Effects of short-term sheep manure return on soil quality of desert steppe

doi:10.11686/cyxb2025084

Abstract

Abstract:

The return of livestock manure through grazing plays a significant role in grassland soil nutrient cycling and improvement of physical properties. However， the impact of short-term livestock manure return on soil quality in desert steppes remains understudied. This research simulated sheep manure accumulation under different grazing intensities to explore the effects of four manure accumulation levels （MN， 0 kg·ha^-1； ML， 4000 kg·ha^-1； MM， 8000 kg·ha^-1； MH， 16000 kg·ha^-1） on soil quality of a desert steppe in Yanchi， Ningxia. The results demonstrated： 1） After two years of manure application， soil temperature tended to increase with increased manure accumulation level， although the average soil temperature differed significantly only in MH compared to MN， ML and MM （P<0.05）. Similarly， average soil moisture content was significantly higher in MH than in ML and MM （P<0.05）. 2） Soil pH decreased while extracellular enzyme activity increased with increased manure accumulation. 3） Manure return promoted the formation of soil macro-aggregates while reducing the proportion of micro-aggregates quantities， and the soil stability increased with increased accumulation of sheep manure. 4） Compared to MN， ML， MM and MH also significantly enhanced the soil quality index （P<0.05）. Correlation analysis and structural equation modelling further revealed that manure return improved soil hydrothermal conditions， and stimulated enzyme activities related to carbon and nitrogen cycling， thereby increasing nutrient inputs and macro-aggregate formation， and ultimately enhancing soil quality. In conclusion， low， medium and high levels of manure application effectively improved soil quality， providing both a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for restoring degraded grassland soils.

Key words: desert steppe, sheep manure accumulation, extracellular enzymes, soil nutrients, aggregates, soil quality

Dong-ya LIU, Yan YANG, Jing LIU, Bo WANG, Zhi-gang LI. Effects of short-term sheep manure return on soil quality of desert steppe[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2026, 35(2): 28-39.

Figures/Tables 8

References 49

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土壤指标 Soil indicators	主成分分析Principal component analysis		公因子方差 Common factors variance
土壤指标 Soil indicators	PC1	PC2	公因子方差 Common factors variance
土壤pH Soil pH	-0.468	-0.803	0.864
有机碳 Organic carbon	0.783	0.386	0.761
全氮 Total nitrogen	0.770	0.495	0.839
全磷 Total phosphorus	0.322	0.824	0.782
碱解氮 Soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen	0.676	0.602	0.820
速效磷 Available phosphorus	0.469	0.769	0.811
纤维素酶 Cellulase	0.653	0.614	0.804
β-1，4-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶 β-1，4-N-acetylglucosaminidase	0.571	0.721	0.846
亮氨酸氨基肽酶 Leucine aminopeptidase	0.839	0.486	0.939
β-1，4-葡萄糖苷酶 β-1，4-glucosidase	0.438	0.846	0.908
脲酶 Urease	0.256	0.935	0.941
β-1，4-木糖苷酶 β-1，4-xylosidase	0.896	0.188	0.839
平均重量直径 Mean weight diameter	0.842	0.476	0.936
几何平均直径 Geometric mean diameter	0.858	0.453	0.942
特征值 Eigenvalue	10.900	1.132
解释度 Explain of the degree （%）	77.856	8.087
累计解释度 Cumulative explanatory degree （%）	72.671	85.943
权重 Weighing value	0.529	0.471

土壤指标 Soil indicators	主成分分析Principal component analysis		公因子方差 Common factors variance
土壤指标 Soil indicators	PC1	PC2	公因子方差 Common factors variance
土壤pH Soil pH	-0.468	-0.803	0.864
有机碳 Organic carbon	0.783	0.386	0.761
全氮 Total nitrogen	0.770	0.495	0.839
全磷 Total phosphorus	0.322	0.824	0.782
碱解氮 Soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen	0.676	0.602	0.820
速效磷 Available phosphorus	0.469	0.769	0.811
纤维素酶 Cellulase	0.653	0.614	0.804
β-1，4-N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶 β-1，4-N-acetylglucosaminidase	0.571	0.721	0.846
亮氨酸氨基肽酶 Leucine aminopeptidase	0.839	0.486	0.939
β-1，4-葡萄糖苷酶 β-1，4-glucosidase	0.438	0.846	0.908
脲酶 Urease	0.256	0.935	0.941
β-1，4-木糖苷酶 β-1，4-xylosidase	0.896	0.188	0.839
平均重量直径 Mean weight diameter	0.842	0.476	0.936
几何平均直径 Geometric mean diameter	0.858	0.453	0.942
特征值 Eigenvalue	10.900	1.132
解释度 Explain of the degree （%）	77.856	8.087
累计解释度 Cumulative explanatory degree （%）	72.671	85.943
权重 Weighing value	0.529	0.471