Effects of soil reclamation on the oat cultivation in the newly reclaimed coastal land, eastern China

Soil moisture, salinity, oat growth and yield were explored during the amelioration of reclaimed coastal saline soil using chicken manure, polyacrylamide, wheat straw, and bacterial manure. The field experiment was conducted by six soil treatments: control (CK), application of organic manure (OM); combined application of polyacrylamide and organic manure (PAM + OM); combined application of straw mulching and organic manure (SM + OM); combined application of buried straw and organic manure (BS + OM); and combined application of bacterial manure and organic manure (BM + OM). Soil moisture was found to be decreased gradually during the growing season. Surface soil moisture increased consistently under various amendment treatments compared with CK throughout the growing season, except in the later growing stage of SM + OM treatment. Simultaneously, soil amendment treatments remarkably reduced soil salinity at 0-40 cm depth and decreased surface soil salinity by 68.0-81.4%, 54.6-75.2%, 56.9-78.2%, 55.1-65.7%, and 28.8-53.4% under SM + OM, PAM + OM, BS + OM, BM + OM and OM treatments throughout the growing season. Furthermore, amendment treatments significantly promoted oat growth and yield, as indicated by thicker stem diameters, taller plant height and higher aboveground biomass and yield. Soil salinity was significantly influenced by precipitation and evaporation, and apparently inhibited the growth, aboveground biomass and yield of oats.