Abstract
Soil degradation resulted from unreasonable land use and erosion has been a serious problem in the black soil region of northeastern China. This paper seeks to understand the relationships between topsoil properties and topography and land use for land management targeting at improving soil quality in this region. A total of 292 soil samples and 81 volumetric rings were taken from a typical small watershed of the region in June 2005 for examining total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), soil texture (classified into gravel, sand, silt, and clay), and bulk density (ρ b), respectively. Spatial variability of these soil properties was evaluated with classical statistics and geostatistics methods. The results of classical statistics indicated that TC, TN, sand, silt, clay content, and ρ b were moderate variables while gravel had great variability. Soil properties were mainly correlated to slope position, elevation and land types. Geostatistical analyses showed that the spatial autocorrelation for TC, TN, and silt was weak, strong for clay and moderate for and ρ b sand, respectively. The spatial variations of soil properties are affected comprehensively by topographic factors, land use, erosion, and erosion control in this watershed. Past erosion, however, is the most important component to induce change of soil properties. In this small watershed, current soil and water conservation measures play an important role in controlling soil loss. But the restoration of soil properties was unsatisfactory. Comparing with untilled soil of this region, TC, TN, silt content are excessively low; whereas ρ b, sand and clay content are excessively high; gravel appears at most sampling locations. It is necessary for improving soil properties to protect forest and grassland and change cultivation system of farmlands.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bolstad PV, Swank W, Vose J (1998) Predicting southern Appalachian overstory vegetation with digital terrain data. Landsc Ecol 13:271–283
Cambardella CA, Moorman AT, Novak JM, Parkin TB, Karlen DL, Turco RF, Konopka AE (1994) Field-scale heterogeneity of soil properties in central Iowa soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 58:1501–1511
Fan HM, Cai QG, Wang HS (2004) Condition of soil erosion in phaeozem region of northeast China. J Soil Water Conserv 18(2):66–70
Gessler PE, Chadwick OA, Chamran F, Althouse L, Holmes K (2000) Modeling soil–landscape and ecosystem properties using terrain attributes. Soil Sci Soc Am J 64:2046–2056
Gessler PE, Moore ID, McKenzie NJ, Ryan PJ (1995) Soil–landscape modelling and spatial prediction of soil attributes. Int J GIS 9(4):421–432
Iqbal J, Thomasson JA, Jenkins JN, Owens PR, Whisler FD (2005) Spatial variability analysis of soil physical properties of alluvial soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 69:1338–1350
Knowles TA, Singh B (2003) Carbon storage in cotton soil of northern New South Wales. Aust J Soil Res 41:889–903
Li HB, Reynolds JF (1995) On definition and quantification of heterogeneity. Oikos 73:280–284
Liang AZ, Zhang XP, Yang XM, Drury CF (2006) Short-term effects of tillage on soil organic carbon storage in the plow layer of black soil in northeast China. Sci Agric Sin 39(6):1287–1293
Liang WJ, Wen DZ, Li WG, Guan ZO (2000) Effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon dynamics in agroecosystems. Syst Sci Compr Stud Agric 16(4):241–244
Liu DW, Wang ZM, Zhang B, Song KS, Li XY, Li JP, Li F, Duan HT (2006) Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and analysis of related factors in croplands of the black soil region, northeast China. Agric Ecosyst Environ 113:73–81
Luo P, Zhang BY (2003) Modes and corresponding technologies of eco-agricultural construction in Baiquan County. Agric Environ Dev 20(1):21–22
Meng K, Zhang XY (1998) Degradation mechanism of black soil and its ecological restoration in Songnen plain. Chin J Soil Sc 29(3):100–102
Meng K, Zhang XY, Sui YY (2003) Impediment factors in black soil in the northern-northeast China. Soils 2:145–147
Park SJ, McSweeney K, Lowery B (2001) Prediction of soils using a process based terrain characterization. Geoderma 103:249–272
Qie RQ, Sun YJ, Wang JH, Dou S (2006) Effect of P application and land use manner on P loss from surface soil of Phaeoz. Chin J Soil Sci 37(4):701–705
Robertson GP (2000) Geostatistics for environmental sciences, GS+ Users Guide, Version 5. Gamma Design Software, MI, p 200
Schuur EAG, Chadwick OA, Matson PA (2001) Carbon cycling and soil carbon storage in Mesic to wet Hawaiian Montane forest. Ecology 82(11):3182–3196
Slater BK, McSweeney K, McBratney AB, Ventura SJ, Irvin B (1994) A spatial framework for integrating soil-landscape and pedogenic models. In: Bryant RB, Arnold RW (eds) Quantitative modeling of soil forming processes. SSSA special publication 39, Madison, pp 169–185
Sun JM, Liu TS (2001) Desertification in the northeastern China. Quaternary Sci 21(1):72–78
Venteris ER, McCarty GW, Ritchie JC, Gish T (2004) Influence of management history and landscape variables on soil organic carbon and soil redistribution. Soil Sci 169(11):787–795
Wang JD, Liu JS, Liu SX, Yu JB (2004) Evaluation on soil organic carbon pool and affecting factors in phaeozem region in Songnen plain. J Agro Environ Sci 23(4):687–690
Wang JK, Wang TY, Zhang XD, Guan LZ, Wang QB, Hu HY, Zhao YC (2002) An approach to the changes of black soil quality (I)—Changes of the Indices of black soil with the Year(s) of reclamation. J Sheng Agric Univ 33(1):43–47
Wang SQ, Zhou CH (1999) Estimating soil carbon reservoir of terrestrial ecosystem in China. Geogr Res 18(4):349–356
Wang TY, Yan L, Wang JK, Guan LZ, Zhu P (2004) Index variations of structure and quality of black soil with a long-term located monitoring. CJEA 12(4):138–141
Wang ZQ (2001) Geostatistics and its application in ecology. Science Press, Beijing, pp 162–192
Xiong Y, Li QK (1987) Soil in China. Science Press, Beijing, pp 117–121
Xu XB, Wang Q (2005) The current status and prospects of research in black earth degradation in northeast China. Earth Environ 33(suppl.):588–592
Yang XM, Zhang XP, Fang HJ, Liang AZ (2004) Changes in organic matter and total nitrogen of black soils in Jilin province over the past two decades. Sci Geogr Sinic 24(6):710–714
Zhang CS (2004) Methods and achievements of soil and water conservation in Baiquan County. China Soil Water Conserv 2:37–38
Zhang CS, McGrath D (2004) Geostatistical and GIS analyses on soil organic carbon concentrations in grassland of southeastern Ireland from two different periods. Geoderma 119:261–275
Zhang JB, Song CC, Yang WY (2007) Tillage effects on soil carbon fractions in the Sanjiang Plain, northeast China. Soil Tillage Res 93:102–108
Zhang XY, Sui YY, Zhang XD, Meng K, Herbert SJ (2007) Spatial variability of nutrient properties in black soil of northeast China. Pedosphere 17(1):19–29
Acknowledgments
This paper is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40571161). The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions that have substantially improved this paper. We would like to express the special gratitude to Prof. Daniel Z. Sui from Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, USA for his valuable revision in improving the English of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wei, JB., Xiao, DN., Zeng, H. et al. Spatial variability of soil properties in relation to land use and topography in a typical small watershed of the black soil region, northeastern China. Environ Geol 53, 1663–1672 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0773-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0773-z