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Chinese Journal of Ecology ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 1800-1809.doi: 10.13292/j.1000-4890.202606.018

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Effects of smooth vetch cover and fertilization management on soil health in citrus orchards.

YANG Xin1,2, ZENG Lixiong1,2, LEI Lei1,2, ZHANG Jiajia1,2, YANG Hongbing1,2, XIAO Wenfa1,2*   

  1. (1Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; 2Hubei Zigui Three Gorges Reservoir Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Zigui 443600, Hubei, China).

  • Online:2026-06-10 Published:2026-12-01

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Abstract: Evaluating the effects of smooth vetch cover and fertilization management on soil health is essential for improving the long-term benefits of citrus orchards. We conducted an experiment within a citrus orchard in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. There were three treatments, no cover with fertilization (NC), smooth vetch cover with fertilization (VC), and smooth vetch cover without fertilization (NF). We analyzed soil physicochemical properties and microbial indicators in three depths (0-10, 10-30, and 30-50 cm). The effects of different treatments on soil health were evaluated with a comprehensive indicator set. The results showed that, compared to the NC treatment, the VC treatment significantly increased soil temperature (by 2.94%, 3.10%, 3.67%), and cation exchange capacity (by 12.06%, 13.06%, 35.83%) across all three soil layers, as well as soil moisture (by 34.84%, 7.33%), Gram-negative bacterial abundance (by 38.41%, 5.95%), and the Gram-negative to Gram-positive bacteria ratio (by 43.20%, 8.36%) in the 0-10 and 10-30 cm soil layers (P<0.05). Compared to the NF treatment, the VC treatment significantly reduced soil bulk density (by 9.0%, 6.9%, 2.0%), soil temperature (by 4.56%, 2.74%, 2.38%), and fungal∶bacterial ratio (by 12.46%, 3.63%, 12.23%) across all three soil layers, while significantly increased cation exchange capacity (by 21.17%, 2.50%, 35.26%), Gram-negative bacterial abundance (by 65.50%, 12.13%), and the Gram-negative∶Gram-positive ratio (by 67.14%, 2.26%) in the 0-10 and 10-30 cm layers (P<0.05). In addition, the soil health index of the VC treatment in the three soil layers (0.605,  0.497, and 0.473) was significantly higher than that of the NC treatment (0.546, 0.481, and 0.401). Its biological health index (0.690, 0.507, and 0.434) was also significantly higher than those of the NC (0.562, 0.495, and 0.379) and NF (0.474, 0.477, and 0.373) treatments. In conclusion, smooth vetch cover combined with fertilization could enhance soil health.


Key words: green manure cover, orchard, soil health