuous-cropping soil acidification and cucumber rotations with maize (MC) alleviated soil secondary salinisation. AFR and AHP, invertase, urease and catalase activities were higher in MC, SC and RC treatments than in SF. In addition, cucumber rotated with scallion, maize improved the soil microbial flora. Compared to fallow and rice rotations, the number of bacteria and actinomycetes increased under scallion and maize rotations, while the number of fungi decreased. So our results show that continuous cropping cucumber rotation with scallion or maize in summer fallow period, not rice, has positive effects on soil quality parameters such as physicochemical and biological properties. 

Keywords:

Soil quality, fallow and rotation, plastic greenhouse cultivation, continuous cropping obstacle

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 1106-1110

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