Soil Organic Carbon Stock Variation under Different Soil Types and Land Uses in the Sub-Humid Noun Plain, Western Cameroon

This study was conducted to assess the current stock of soil organic carbon under different agricultural land uses, soil types and soil depths in the Noun plain in western Cameroon. Three sites were selected for the study, namely Mangoum, Makeka and Fossang, representative of the three dominant soil types of the noun plain (Andosols, Acrisols and Ferralsols). Three land uses were selected per site including natural vegetation, agroforest and crop field. Soil was sampled at three depths;0 - 20 cm, 20 - 40 cm, and 40 - 60 cm. Analysis of variance showed that soil type did not significantly influence carbon storage, but rather land uses and soil depth. SOCS decreased significantly with depth in all the sites, with an average stock of 66.3 ± 15.8 tC/ha at 0 - 20 cm, compared to an average stock of 33.3 ± 7.4 tC/ha at 40 - 60 cm. SOCS was significantly highest in the natural formation with 57.2 ± 19.7 tC/ha, and lowest in cultivated fields, at 37.7 ± 10.6 tC/ha. Andosols, with their high content of coarse fragments, stored less organic carbon than Ferralsols and Acrisols.

Soil Moisture Variation under Different Irrigation Quota

[Objective] The aim was to study variation of soil moisture under different irrigation quota.[Method] By using Trime-TDR apparatus,soil moisture with different irrigation quota infiltration was measured;combining the characteristics of soil texture,curve characteristics of soil moisture variation with soil depth under different irrigation quota were analyzed.[Result] Different irrigation quota has resulted in variation of soil moisture in different layer depth.Soil moisture is 9.88%,17%,25% and 24.45% in so...

Effects of Different Land Cover Types on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen in the Lower Reaches of Niyang River

[Objectives]To comprehensively and deeply explore the effects of different land cover types in the lower reaches of Niyang River on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen,and to provide a scientific basis for the rational use and sustainable management of land resources in this area.[Methods]Taking the 3 types of land cover(cultivated land,grass land and forest land)in the lower reaches of Niyang River in Tibet as the research object,the contents,distribution characteristics and relationships of soil organic carbon,organic nitrogen,microbial biomass carbon,microbial biomass nitrogen and readily oxidizable organic carbon,and their relationships were studied in 0-10,10-20,20-40,40-60,and 60-100 cm soil depth.[Results]The soil organic carbon content of forest land was higher than that of grass land and cultivated land;the vertical change trend of soil organic carbon content decreased with the increase of depth(P<0.05),and it was mainly concentrated in the soil with a depth of 0-20 cm.The soil organic carbon content was significantly different among forest land,grass land and cultivated land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between cultivated land and grass land(P>0.05).The soil organic nitrogen content was significantly different among cultivated land,grass land,and forest land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between grass land and forest land(P>0.05).The readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in forest land were higher than that in cultivated land and grass land.The change trend of soil readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen was similar to the change of soil organic carbon content,showing a significant positive correlation.In addition to being subject to land cover,soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content were also subject to the interaction of factors such as soil temperature,humidity,pH and vegetation types.[Conclusions]Changes in land cover significantly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen,readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content.

Effects of soil moisture and soil depth on nitrogen mineralization process under Mongolian pine plantations in Zhanggutai sandy land, P. R. China

The rates of soil N mineralization at soil depths of 0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and45-60 cm and moisture regimes were measured at three sand-fixation plantations of Pinus sylvestrisvar. mongolica by laboratory aerobic incubation method. The results showed that average rates ofsoil net N-mineralization across soil depth varied from 1.06 to 7.52 mg · kg^(-1)·month^(-1) atsoil depths from 0 to 60 cm. Statistical analyses indicated that the effects of different soildepths, moistures and their interactions on net N-mineralization rates were significant (P < 0.05).The net N-mineralization rates significantly decreased with increasing soil depths and at depth 0-15cm accounted for 60.52% of that at depth of 0-60 cm. There was no difference in soil netN-mineralization rates between half and fully-saturated water treatments, however these rates weresubstantially higher than that without water treatment (P < 0.05). The factors influencing Nmineralization process have to be studied further in these semiarid pine ecosystems.

