Abstract:
【
Objective】This study aimed to explore the effects of different organic nitrogen substitution ratios on soil acidification characteristics of mountain tea plantations in Guizhou, screen appropriate organic nitrogen substitution ratio, providing a theoretical basis for preventing and controlling soil acidification and promoting green and healthy development of tea plantations.【
Method】A field experiment was conducted in a typical tea-producing area in Guizhou. Seven fertilization treatments were set up: no fertilization control (CK), sole application of chemical fertilizer (ON
0), 20% organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen (ON
20), 40% organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen (ON
40), 60% organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen (ON
60), 80% organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen (ON
80), and 100% organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen (ON
100). The soil samples from the 0-20 cm plough layer were collected before winter fertilization in tea plantations, and the soil pH, exchangeable acid (exchangeable H
+, exchangeable Al
3+), and exchangeable base ions (Ca
2+, Mg
2+, K
+, Na
+) were measured and analyzed. The relationships between soil pH and exchangeable acid as well as exchangeable base ions were fitted, and the random forest regression was used to analyze the importance of different factors on soil pH variations.【
Result】Compared with CK, the soil pH of ON
0 treatment decreased slightly, but the difference was not significant (
P>0.05). Compared with ON
0 treatment, the soil pH in the treatment of organic nitrogen substituting chemical fertilizer nitrogen increased by 0.80%-28.27%, with significant differences observed in ON
60-ON
100 treatments (
P<0.05, the same below). Compared with ON
0 treatment, the contents of soil exchangeable acid, exchangeable H
+, and exchangeable Al
3+ in ON
40-ON
100 treatments significantly decreased by 41.13%-68.44%, 55.77%-65.38% and 37.83%-69.13%, respectively. The contents of exchangeable Ca
2+, exchangeable Mg
2+, and total amount of base ions in ON
20-ON
100 treatments significantly increased by 20.36%-113.91%, 30.69%-99.01%, and 14.58%-81.84%, respectively. The proportion of exchangeable Al
3+ accounted for 79.78%-86.50% of the exchangeable acid, and the proportion of exchangeable Ca
2+ accounted for 63.34%-74.61% of the total exchangeable base ions. Soil pH showed an extremely significant negative correlation (
P<0.01, the same below) with contents of exchangeable acid, exchangeable H
+, and exchangeable Al
3+, and an extremely significant positive correlation with contents of exchangeable Ca
2+ and exchangeable Mg
2+. The results of random forest analysis showed that soil pH was most affected by contents of exchangeable Ca
2+ and exchangeable Mg
2+.【
Conclusion】Soil pH in tea plantations is mainly affected by the contents of exchangeable Ca
2+ and exchangeable Mg
2+. The substitution of organic nitrogen for chemical nitrogen prevents and controls soil acidification by reducing exchangeable acid and supplementing base ions. When the organic nitrogen substitution ratio reaches 40% or above, it can significantly reduce soil exchangeable acid content and increase the total amount of exchangeable base ions, playing a positive role in ameliorating soil acidification in tea plantations.