EFFECT OF AERATED IRRIGATION ON SOIL MICROENVIRONMENT AND COTTON GROWTH PROMOTION

ABSTRACT Clay soil results in higher crop yield and quality than sandy soil. However, irrigation causes clay soil to slump easily, increasing compactness and decreasing soil oxygen content. This study investigated the effects of dry seeding and wet emergence on the soil microenvironment and cotton growth promotion in Xinjiang silt loam fields. The experimental design included three aerated and three non-aerated treatments. The results showed that aerated irrigation decreased dry density of the 0–20 cm soil layer to different degrees, the field capacity increased to different degrees, and the dry density and field capacity of the 20-30 cm soil layer did not change among the different treatments. The dry density and field capacity of WP2 treatment changed the most, the dry density of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layer were respectively 1.28 g cm-3 and 1.27 g cm-3, and the field capacity were respectively 35.23% and 35.7%. Under the same irrigation quota, the soil water content of the aerated treatments was lower than that of the non-aerated treatments. Aerated irrigation inhibited the horizontal diffusion of water and facilitated downward water transport. The WP2 treatment had the highest peak soil temperature at depths of 10 and 20 cm, and the WP2 treatment had the highest numbers of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, urease, and catalase activities, seedling emergence, primary root length, plant height, and stem thickness.