Abstract
Facility agriculture is essential for modernizing the production of horticultural plants, while long-standing over-fertilization and improper tillage in some vegetable facilities in northern China have resulted in reduced soil quality, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and diminished vegetable yields and quality. This study systematically analyzed the deteriorating health of typical cucumber facility soils in Hebei Province, China, induced by long-term over-fertilization. Based on field surveys, we explored dynamic changes in soil physicochemical properties across different durations of over-fertilization. Subsequently, a series of field trials were conducted to assess whether reducing nitrogen application, either alone or when combined with microbial agents, could ameliorate soil properties, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance cucumber productivity. The initial field assessment revealed severe topsoil salt and nutrient accumulation, with water-soluble salt content in 5-year-old greenhouses from Yongqing soaring to 3.82 g·kg−1, nearly eight times the level found in 1-year-old plots. Field experiments demonstrated that a 20% reduction in nitrogen application from the conventional rate of 900 kg·hm−2 effectively mitigated salt accumulation, improved the structure of the microbial community, and maintained cucumber yield at 66,914 kg·hm−2, an output comparable to conventional practices. More notably, integrating this 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megaterium reduced the overall global warming potential by 26.7% and simultaneously increased cucumber yield to 72,747 kg·hm−2. The most comprehensive strategy combined deep tillage, soybean straw incorporation, and B. megaterium application under reduced nitrogen, which boosted nitrogen use efficiency by 13.7% and achieved the highest yield among all treatments. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that a combined approach of nitrogen reduction, microbial amendment, and straw application offers an effective strategy to restore soil health, enhance crop productivity, and mitigate environmental impacts in protective vegetable production systems.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Five-year-old greenhouse soil reached 3.82 g·kg−1 soluble salt, nearly eight times one-year plots.
- Taxon
- cucumber
Cucumis sativust0 - Outcome
- water-soluble salt contente0
- Direction
- soaringe0
- Value
- 3.82 g·kg−1e0
- Qualifier
- nearly eight timese0
- Comparator
- 1-year-old plotse0
- Setting
- Yongqinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“water-soluble salt content in 5-year-old greenhouses from Yongqing soaring to 3.82 g·kg−1, nearly eight times the level found in 1-year-old plots.”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
A 20% nitrogen reduction mitigated salt accumulation.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- a 20% reduction in nitrogen applicatione0
- Outcome
- salt accumulatione0
- Direction
- mitigatede0
- Comparator
- conventional rate of 900 kg·hm−2e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 20% reduction in nitrogen application from the conventional rate of 900 kg·hm−2 effectively mitigated salt accumulation”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
A 20% nitrogen reduction improved microbial community structure.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- a 20% reduction in nitrogen applicatione0
- Outcome
- structure of the microbial communitye0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- conventional rate of 900 kg·hm−2e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 20% reduction in nitrogen application from the conventional rate of 900 kg·hm−2 effectively mitigated salt accumulation, improved the structure of the microbial community”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
A 20% nitrogen reduction maintained cucumber yield at 66,914 kg·hm−2.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- 20% nitrogen reductione1
- Outcome
- cucumber yielde0
- Direction
- maintainede0
- Value
- 66,914 kg·hm−2e0
- Comparator
- conventional practicese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“maintained cucumber yield at 66,914 kg·hm−2, an output comparable to conventional practices.”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
e1“integrating this 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megaterium reduced the overall global warming potential by 26.7%”
Claim · model-written summary
Adding Bacillus megaterium to reduced nitrogen cut global warming potential 26.7%.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megateriume0
- Interactor
- Bacillus megaterium
Priestia megateriume0symbiont - Outcome
- overall global warming potentiale0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 26.7%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“integrating this 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megaterium reduced the overall global warming potential by 26.7%”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
Adding Bacillus megaterium to reduced nitrogen raised cucumber yield to 72,747 kg·hm−2.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megateriume0
- Interactor
- Bacillus megateriumPriestia megateriume0symbiont
- Outcome
- cucumber yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 72,747 kg·hm−2e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“integrating this 20% nitrogen reduction with an inoculation of Bacillus megaterium reduced the overall global warming potential by 26.7% and simultaneously increased cucumber yield to 72,747 kg·hm−2.”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
Deep tillage, soybean straw, bacteria and reduced nitrogen boosted nitrogen use efficiency by 13.7%.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- deep tillage, soybean straw incorporation, and B. megaterium application under reduced nitrogene0
- Interactor
- B. megateriumPriestia megateriume0symbiont
- Outcome
- nitrogen use efficiencye0
- Direction
- boostede0
- Value
- 13.7%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined deep tillage, soybean straw incorporation, and B. megaterium application under reduced nitrogen, which boosted nitrogen use efficiency by 13.7%”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
Claim · model-written summary
That combined strategy achieved the highest yield.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativust0
- Treatment
- deep tillage, soybean straw incorporation, and B. megaterium application under reduced nitrogene0
- Interactor
- B. megateriumPriestia megateriume0symbiont
- Outcome
- highest yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- all treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined deep tillage, soybean straw incorporation, and B. megaterium application under reduced nitrogen, which boosted nitrogen use efficiency by 13.7% and achieved the highest yield among all treatments.”
t0“An Integrated Strategy of Nitrogen Reduction, Microbial Amendment, and Straw Incorporation Mitigates Soil Degradation and Enhances Cucumber Yield in Northern Chinese Greenhouses”
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