Responses of N_2O reductase gene(nosZ)-denitrifier communities to long-term fertilization follow a depth pattern in calcareous purplish paddy soil

The effect of long-term fertilization on soil denitrifying communities was analysed by measuring the abundance and diversity of the nitrous oxide （N2O） reductase gene, nosZ. Soil samples were collected from plots of a long-term fertilization experiment established in 1982 in Suining City, China. The fertilizer treatments were no fertilizer （CK）, three chemical fertilizer （CF） treatments （N, NP, NPK）, manure （M） alone, and manure with chemical fertilizers （NM, NPM, NPKM）. The abundance and diversity of the denitrifying bacteria were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism （T-RFLP）, and cloning and sequencing of nosZ genes. The diversity and abundance of nosZ-denitrifiers was higher in soil amended with manure and chemical fertilizers （CFM） than in soil amended with CF alone, and the highest in topsoil （0-20 cm）. The nosZ-denitrifier community composition was more complex in CFM soil than in CF soil： Specific species were detected only in the CFM soil. The abundance of nosZ-denitrifier in the NPKM treatment was approximately two times higher than that in the CK, N, and NPK treatments. Most of the cloned nosZ sequences were closely related to nosZ sequences from Bradyrhizobiaceae and Rhodospirillaceae in Alphaproteobacteria. Of the measured abiotic factors, soil organic matter correlated significantly with the abundance （P〈0.01）; available phosphorus correlated significantly with the topsoil community composition （P〈0.01）, whereas soil organic matter correlated significantly with the subsoil （20-90 cm） community composition （P〈0.01）. This study demonstrated that long-term CFM fertilization affected both the abundance and composition of the nosZ-denitrifier community.

Comparative analysis of some selected macronutrients of soil in orange orchard and degraded forests in Chittagong Hill Tracts,Bangladesh

Status of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), available potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in three different depths (0-5 cm, 5-15 cm and 15?30 cm) on two hill slopes of 35% and 55% in orange orchard cultivated by the Mro tribe of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) were evaluated and compared with those in degraded bush forests, through digging three profiles in each land use. The content of all the five nutrients was found to be higher in the soil of orange orchard than in the soil of forest. But the variation was not consistent for both the slopes. The content varied depth wise also, having the highest value in surface soil in case of both the land uses on both the slopes. A mean available K content was significantly higher in orange orchard than in forest on 55% slope, while it was lower on 35% slope. Surface soil contained the nutrients of K and Ca with the amount of 0.2905-mg·g^(-1) soil and 3.025-mg·g^(-1)soil respectively in the orchard, while 0.1934-mg·g^(-1) soil and 1.6083-mg·g^(-1) soil were respectively in the forest. Organic carbon and total nitrogen were found more or less similar in surface soil on both the land uses showing a slight difference. Available P was found only in orange orchard, and in forest it was too little in amount to detect by the spectrophotometer. The degraded forests were poor in nutrient content due to high rate of soil erosion, which would be possible to be improved by bringing it under tree cover as proved by the adaptation of orange orchard there.

Variation in glomalin in soil profiles and its association with climatic conditions,shelterbelt characteristics,and soil properties in poplar shelterbelts of Northeast China

Glomalin-related soil protein(GRSP)sequesters large amounts of carbon and plays important roles in maintaining terrestrial soil ecosystem functions and ecological restoration;however,little is known about GRSP variation in 1-m soil profiles and its association with stand characteristics,soil properties,and climatic conditions,hindering GRSP-related degraded soil improvement and GRSP evaluation.In this study,we sampled soils from 1-m profiles from poplar(Populus spp.)shelterbelts in Northeast China.GRSP contents were 1.8–2.0 times higher in the upper 40 cm soil layers than at 40–100 cm.GRSP-related soil organic carbon(SOC)sequestration in deeper soil layers was*1.2 times higher than in surface layers.The amounts of GRSP-related nutrients were similar throughout the soil profile.A redundancy analysis showed that in both surface and deeper layers,soil properties(pH,electrical conductivity,water,SOC,and soil nutrients)explained the majority of the GRSP variation(59.5–84.2%);the second-most-important factor in GRSP regulation was climatic conditions(temperature,precipitation,and altitude),while specific shelterbelt characteristics had negligible effects(<5%).Soil depth and climate indirectly affected GRSP features via soil properties,as manifested by structural equation model analysis.Our findings demonstrate that GRSP is important for carbon storage in deep soils,regardless of shelterbelt characteristics.Future glomalin assessments should consider these vertical patterns and possible regulating mechanisms that are related to soil properties and climatic changes.

