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Agronomy
Volume 16
Issue 1
10.3390/agronomy16010019
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Article

Influence of Straw Incorporation Rates on Soil Stoichiometry, Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activities in Dryland Wheat Fields of the Loess Plateau, Gansu

by
Tao Ma
1,
Xiaoyan Ren
2,
Jingjing Zhang
1,
Wenjun Ma
2,
Zhaozhao Hu
1,
Liqun Cai
1,2,* and
Fasih Ullah Haider
1
1
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
2
College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2026, 16(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010019 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 November 2025 / Revised: 13 December 2025 / Accepted: 19 December 2025 / Published: 21 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Farming Sustainability)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Understanding how straw incorporation affects soil stoichiometry and biochemical processes is essential for improving soil fertility in dryland wheat systems on the Loess Plateau. We quantified effects of four wheat straw return rates [0 (W0), 3500 (W1), 7000 (W2), and 14,000 kg ha−1 (W3)] on C-N-P stoichiometry, microbial biomass, active carbon fractions, and enzyme activities in a randomized block experiment in Dingxi, Gansu. Composite soil samples from 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm were analyzed for soil organic carbon (SOC); total nitrogen (TN); total phosphorus (TP); microbial biomass C, N, and P; dissolved, particulate, and readily oxidizable organic C; and sucrase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase activities. Increasing straw input significantly increased SOC, TN, and TP across all depths, with W3 increasing them by up to 42, 33, and 24% relative to W0, respectively. Under W3, microbial biomass C and N more than doubled, and labile C fractions and enzyme activities increased by 35–80% compared with W0. Straw return also modified soil and microbial C:N:P stoichiometry, decreasing microbial C:N and C:N:P and increasing N:P, suggesting alleviated N limitation. Overall, moderate-to-high straw incorporation improved soil fertility and functioning, supporting straw return as a sustainable management practice for Loess Plateau drylands.
Keywords: straw return; soil fertility; microbial biomass; active carbon components; enzyme activity; ecological chemistry straw return; soil fertility; microbial biomass; active carbon components; enzyme activity; ecological chemistry

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ma, T.; Ren, X.; Zhang, J.; Ma, W.; Hu, Z.; Cai, L.; Haider, F.U. Influence of Straw Incorporation Rates on Soil Stoichiometry, Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activities in Dryland Wheat Fields of the Loess Plateau, Gansu. Agronomy 2026, 16, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010019

AMA Style

Ma T, Ren X, Zhang J, Ma W, Hu Z, Cai L, Haider FU. Influence of Straw Incorporation Rates on Soil Stoichiometry, Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activities in Dryland Wheat Fields of the Loess Plateau, Gansu. Agronomy. 2026; 16(1):19. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010019

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ma, Tao, Xiaoyan Ren, Jingjing Zhang, Wenjun Ma, Zhaozhao Hu, Liqun Cai, and Fasih Ullah Haider. 2026. "Influence of Straw Incorporation Rates on Soil Stoichiometry, Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activities in Dryland Wheat Fields of the Loess Plateau, Gansu" Agronomy 16, no. 1: 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010019

APA Style

Ma, T., Ren, X., Zhang, J., Ma, W., Hu, Z., Cai, L., & Haider, F. U. (2026). Influence of Straw Incorporation Rates on Soil Stoichiometry, Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activities in Dryland Wheat Fields of the Loess Plateau, Gansu. Agronomy, 16(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16010019

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