Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth and Nutrient Loss

Abstract

The number of road engineering and construction projects that create rock slopes has been increasing year by year, instigating a series of geologic hazards and ecosystem destruction such as landslides, mudflows, and so on. The ecosystems are thus in an urgent need for recovery and reconstruction. However, ecological restoration processes of rock slopes are more challenging compared to those of clay slopes because rock slopes are highly heterogeneous and do not provide favorable soil conditions for plant growth, especially due to the lack of nutrient accumulation and lower heat and moisture capacity [1]. Thus, rock slopes present complex and varied ecosystems that do not support plant growth.Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 27, No. 6 (2018), 2821-2832 AbstractWe investigated substrate material and the effects of different fertilizers and water levels as variable factors for slope restoration. A field rainfall monitoring experiment was carried out to explore morphological changes in Amorpha fruticosa L., the water-holding capacity of its leaves under different water and nutrient gradients, and the nutrient losses from the substrate. The results showed that nutrient loss by runoff was significantly affected by fertilizer use and they increased with the increased application of fertilizers. The concentration of nitrogen in runoff was insignificant, the concentration of phosphorus was increased, and the runoff concentration of potassium was decreased after increasing water-retaining agent levels in the substrate. The concentration of nutrients in runoff from rainfall generally followed a trend of slight fluctuations, then a rise, and finally a decrease. The addition of F2 fertilizer produced the lowest nitrogen losses from substrate material and reduced the leaf area where the addition of phosphate fertilizer had a significant effect on crown diameter. At greater content of the water-retaining agent, the water in substrate material increased, resulting in increased water absorption by the plants and increased relative water content of leaves. Ultimately, W3F4 was the most favorable combination of water-retaining agent and fertilizer concentration for plant growth, which may be related to runoff losses. This combination provides optimal conditions under which the plant can maintain a perfect balance of nutrients and thus improve plant growth indices.

Sustainable Reuse of Dredged Soil as a Substrate Material by Improvement with Polyacrylamide, Straw, and Superabsorbent Polymer

“…is study established that different substrates' amendments improved the water retention of dredged soil, which is consistent with previous studies on the water retention of substrate materials [8,20,42,43]. e results of this study indicate that SAP had a significant effect on water retention and physical properties in dredged soil.…”

“…An orthogonal design method was used to optimize the formulation of the substrate material as well as to evaluate the material properties and the degree of impact of various factors. According to previous reports on the water and fertilizer conservation of the aforementioned substrates [8,14,29], the dosage gradient of PAM in the soil was determined to be A1 (0.5 g/kg), A2 (1 g/kg), A3 (1.5 g/kg), A4 (2 g/kg), and A5 (2.5 g/kg); straw was controlled to B1 (15 g/ kg), B2 (20 g/kg), B3 (25 g/kg), B4 (30 g/kg), and B5 (35 g/ kg); and SAP was C1 (0 g/kg), C2 (3 g/kg), C3 (6 g/kg), C4 (9 g/kg), and C5 (12 g/kg). According to the range of the variable, five levels were selected for each factor, thus the five-level table was chosen.…”

“…Improving dredged soil as a substrate material has the potential to successfully transform it into a valuable soil resource. Substrate material, a novel product with improved water conservation, thermal insulation, low cost, and ease of maintenance, has been studied as a promising slope material [7][8][9].…”

Container volume and controlled-release fertilizer influence the seedling quality of Agonandra brasiliensis

“…According to Yang et al (2018), nutrient and water deficiencies decrease the ratio between shoot and root dry matters, as it has a greater effect on shoot growth, due to the essential functions of the root system. Any change in the architecture of the root system may modify the capture and allocation of resources and growth of plants, what is corroborated by results of this study.…”

Alfalfa in arid and semi-arid regions Taroudant as an example, good and bad cultural practices on the environment: A statistical study

“…The increase in the number of years in the production of alfalfa is accompanied by a high consumption of water consumed from deep soil. Four years is the good duration of the cultivation of alfalfa which keeps both good production and low impact on the consumption of water from the deep soil [25]. The three-year alfalfa rotation followed by two Maize years increased the production of Maize and corn leaf area index, biomass, and yield by comparison with the Maize rotation alone and also decreased total evapotranspiration [26].…”