Toward Green Farming Technologies: A Case Study of Oyster Shell Application in Fruit and Vegetable Production in Xiamen

Abstract

In recent decades, due to the intensification of human production and living activities, the process of soil acidification in China has been greatly accelerated, which has become an important factor limiting the sustainable development of agriculture. In this paper, an oyster shell soil conditioner prepared from discarded oyster shells was applied to the field and Shixia longan and chives were used as experimental objects for field experiments. Each crop was comprised of two groups. The application amount of longan in the control group was 0 kg/tree, and that in the experimental group was 8 kg/tree. The distribution of chives applied in the control group was 0 kg/m2, while that in the experimental group was 0.65 kg/m2. The results showed that, after the application of oyster shell soil conditioner, the soil pH value in Shixia longan experimental field increased by 1.30 units, and the content of soil organic matter, alkali hydrolyzed nitrogen and exchangeable calcium increased by 57.63%, 71.98%, and 49.13%. At the same time, the single fruit weight of Shixia longan increased by 6.37%, the soluble sugar content increased by 16.18%, and the titratable acid of the fruit decreased by 10.95%. Compared with the control group, the soil pH value of chives increased by 1.03 units, its yield increased by 57.8%, and various morphological indicators were improved. The results showed that the application of oyster shell soil conditioner could significantly improve the soil acidification of Shixia longan and chives, improve soil fertility, and effectively improve the yield and quality of fruits and vegetables.