Pedosphere (2): 387--401, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Amelioration of coastal saline soils of Chinese river deltas via soil amendments: A meta-analysis |
Jianyu TAO1,2 , Xiaoyuan LIU1, Sandra SPIELVOGEL1 |
1 Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel 24118 (Germany)
2 State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arable Land in China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China) |
| Corresponding Author:Jianyu TAO |
| ABSTRACT |
| The amelioration of coastal saline soils has the potential to deliver large areas of farmlands to meet the increasing global food demand. Although numerous studies have been conducted in recent years, a systematic evaluation of the efficacy of various amendments for saline soil amelioration remains absent. Hence, a meta-analysis was performed to compare the effects of various amendments on soil physicochemical properties and crop yield, based on data extracted from 97 peer-reviewed publications. Our results indicate that the application of organic amendments (i.e., biochar, compost, crop residues, and organic wastes) reduces soil salinity and bulk density, while simultaneously increasing the soil macroaggregate ratio and crop yield. Due to the purposive selection of raw materials, organic amendments generally exhibit positive effects on replenishing soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus pools, which alleviates nutrient deficiencies in coastal saline soils. However, gypsum is unsuitable for ameliorating coastal saline soils, since there are no significant improvements observed in soil salinity and nutrient contents. Our meta-regression results indicate that the effects of amendments are either positively correlated or show no relationship with application amounts. Overall, this meta-analysis reveals that the application of organic amendments is an effective way for ameliorating coastal salt-affected soils. However, optimal application rates should be assessed to mitigate potential environmental risks in future studies. |
| Key Words: amendment efficacy,biochar,compost,crop residue,crop yield,organic amendment,organic waste,salt-affected soil,soil nutrient,soil organic carbon,soil salinity |
| Citation: Tao J, Liu X, Spielvogel S. 2026. Amelioration of coastal saline soils of Chinese river deltas via soil amendments: A meta-analysis. Pedosphere. 36(2): 387-401. |
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