The study aimed to find the best Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) strain for cotton growth in Xinjiang's salinity and alkali conditions. Cotton (Xinluzao 45) was treated with Funneliformis mosseae (GM), Rhizophagus irregularis (GI), and Claroideoglomus etunicatum (GE) as treatments, while untreated cotton served as the control (CK). Salinity stress was applied post-3-leaf stage in cotton. The study analyzed cotton's reactions to diverse saline-alkali stresses, focusing on nutrient processes and metabolism. By analyzing the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of plants inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae to evaluate its salt tolerance. Saline-alkali stress reduced chlorophyll and hindered photosynthesis, hampering cotton growth. However, AMF inoculation mitigated these effects, enhancing photosynthetic rates, CO₂ concentration, transpiration, energy use efficiency, and overall cotton growth under similar stress levels. GM and GE treatments yielded similar positive effects. AMF inoculation enhanced cotton plant height and biomass. In GM treatment, cotton exhibited notably higher root length than other treatments, showing superior growth under various conditions. In summary, GM-treated cotton had the highest infection rate, followed by GE-treated cotton, with GI-treated cotton having the lowest rate (GM averaging 0.95). Cotton inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus irregularis, and Claroideoglomus etunicatum juvenile showed enhanced chlorophyll and photosynthetic levels, reducing salinity effects. Funneliformis mosseae had the most significant positive impact.

Reclamation of abandoned farmland is crucial to a sustainable agriculture in arid regions. This study aims to evaluate the impact of different reclamation treatments on abandoned salinized farmland. We investigated four artificial reclamation treatments, continuous cotton (CC), continuous alfalfa (CA), tree-wheat intercropping (TW) and trees (TS), which were conducted in 2011–2012 in the Manasi River Basin of Xinjiang Province, China. Soil nutrient, microorganism and enzyme activity were examined in comparison with natural succession (CK) in an integrated analysis on soil fertility improvement and soil salinization control with these reclamations. Results indicate that the four artificial reclamation treatments are more effective approaches than natural restoration to reclaim abandoned farmland. TW and CA significantly increased soil nutrient content compared to CK. CC reduced soil salinity to the lowest level among all treatments. TW significantly enhanced soil enzyme activity. All four artificial reclamations increased soil microbial populations and soil microbial biomass carbon. TW and CA had the greatest overall optimal effects among the four treatments in terms of the ecological outcomes. If both economic benefits and ecological effects are considered, TW would be the best reclamation mode. The findings from this study will assist in selecting a feasible method for reclamation of abandoned farmland for sustainable agriculture in arid regions.

Fungus-fertilizer interactions can enhance agricultural productivity and effective resource utilization, however, the study of the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphorus on soil fertility and nutrient uptake of soybeans under salinity stress is still unclear. In this study, a mixture of three AMFs (Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus intraradices, and Diversispora epigaea) was inoculated into the salt-sensitive soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivar ‘Wuxing No.2’ in a pot experiment set up for inoculation, no inoculation and five levels of phosphorus (P₂O₅) supply (such as 0, 50, 100, 250, 500 mg P kg⁻¹), bacterial phosphorus interactions totaling 10 treatments, each treatment 7 replications. Soil nutrient content and soybean nutrient uptake and translocation rates were determined at seasons of flowering pods, tympanic period and harvest period, respectively. Under low phosphorus (50 mg kg⁻¹) conditions, the soil available phosphorus content at the seasons of flowering pods increased by 23.11% compared with the uninoculated group. The accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the plants increased significantly, with the phosphorus content in leaves reaching 4.72 mg·g⁻¹, which was 98.50% higher than that in the high-phosphorus non-inoculated treatment. Meanwhile, it optimized nutrient partitioning, promoting the transfer of phosphorus to the stalks (with the phosphorus transport rate in stems being 37.27% in the + AMF P50 treatment) to support grain formation. In contrast, the uninoculated group required a higher phosphorus level (250 mg kg⁻¹) to reach the peak of biomass, with the root fresh weight peaking at 13.71 g. The low phosphorus inoculation treatment can improve soil fertility and plant nutrient uptake and utilization, and promote the efficient use of agricultural resources.

