Abstract:

To evaluate the effects of drip-applied sugar-acid-fertilizer combinations on soil properties and cotton yield in severely saline-alkali cotton fields, a field experiment was conducted in 2025 at the Modern Agricultural Industrial Park in Bachu County, Kashgar, Xinjiang. Eight treatments were established: conventional fertilization (CK), glucose (C), oxalic acid (H), monoammonium phosphate (P), C+H, C+P, H+P, and C+H+P. The amendments were applied through drip irrigation during the first irrigation at the seedling and budding stages, and soil samples were collected from different soil layers 3 days after application. Soil pH and available phosphorus were measured, and cotton dry matter accumulation and yield were determined. The results showed that soil pH responses varied with growth stage and soil depth. The C+H+P treatment produced the greatest decrease in pH in the 0-5 cm layer, by 0.40 and 0.31 units at the seedling and budding stages, respectively, compared with CK. Treatments containing monoammonium phosphate significantly increased available phosphorus at all sampled depths. Under C+H+P, available phosphorus in the 0-5 cm layer increased by 342.69% and 323.36% at the seedling and budding stages, respectively. The C+H+P treatment increased total dry matter accumulation and seed cotton yield by 62.94% and 57.84%, respectively, relative to CK. Under the conditions of this study, drip application of glucose, oxalic acid, and monoammonium phosphate improved phosphorus availability and promoted cotton growth and yield, with C+H+P showing the most favorable overall effect. This study provides a valuable reference for water and fertilizer regulation and yield improvement in severely saline-alkali cotton fields in arid areas.

Key words: severely saline-alkali cotton field, drip application, soil pH, available phosphorus, seed cotton yield