This research targets straw return in Farm 852’s albic soil, China. The soil is nutrient-poor with few microbes and slow straw decomposition. Through fixed-point sampling and bacterial screening, an actinomycete consortium consisting of four strains was assembled, and two of them were identified as new actinomycetes. After 7 days of fermentation, the lignocellulose degradation rates of this consortium outstripped those of single strains, with cellulose degraded at 69.07%, hemicellulose at 64.98%, and lignin at 68.95%. FTIR, XRD, and SEM verified the damage inflicted on the straw structure. Lab simulations found group D (with the consortium) had a higher straw weight loss rate than group C (with commercialized microbial agents) and controls. The compound actinomycetes stepped up the bacterial abundance with the passage of time. In contrast, their effect on fungal abundance was hardly noticeable, but they had markedly ameliorated the soil fertility. These findings prove that the microbial consortium effectively accelerates straw decomposition and boosts soil microbe abundance and fertility in albic soil. It shows great potential for straw return and provides a microbial solution for this field.

The main soil type in the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China, dryland albic soil is of great significance for studying nutrient distribution characteristics. This study focuses on 852 Farm in the typical dryland albic soil area of the Sanjiang Plain, using a combination of paired t-test, geostatistics, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis to systematically reveal the spatial differentiation of soil nutrients in the black soil layer and white clay layer of dryland albic soil, and to clarify the impact mechanism of plow layer nutrient characteristics on crop productivity. The results show that the nutrient content order in both the black and white clay layers is consistent: total potassium (TK) > organic matter (OM) > total nitrogen (TN) > total phosphorus (TP) > alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (HN) > available potassium (AK) > available phosphorus (AP). Both layers exhibit a spatial pattern of overall consistency and local differentiation, with spatial heterogeneity dominated by altitude gradients—nutrient content increases with decreasing altitude. Significant differences exist in nutrient content and distribution between the black and white clay layers, with the comprehensive fertility of the black layer being significantly higher than that of the white clay layer, particularly for TN, TP, TK, HN, and OM contents (effect size > 8). NDVI during the full maize growth period is significantly positively correlated with TP, TN, AK, AP, and HN, and the NDVI dynamics (first increasing. then decreasing) closely align with the peak periods of available nitrogen/phosphorus and crop growth cycles, indicating a strong coupling relationship between vegetation biomass accumulation and nutrient availability. These findings provide important references for guiding rational fertilization, agricultural production layout, and ecological environmental protection, contributing to the sustainable utilization of dryland albic soil resources and sustainable agricultural development.

The high salt content in saline–alkaline land leads to insufficient nutrients, thereby reducing agricultural productivity. This has sparked widespread interest in improving saline–alkaline soil. In this investigation, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing was employed to examine the impacts of three cropping systems (monoculture, rotation, and mixture) on soil bacterial communities. It was found that cropping rotations and mixtures significantly increased soil bacterial α-diversity. Random forest analysis showed a significant linear relationship between AK and EC and bacterial α-diversity. In addition, principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) further confirmed the significant differences in β-diversity between different soil layers. Through co-occurrence network analysis, it was found that cropping rotations and mixtures increased the stability and complexity of co-occurrence networks. By calculating NST to analyze the assembly process of soil bacterial communities in different cropping systems, it was found that the assembly process of soil bacterial communities was dominated by a stochastic process. Functional prediction results showed that a large number of C, N, and S cycling microbes appeared in soil bacterial communities. Our study aims to establish a fresh perspective on the improvement and recovery of saline–alkaline soil.

This study developed an innovative model integrating straw subsoil deep burial (SD) and mixing plow to mitigate albic soil’s physical and chemical constraints and enhance crop yield. A field experiment with four treatments, including conventional tillage (CT), straw mulching (SM), straw subsoil deep burial (SD), and straw burning (SR), was conducted to assess impacts on soil enzyme activity, nutrient dynamics, crop yield, and soil physical properties. Results showed that SD treatment significantly improved albic soil properties compared to conventional tillage: catalase activity in the albic horizon decreased by 13.51%, reducing peroxide toxicity. In the albic horizon, alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, total phosphorus, available potassium, total potassium, and organic matter increased by 29.98%, 58.70%, 36.86%, 20.46%, 5.00%, 21.70%, and 40.46%, respectively. Correspondingly, maize and soybean yield under SD reached 8686.6 kg/ha and 2245.3 kg/ha, increasing by 15.39% and 19.94% compared to CT, respectively. Additionally, SD treatment improved physical properties of the albic horizon: soil hardness reduced by 43.56%, with enhanced water-holding capacity, permeability coefficient, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity. Its findings not only boost agronomic productivity by improving crop yields but also support environmental sustainability by enhancing soil fertility, which is of great significance for ensuring food security.

Nutrient fertilizer application to agricultural land has led to greenhouse gas emissions and has altered soil nitrogen (N) deposition. In soil, N can be degraded in four ways: entering surface water through water flow, absorption by plants and microorganisms, decomposition into gas, and deposition as minerals. This study proposes the concept of N degradability and aims to clarify how farming activities affect N degradability in soil. Over 260 soil profiles were excavated, and the effective soil depth, coordinates, soil types, and vegetation were recorded at each measurement point. The following characteristics were determined in the soil samples: pH, organic matter, total N, total phosphorus, total potassium, total soluble N, available phosphorus, and available potassium. The sample characteristics were subjected to Pearson correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and one-way analysis of variance. The 260 samples included four soil types: dark brown soil, black soil, albic black soil, and meadow soil. Black soil exhibited more stable N levels compared with the other three soil types, showing a tendency towards N accumulation. Ground vegetation was categorized into seven types: forest, rice, maize, red adzuki bean, grassland, soybean, and others. Forests contributed the most to N deposition. Conversely, planting maize led to a tendency for N loss compared with forests. This study can provide a reference for the sustainable development of agriculture and the balance of ecological protection.

Low productivity in albic soils often results in excessive nitrogen input, while straw return further increases nitrogen accumulation through decomposition. To address this issue, a three-year field experiment was conducted in albic soils of high, medium, and low fertility. Two nitrogen management strategies were assessed: nitrogen addition and reduction. Addition treatments included conventional nitrogen application rate alone (N), straw return (8250 kg ha⁻¹) with conventional nitrogen application rate (SN), and straw return with increased nitrogen (SN₊). Reduction treatments comprised SN and straw return with 10%, 20%, and 30% reduced nitrogen (SN_0.9, SN_0.8, and SN_0.7). Soil physical properties, nutrient content, and rice yield were evaluated. Results showed that SN_0.9 exhibited advantages in high-fertility albic soils, as it increased rice yield and improved some soil quality while reducing the nitrogen input by 10%. However, yield under SN_0.9 declined progressively over the three years, indicating limitations of long-term application. SN performed better than both N and SN₊ in medium- and low-fertility albic soils, offering better yield and soil quality improvements. However, nitrogen overaccumulation risk under continuous application should not be overlooked. These findings highlight that fertility-based nitrogen adjustment combined with straw return can simultaneously improve rice productivity and soil quality while reducing nitrogen input in albic soils.