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Soil phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient that controls wetland productivity and ecological functions. However, the effects of soil P forms on P availability during wetland degradation are relatively unknown. We selected differently degraded marshes, including non‐degraded marsh (NDM), lightly degraded marsh (LDM), moderately degraded marsh (MDM), and heavily degraded marsh (HDM), to research the changes in soil P forms by sequential chemical extraction and its regulation on P availability in the Zoige Plateau, China. The results showed that compared with the 0–30 cm soil layers of NDM, the main changes in total P concentration were a significant increase of 31.6%–44.2% in LDM and MDM, and the available P concentration increased by 28.7%–76.2% in LDM and MDM but decreased by 4.0%–47.5% in HDM with a lower P activation coefficient. Marsh degradation increased the concentration of soil dicalcium phosphates, P occluded in iron hydroxides, and organic P from the entire profile by 46.7%–137.7%, 31.7%–49.3%, and 78.1%–82.1%, respectively, while it decreased that of iron oxide surface adsorbed P and apatite P by 17.2%–32.2% and 15.3%–27.8%, respectively. Soil available P was mainly related to organic P and P non‐occluded in iron oxide minerals, which might also be a non‐negligible direct source of available P. The transformation from apatite P to organic P was an important regulatory mechanism of P availability in soils during marsh degradation. This study revealed the transformation trajectory of soil P forms owing to soil desiccation accompanied by plant community changes and overgrazing during alpine marsh degradation, and the risk of P limitation in HDMs with low soil available P. For degraded marsh restoration, some measures for improving P availability should be implemented in the future, such as grazing exclusion and the application of organic fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, hyperaccumulator straw (Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus chinense L., and Siegesbeckia orientalis L.) and phosphate rock powder were selected as materials, a pot experiment was used to study the effects of three compounding modifiers on the growth, nutritional quality and cadmium (Cd) content of Chinese cabbage. The results showed that: (1) The combination of Siegesbeckia orientalis + phosphate rock powder can significantly promote the growth of Chinese cabbage, while Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder and Amaranthus chinense + phosphate rock powder have no effect on the growth of Chinese cabbage. (2) The combination of Solanum nigrum and phosphate rock powder increased the content of soluble sugar, soluble protein and VC in shoots of Chinese cabbage by 64.33%, 16.27% and 2.2%, respectively, and the nitrite content decreased by 34.58%, which improved the quality of Chinese cabbage. (3) Different compounding modifiers can significantly reduce the Cd content in shoots of Chinese cabbage, and the reduction of Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder is the largest, reaching 61.29%. In conclusion, all three modifiers can improve the nutritional quality and reduce the Cd content in the shoots of Chinese cabbage, and Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder has the best effect.

Soil culture experiments were carried out to study the effects of the mixture of cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator straw (Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus chinense L., and Siegesbeckia orientalis L.) and phosphate rock on soil pH, available Cd content and soil nutrients in Cd polluted soil. The results showed that: (1) The soil pH was increased to a certain extent by three kinds of compound materials. (2) The contents of available potassium (AK) and available phosphorus (AP) in soil were increased to a certain extent by the three compounding materials, but there was no significant effect on total nitrogen (TN). And 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Amaranthus chinense L. had the greatest increase in AP, reaching 49.28%, and 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Siegesbeckia orientalis L. had the greatest increase in AK, reaching 136.23%. (3) The available Cd content in soil was reduced by three kinds of compound materials. The decrease of available Cd was the greatest in 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Solanum nigrum L. straw mixed, which was 12.71%. In summary, the combination of Cd hyperaccumulator straw and phosphate rock powder can effectively passivate Cd in soil and improve soil nutrient content, and 2% phosphate rock powder and 1% Solanum nigrum L. straw are the best.

Soil culture experiments were carried out to study the effects of the mixture of Amaranthus chinense L. straw and phosphate rock on soil pH, available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and DTPA-Cd content in Cd polluted soil. The results showed that: (1) 2% phosphate rock powder combined with 1%, 2%, 3% of Amaranthus chinense L. straw can significantly increase soil pH, AP and AK content. Compared with CK, pH was increased by 0.42~0.56, 0.53~0.70 and 0.47~0.73 units, respectively, and AP was increased by 19.03%~32.62%, 14.91%~43.63% and 18.88%~58.01%, respectively, and AK was increased by 201.46%~234.66%, 210.5%~266.56% and 184.07%~224.98%, respectively. (2) The DTPA-Cd content in soil decreased significantly after adding three different ratios of compound materials, which were 1.75%~9.01%, 2.86%~10.02% and 0.98%~8.7% lower than CK, respectively. In summary, the mixture of 1% Amaranthus chinense L. straw and 2% phosphate rock powder had the best passivation effect on Cd.

Assessing soil quality (SQ) of cropland is fundamental for food security and sustainable land management. However, there is limited information regarding SQ assessment on a national scale, which is vital to answer important SQ‐related questions in quantitative terms on that scale. Here, the SQ of cropland in China was assessed by constructing a minimum data set (MDS) from 23 soil physicochemical properties based on principal component analysis. The interaction roles and relative contributions of climate and topography on SQ was evaluated by a structural equation model. The MDS comprised eight indicators: proportion of silt, bulk density, total phosphorus, total potassium, available nitrogen, exchangeable calcium, chlorite, and vermiculite. The soil quality index (SQI) varied from 0.245 to 0.705 and showed a clear pattern of decreasing quality from the north to the south of the country. Of the total cropland area in China, the largest share (27.91%) was of soils of high quality, followed by those of moderate quality (24.63%), low quality (20.37%), very high quality (14.18%), and very low quality (12.91%). The north and the south differed significantly in terms of total potassium, exchangeable calcium, chlorite, and vermiculite, which are the four most important indicators of SQ. Climate and elevation explained about 2.2%–30.1% of the variation in SQ on the national and regional scales. These findings suggest that croplands in southern China will benefit from potassium and calcium fertilizers, which will contribute to enhance food security and promote sustainable land management in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]