A long-term high-saline soil environment will limit the improvement of soil quality and cotton yield. Modified tillage management measures can improve soil quality, and the establishment of a soil quality evaluation system will facilitate evaluation of the soil quality and land production potential in southern Xinjiang. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different tillage management methods on soil quality in saline cotton fields in southern Xinjiang. A three-year experiment was conducted in Tumushuke, Xinjiang, with different deep vertical rotary tillage depths (DTM20, 20 cm; DTM40, 40 cm; DTM60, 60 cm) and conventional tillage (CTM, 20 cm). The soil quality index (SQI) under different tillage management methods was established by using the full dataset (TDS) with a scoring function for eight indicators, including physicochemical properties of the soil from 0 to 60 cm, to evaluate its impact on the soil quality of the saline farmland in southern Xinjiang. The results of the study showed that deep vertical rotary tillage management can effectively optimize soil structure; reduce soil bulk density (BD), soil solution conductivity (EC), and pH; and promote the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the soil. However, the average diameter of soil water-stable aggregates (MWD) in a 0–60 cm layer becomes smaller with an increasing depth of tillage. This does not reduce crop yields but does promote soil saline leaching. In addition, the significant linear relationship (p < 0.001) between seed cotton yield and soil quality indicated that improving soil quality was favorable for crop yield. The principal component analysis revealed BD, MWD, pH, and EC as limiting sensitive indicators for seed cotton yield, while SOC and TN were positive sensitive indicators. The soil quality index (SQI) values of DT40 and DTM60 were significantly higher than that of CTM by 11.02% and 15.27%, respectively. Overall, the results show that DTM60 is the most suitable tillage strategy to improve soil quality and seed cotton yield in this area, and this approach will provide a reliable theoretical basis for the improvement of saline farmland.

Soil salinization is a major global challenge that limits crop productivity by inhibiting plant growth, nutritional quality and decreasing yields. This study examined the effect of foliar application of molybdenum (Mo) on two soybean varieties, HN517 (salt-sensitive) and DS118 (salt-tolerant) under saline-alkali soil conditions. Mo was applied via foliar spraying at four concentrations 0 (control), 70, 140, and 210 g ha−1 referred as CK, MO1, MO2, and MO3, respectively. These treatments were employed to investigate the influence of Mo on soybean physiological growth parameters, antioxidant defense mechanisms, osmotic regulation, ionic homeostasis, and nutrient accumulation. Results showed that foliar application of Mo treatment MO3 significantly improved plant height, root biomass, and total biomass by 39.24%, 43.67%, and 56.01% in HN517, and by 36.95%, 28.98%, and 108.0% in DS118 variety of soybean. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and nitrate reductase, increased by 17.75%, 20.90%, 21.42%, and 13.23% in HN517, and by 24.63%, 27.01%, 18.75%, and 13.44% in DS118, respectively, compared with control. Simultaneously, the levels of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, and malondialdehyde decreased by 26.45% and 35.02%, 23.11% and 22.93%, and 33.30% and 38.38% in HN517 and DS118, respectively, indicating a reduction in oxidative damage. Mo application also enhanced osmotic regulation by increasing proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugar contents by 21.47%, 18.75%, and 16.74% in HN517, and by 19.12%, 23.34%, and 19.69% in DS118. Furthermore, Mo enhanced nutrient uptake, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and Mo in both varieties. It also improved the K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, mitigating ion toxicity and enhancing stress tolerance. This improvement contributed to higher nutrient acquisition and antioxidant capacity contributed to higher protein and oil content, leading to increased crop yield under saline-alkali field conditions. These findings concluded that Mo application to the foliage improves soybean resilience, growth, yield, and nutritional quality of soybean under saline alkali field conditions.

The Manas River Basin, located in Xinjiang, China, is one of the province’s four major agricultural irrigation regions and the first in the country to implement large-scale drip irrigation. While drip irrigation has enhanced water use efficiency, it has also contributed to soil salinization, negatively impacting crop yields and soil health. This study examines the spatial and temporal evolution of soil salinity in the oasis area of the basin from 1996 to 2019. The study evaluates salinization dynamics under long-term irrigation practices using soil salinity inversion models, regression analysis, water-salt balance calculations, geostatistical techniques, and ArcGIS. The results reveal significant improvements in soil salinity conditions, with 78.02% of the region experiencing reduced salinity and 10.09% exhibiting deterioration. From 1996 to 2019, non-salinized soil increased by 1,403.46 km², mildly salinized soil expanded by 3,702.28 km², while saline soils decreased by 7,685.6 km². Statistical analysis indicates that soil salinity followed normal or logarithmic-normal distributions, with higher variability observed in 2016 and 2019. Despite these positive trends, challenges remain, particularly in the Shihezi, Manas, and Mosuowan irrigation zones, which still exhibit moderate to severe salinity. This study highlights the effectiveness of drip irrigation combined with improved management practices in mitigating soil salinity and enhancing soil quality. However, it emphasizes the need for targeted strategies to address residual salinization risks, ensuring sustainable agricultural development and ecological balance in arid regions.