Changes in the depths of seasonal freezing and thawing and their effects on vegetation in the Three-River Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Frozen ground degradation plays an important role in vegetation growth and activity in high-altitude cold regions.This study estimated the spatiotemporal variations in the active layer thickness(ALT)of the permafrost region and the soil freeze depth(SFD)in the seasonally frozen ground region across the Three Rivers Source Region(TRSR)from 1980 to 2014 using the Stefan equation,and differentiated the effects of these variations on alpine vegetation in these two regions.The results showed that the average ALT from 1980 to 2014 increased by23.01 cm/10 a,while the average SFD decreased by 3.41 cm/10 a,and both changed intensively in the transitional zone between the seasonally frozen ground and permafrost.From 1982-2014,the increase in the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)and the advancement of the start of the vegetation growing season(SOS)in the seasonally frozen ground region(0.0078/10 a,1.83 d/10 a)were greater than those in the permafrost region(0.0057/10 a,0.39 d/10 a).The results of the correlation analysis indicated that increases in the ALT and decreases in the SFD in the TRSR could lead to increases in the NDVI and advancement of the SOS.Surface soil moisture played a critical role in vegetation growth in association with the increasing ALT and decreasing SFD.The NDVI for all vegetation types in the TRSR except for alpine vegetation showed an increasing trend that was significantly related to the SFD and ALT.During the study period,the general frozen ground conditions were favorable to vegetation growth,while the average contributions of ALT and SFD to the interannual variation in the NDVI were greater than that of precipitation but less than that of temperature.

Changes in soil organic carbon and aggregate stability following a chronosequence of Liriodendron chinense plantations

The objectives for this study were to determine changes in soil organic carbon(SOC)components and water-stable aggregates for soil profi les from diff erent ages of plantations of Liriodendron chinense and to clarify which organic carbon component is more closely associated with the formation and stability of soil aggregates.Three layers of soil(depths 0–20 cm,20–40 cm,40–60 cm)were collected from young,half-mature and mature stages of L.chinense.SOC,readily oxidizable organic carbon,chemically stable organic carbon and aggregate composition were determined.Intermediate stable organic carbon,the microbial quotient and aggregate stability(mean weight diameter)were calculated.SOC and aggregate stability in the L.chinense plantation did not increase linearly with an increase in L.chinense age;rather,they fi rst decreased,then increased with increasing age of L.chinense.The microbial quotient had a negative eff ect on the level of organic carbon and the stability of aggregates,while chemically stable organic carbon had a positive eff ect,which explained 55.0%and 19.3%of the total variation,respectively(P<0.01).Therefore,more attention should be paid of these two indicators in the future.

Three-source partitioning of soil respiration by ^(13)C natural abundance and its variation with soil depth in a plantation

Partitioning soil respiration into three components is vital to identify CO_2 sink or source and can help us better understand soil carbon dynamics. However, knowledge about the influences of soil depth and the priming effect on soil respiration components under field has been limited. Three components of soil respiration（root respiration, rhizomicrobial respiration and basal respiration） in a plantation in the hilly area of the North China were separated by the 13 C natural abundance method. The results showed that the average proportions of rhizomicrobial respiration, root respiration and basal respiration at the 25-65 cm depths were about 14, 23 and 63 %, respectively. Three components of soil respiration varied with soil depth, and root respiration was the main component of soil respiration in deeper soil. The priming effect was obvious for the deep soil respiration, especially at the 40-50 cm depth. Thus, depth and priming effect should be taken into account to increase the accuracy of estimations of soil carbon flux.

