Straw return with nitrogen fertilizer promotes rice yield through change in nutrient dynamics within soil aggregates in saline sodic soils

Saline sodic soils pose challenges for crop growth due to their high soil salinity, poor structure, and low nutrient content and effectiveness. As a result, there has been increasing interest in using straw return to the field as a means to enhance productivity. However, the impact of straw return and nitrogen fertilization on soil aggregates and nutrient dynamics in saline sodic soils has not been fully understood yet. The present study conducted a 3-year positional experiment to examine the effects of straw return (S0: 0, S1: 7 t ha−1) and nitrogen fertilization (N0: 0, N1: 150, N2: 250, and N3: 350 kg ha−1) on bulk density (BD), aggregate distribution, nutrient dynamics, and rice yield. Straw return to the field promoted the transformation of aggregates into larger ones, resulting in increased aggregate stability. Additionally, it significantly reduced the BD by 8.5 to 10