The Effects of Different Crop Rotations on the Quality of Saline Soils in the Yinbei Plain

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript examines different crop rotations, a proven strategy to improve soil health, mitigate salinity impacts, and enhance productivity.  

The abstract should be concise and clear, mentioning only major findings.

The authors need to broadly explain the research gap with the relevant findings in the introduction section.

Materials and methods: The authors need to clarify how they measure soil properties of 0-20cm, 20-40cm, and 0-40cm. I mean, is 0-40cm data the average of 0-20cm and 20-40cm data?

In Figure 2, what are the reasons to decrease the structure stability index in RC and RSS compared to CK?

Table 2: What are the mechanisms to decrease salt in the crop rotation with the different crops studied?

Clearly write the title of figure 4.

In Discussion: The authors need to discuss their findings based on their obtained results with significant reasons. Moreover, the author needs to discuss how their present findings correlate with more relevant previous findings.

Write the references uniformly and follow the journal style. Write the scientific name in italics.

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your insightful and valuable comments. Due to unclear wording, some points may have been misinterpreted. We have engaged a professional institute to thoroughly revise the language and figures throughout the manuscript. Below are responses to some of your questions, which we hope will help you better understand our work.

Comment 1: [Materials and Methods: The authors need to clarify how soil properties at the 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 0–40 cm depths were measured. Is the 0–40 cm data the average of the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm data?]

Response 1: [Yes, the data for the 0–40 cm soil layer are the average of the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layers. We recognize the potential for inaccuracies, but this study focuses on the large-scale promotion of improved rotational cropping techniques on saline-alkali land in northern Yunnan Province, so we present the particle size and soil quality of the 0–40 cm soil layer as averages.] Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, [we have clearly indicated the source of the soil data for the 0-40 cm layer and the methodology in the Materials and Methods section. For details, please refer to lines 136-138 of the revised draft.]

Comment 2: [In Figure 2, what is the reason for the lower structural stability index for RC and RSS compared to CK?]

Response 2: The soil structural stability coefficient is calculated using Equation 2, which primarily involves the sum of soil organic matter content and the sum of the clay and silt volume percentages. From the perspective of particle size changes in this study, while there are significant differences between the treatments and CK, the differences between the treatments are not significant. Therefore, changes in soil organic content significantly affect the soil structural stability coefficient. Combined with the soil physical and chemical data in Table 2 below, we believe that due to the lower organic matter content in the RC and RSS treatments, the soil structural coefficient is lower than that in the CK treatment.

Comment 3: [Table 2: What is the mechanism by which the different crops studied reduce salinity during crop rotation?]

Response 3: [The core concept of bioremediation of saline-alkali land is to break the cycle of rising salinity and promote salt infiltration. In conjunction with local agricultural restructuring, four highly salt-tolerant rotational crops were selected. Different crops have different mechanisms for reducing soil salinity. Root growth of soybeans and corn effectively improves soil structure, while sweet sorghum lowers the groundwater level and reduces water evaporation through deep root absorption. Hunan millet primarily reduces soil bulk density, improves soil porosity, and promotes salt leaching. Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, [we will supplement the Materials and Methods to clarify the reasons for selecting Hunan millet and corn, sweet sorghum, and soybeans. For details, please see lines 101-108 of the revised draft and the relevant references.]

Comment 4: [Clarify the title of Figure 4.]

Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, [I have revised the original text. For details, please see line 295 of the revised draft.]

Details: We provide more thorough justification in the Discussion section of the article.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This well-structured manuscript focuses on the effects of different crop rotations on soil quality improvement in saline soils of the Yinbei Plain. It is well-established that rice cultivation can effectively ameliorate saline soils through salt leaching and chemical reduction processes. Additionally, rice is a highly productive crop that plays a crucial role in global food security.

The authors designed their field experiment according to standard agronomic requirements and executed the research with sound academic knowledge and professional expertise. However, the manuscript would benefit from more comprehensive and detailed descriptions of the experimental methods.

This research demonstrates significant practical and economic value for agricultural development in saline-affected regions, offering potential solutions for land rehabilitation and sustainable crop production.

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your recognition and encouragement of our team's work. We fully agree with your suggestions and have improved the Experimental Methods and Materials sections. Detailed information can be found in the revised manuscript, lines 101–108 and 136–138, as well as in the relevant references. Furthermore, potential linguistic nuances could lead to misunderstandings of the article's content. Therefore, we have engaged professional editing services to refine the language, figures, and tables throughout the manuscript, aiming to enhance your understanding of our work. Sincerely,

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Effects of different crop rotations on the quality of saline soils in the Yinbei Plain

 

ID-3831141

 

General Comments

1. The manuscript should have line number.
2. The manuscript should be in a unified format.
3. Word spacing is missing in some sentences.
4. English language and grammatical error should be corrected.

 

Abstract

1. Add clear statement how this study/ outcome will contribute to the advance research.

 

Introduction

1. Improve the introduction section and add current studies.
2. Briefly discuss the rice drought rotation technique and its influence on soil, microbial communities and crop quality, mentioned in the section.
3. The objectives of the study should be mentioned before the investigation details.
4. Correlate the aims and the performed procedures mentioned in the section.
5. Explain the research gap and mention the novelty of this work.

 

Materials and Methods

1. Use proper citation of the mentioned methods.
2. Mention the rationale behind choosing Hunan millet, corn, sweet sorghum, and soybeans.
3. Mention the measurement of the size of control treatment.

 

Results

1. Improve the clarity of the figures.
2. Improve the readability of the table.
3. Correct the Figure 4 caption.

 

Discussion

1. Correlate the result and discussion.
2. Briefly discuss the reason of low urease and catalase activity.

 

Conclusion

1. Highlight the novelty and significance of this study.
2. Add the limitation of this study.
3. Add outline of future research direction based on this study.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your valuable and constructive feedback. We sincerely apologize for the general concerns you raised, as our inadequate presentation may have hindered your understanding of our work. Therefore, we have engaged a professional agency to improve the language, figures, and numerical data throughout the manuscript.

We have also addressed your other concerns through appropriate revisions. For example, the rationale for selecting maize, sweet sorghum, soybean, and Hunan millet is detailed in lines 101–108 of the revised manuscript. A brief discussion of the reasons for the reduced urease and catalase activities can be found in lines 403–412. Furthermore, we have provided more detailed explanations in the Abstract, Introduction, and Materials and Methods sections.

We believe your suggestions will significantly improve the overall quality of the article. Thank you again for your contribution.