Effects of degradation succession of alpine wetland on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the Yellow River source zone,west China

Wetland is an important carbon pool,and the degradation of wetlands causes the loss of organic carbon and total nitrogen.This study aims to explore how wetland degradation succession affects soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)contents in alpine wetland.A field survey of 180 soilsampling profiles was conducted in an alpine wetland that has been classified into three degradation succession stages.The SOC and TN contents of soil layers from 0 to 200 cm depth were studied,including their distribution characteristics and the relationship between microtopography.The results showed that SOC and TN of different degradation succession gradients followed the ranked order of Non Degradation(ND)>Light Degradation(LD)>Heavy Degradation(HD).SWC was positively correlated with SOC and TN(p<0.05).As the degree of degradation succession worsened,SOC and TN became more sensitive to the SWC.Microtopography was closely related to the degree of wetland degradation succession,SWC,SOC and TN,especially in the topsoil(0-30 cm).This result showed that SWC was an important indicator of SOC/TN in alpine wetland.It is highly recommended to strengthen water injection into the wetland as a means of effective restoration to reverse alpine meadow back to marsh alpine wetland.

Responses of soil moisture to vegetation restoration type and slope length on the loess hillslope

Soil moisture, a critical variable in the hydrologic cycle, is highly influenced by vegetation restoration type. However, the relationship between spatial variation of soil moisture, vegetation restoration type and slope length is controversial. Therefore, soil moisture across soil layers（0-400 cm depth） was measured before and after the rainy season in severe drought（2015） and normal hydrological year（2016） in three vegetation restoration areas（artificial forestland, natural forestland and grassland）, on the hillslopes of the Caijiachuan Catchment in the Loess area, China. The results showed that artificial forestland had the lowest soil moisture and most severe water deficit in 100-200 cm soil layers. Water depletion was higher in artificial and natural forestlands than in natural grassland. Moreover, soil moisture in the shallow soil layers（0-100 cm） under the three vegetation restoration types did not significantly vary with slope length, but a significant increase with slope length was observed in deep soil layers（below 100 cm）. In2015, a severe drought hydrological year, higher water depletion was observed at lower slope positions under three vegetation restoration types due to higher transpiration and evapotranspiration and unlikely recharge from upslope runoff. However, in 2016, a normal hydrological year, there was lower water depletion, even infiltration recharge at lower slope positions, indicating receiving a large amount of water from upslope. Vegetation restoration type, precipitation, slope length and soil depth during a rainy season, in descending order of influence, had significant effects on soil moisture. Generally, natural grassland is more beneficial for vegetation restoration than natural and artificial forestlands, and the results can provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes and improving vegetation restoration practices on the Loess Plateau

Effects of coastal afforestation on some soil properties in Lakshmipur coast of Bangladesh

Coastal zones comprising important intertidal tropical and subtropical ecosystems are characterized by high productivity, diversity and unique zonation of various plant and animal communities. The comparison of some selected physicochemical soil properties viz. texture, particle density, moisture content, pH, organic carbon and total nitrogen between planted site （Telir char） and barren site （Boyar char） has been investigated at surface （0-10 cm） and subsurface （10-45 cm） soil across three different land strips viz. inland, middle part and sea side in Lakshmipur coast of Bangladesh. Sand particles in the soil were lower in planted site than barren site. The reverse trend was found in case of both silt and clay percentage. Coastal afforestation had a significant effect on soil binding process since a common trend of increment in soil particle density was noticed. Maximum increment （20.43% to 23.30%） in soil moisture content was recorded in surface soil across the seaside while at subsurface soil both across the middle part （19.53% to 22.30%） and sea side （20.19% to 22.96%）. Moreover, the highest reduction in soil pH was recorded at surface soil （7.27 to 6.60） across the sea side and subsurface soil （7.16 to 6.67） in inland due to the influence of coastal plantation. Across all the land strips and the soil depths studied, soil organic carbon was higher in planted site than in barren site with only exception at subsurface soil in the middle part （0.50% in both sites）. Total soil nitrogen in the study area was increased at both depths due to forestation with the highest increment in the inland at both surface and subsurface soil.

