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Understanding turfgrass response to silicon (Si) application under salinity conditions is important to find a way to improve turfgrass salt tolerance for turf management. The objective of the study was to investigate effects of increasing amendment concentrations of Na₂SiO₃ on turf growth and distribution of Na⁺ and K⁺ in seedlings of kentucky bluegrass (KBG) (Poa pratensis L.) under salinity stress. This growth chamber experiment was consisted of a control (no salinity and no Si) and five Si amendment treatments (0, 0.24, 0.48, 0.72, and 0.96 g Si/kg saline soil) under 10 g·kg⁻¹ salinity conditions. Seed germination rate was significantly increased after 12 d under 0.48 g·kg⁻¹ Si treatment. Plant height and canopy coverage were increased under 0.72 g·kg⁻¹ Si treatment after 40 and 44 d of treatment, respectively, and tiller number was increased under 0.96 g·kg⁻¹ Si treatment compared with 0 Si under saline conditions. With the supplement of Si at 0.48 to 0.96 g·kg⁻¹, the ratio of Na⁺/K⁺ in shoots was decreased and individual leaf area was increased compared with 0 Si under saline conditions. The increase in individual leaf area was mainly the result of the increase in the leaf blade length. The concentration of K⁺ in shoots was significantly increased, whereas the concentrations of Na⁺ in roots were significantly decreased under all Si amendment treatments. The content of K⁺ was higher in shoots than in roots, but the ratio of Na⁺/K⁺ in roots was higher than in shoots in all Si amendment treatments. The results indicate that under saline conditions, Si induced the transfer of K⁺ from roots to shoots but inhibited the absorption and transfer of Na⁺, which may contribute to better turf quality and growth with Si treatment under saline conditions.

The addition of pulverized grape pruning wood to grape soils has a positive effect on fruit quality. However, its effects on the soil microecology of the root zone and the growth of the grape plants are not fully understood. To address this, ‘Shine Muscat’ grapes were cultivated in media consisting of garden soil and crushed grape pruning material at different mass ratios [100:1 (T1), 50:1 (T2), 30:1 (T3), 20:1 (T4), and 10:1 (T5)] and in garden soil without the pruning material, as a control. The changes in the plant fresh weight, leaf area, soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value, root development, soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and soil enzyme activity were determined over time. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the soil bacterial community structures. The pruning supplementation increased the grape plants fresh weight, leaf area, and SPAD values. The T2 and T3 treatments increased the grape root length, surface area, and the projected area and number of the root tips; the soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass carbon content, soil invertase activity, amylase activity, and β-glucosidase activity were also significantly increased. The addition of the grape pruning material was found to increase the bacterial diversity and richness 60 and 150 days after treatment. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant groups, and the grape pruning material increased the relative abundance of the Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria after 60 and 150 days. The relative abundance of the Actinobacteria in the T2 treatment was 1.7, 1.3, 1.5, and 1.3 times that of the control, after 60, 90, 120, and 150 days, respectively. The T2 treatment was identified as the optimal treatment for grapes in the field because it improved the soil microecology and promoted root and tree development the most compared with the other treatments tested.