Effects of terracing on soil properties in three key mountainous regions of China

Terracing greatly affects soil properties,ecosystem services,human welfare and geographical sustainability.The purpose of this article is to determine the influence of terracing on soil properties across diverse regions in China.Three representative terrace types,including dryland loess terraces,dry-stone terraces,and paddy terraces,were selected as case study areas.Soil sampling was stratified according to thickness of soil layers in each terraced area.Based on field investigations and soil sampling,combined with the means of variance,correlation,redundancy and regression analysis,we analyzed the characteristics of soil properties in the terraces across three areas.Results showed that:(1)alterations of soil physicochemical properties mainly depend on differences between soil parent materials in such regions;(2)Due to the existence of“four-element isomorphism”in the ecosystem and reasonable human activities,paddy terraces had the greatest impact on soil properties which is mainly reflected in decreasing soil pH and increasing SOC,TN,and TK;(3)The content of SOC and TN in different areas was higher in terraced fields than in the sloped lands and decreased with soil deepening;(4)To maintain sufficient supply of soil nutrients and support the sustainability of agricultural terraces,it is necessary to apply manure to improve soil fertility and accelerate its aggregation in the terraces.For example,an increase in the application of nitrogen fertilizer in terraced fields in Hebei and Gansu provinces,which have a serious deficiency in soil available phosphorus(AP),is necessary to get greater amounts of P fertilization.The present study offers a theoretical foundation for the sustainability of terraced ecosystems through efficient crop production,which is the basis for strengthening the ecological security of terraced areas and promoting regional sustainability in those fragile mountains.

Relationships between Soil Depth and Terrain Attributes in a Semi Arid Hilly Region in Western Iran

Soil depth generally varies in mountainous regions in rather complex ways.Conventional soil survey methods for evaluating the soil depth in mountainous and hilly regions require a lot of time,effort and consequently relatively large budget to perform.This study was conducted to explore the relationships between soil depth and topographic attributes in a hilly region in western Iran.For this,one hundred sampling points were selected using randomly stratified methodology,and considering all geomorphic surfaces including summit,shoulder,backslope,footslope and toeslope;and soil depth was actually measured.Eleven primary and secondary topographic attributes were derived from the digital elevation model(DEM) at the study area.The result of multiple linear regression indicated that slope,wetness index,catchment area and sediment transport index,which were included in the model,could explain about 76 % of total variability in soil depth at the selected site.This proposed approach may be applicable to other hilly regions in the semi-arid areas at a larger scale.

DEPTH PROFILING OF RADIOACTIVE NUCLIDES IN SOIL

Analyses of 114 soil samples in Ningbo City show that,in general,there are statistical differences of 137Cs and 40K contents between every layers,the other kinds of natural radionuclides present an increasing tendency with depth.When the γ radiation dose rate is estimated by Beck Formula,owing to the effect of those nonuniform distributions is less than 1% and can be ignored.'

Distribution of soil water-stable aggrega-tes and organic carbon content affected by tillage systems:a meta-analysis

A better understanding of soil carbon(C)distribution within aggregate fractions is essential to evaluating the potential of no-till for sustaining productivity and protecting the environment.A meta-analysis on 744 comparisons from 34 studies was conducted to determine the effects of three different tillage treatments(conventional mouldbould ploughing tillage(CT),reduced tillage(RT)and no tillage(NT))on water-stable aggregate size distribution,soil C concentration in aggregate fractions.The meta-analysis indicates that compared with CT treatment,NT/RT significantly(P<0.05)increases macro-aggregate above 20 cm by 20.9%-82.2%(>2.00 mm)and 5.9%-19.1%(0.25-2.00 mm),whereas NT/RT significantly reduces micro-aggregate and silt clay fractions above 20 cm.NT/RT significantly(P<0.05)increases the SOC in macro-aggregate(>0.25 mm)and micro-aggregate(<0.25 mm)size classes above 20 cm soil depth compared with CT.The results suggest that soil sampling depth should be considered to evaluate the influence of tillage systems on the distribution of soil aggregate,and the content of aggregate-associated C content.

Predicting soil depth in a large and complex area using machine learning and environmental correlations

Soil depth is critical for eco-hydrological modeling,carbon storage calculation and land evaluation.However,its spatial variation is poorly understood and rarely mapped.With a limited number of sparse samples,how to predict soil depth in a large area of complex landscapes is still an issue.This study constructed an ensemble machine learning model,i.e.,quantile regression forest,to quantify the relationship between soil depth and environmental conditions.The model was then combined with a rich set of environmental covariates to predict spatial variation of soil depth and straightforwardly estimate the associated predictive uncertainty in the 140000 km^(2)Heihe River basin of northwestern China.A total of 275 soil depth observation points and 26 covariates were used.The results showed a model predictive accuracy with coefficient of determination(R)of 0.587 and root mean square error(RMSE)of 2.98 cm(square root scale),i.e.,almost 60% of soil depth variation explained.The resulting soil depth map clearly exhibited regional patterns as well as local details.Relatively deep soils occurred in low lying landscape positions such as valley bottoms and plains while shallow soils occurred in high and steep landscape positions such as hillslopes,ridges and terraces.The oases had much deeper soils than outside semi-desert areas,the middle of an alluvial plain had deeper soils than its margins,and the middle of a lacustrine plain had shallower soils than its margins.Large predictive uncertainty mainly occurred in areas with a lack of soil survey points.Both pedogenic and geomorphic processes contributed to the shaping of soil depth pattern of this basin but the latter was dominant.This findings may be applicable to other similar basins in cold and arid regions around the world.

Soil Erosion on a Slope without Vegetation: a Simulating Experiment on a Bare Land in Mt.Tanakami

In order to understand the process of surface erosion and its changing characteristics, a sprinkling experiment is conducted on a bare slope in Mt. Tanakami. Based on the measurements and analysis of runoff, mean soil erosion depth sediment yield and semiment transport, etc., the characteristics in the process of surface erosion in the experimental area are as follows: the occurrence of sediment discharge is interrupted, with a saturated overland-flow surface runoff; the mean erosion depth is 0.086 2 cm, which is thicker compared with other areas in Mt. Tanakmi; sediment yield is 431. 283 m3·km?2, whose process is detachment-limited, and the type of sediment transport is a sediment flow. Key words runoff - soil erosion depth - sediment yield - sediment transport - Mt. Tanakami CLC number S 157 Biography: ZHAO Wei (1975-), female, Ph. D candidate, Lecturer, now is working in College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, research dircetion: physical geography, environmental planning and management

Effects of Long-Term Fertilization on Different Nitrogen Forms in Paddy along Soil Depth Gradient

The combined application of organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer is an effective measure to increase nutrient content of soil plough layer, which must have a profound impact on the deep soil nutrients, especially the contents of nitrogen forms. The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of soil nitrogen forms in plough layer and along depth gradient in different fertilization treatments, so as to evaluate the soil quality in spatial dimension, further providing a theoretical basis for scientific fertilization and improvement of paddy soil fertility. Here, a 34-year field experiment was conducted with three treatments: without any fertilizer (CK), pure chemical fertilizer (NPK) and chemical fertilizer combined with organic fertilizer (NPKM). We analyzed the content of nitrogen forms in 0 - 100 cm soil depth and their ratios to total nitrogen (TN), and discussed the correlation between nitrogen forms contents and pH, CEC. Results showed that, compared with CK, both NPK and NPKM significantly increased the contents of nitrogen forms in topsoil (soil layer of 0 - 20 cm), especially nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) content increased by 70% (NPK) and 111% (NPKM), respectively. Although the contents of different nitrogen forms decreased gradually along soil depth gradient, NPKS slowed down the decline rate of TN and alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen (AN) in 0 - 60 cm soil layer, compared to CK. Compared to NPK, NPKM significantly increased the NO3--N/TN ratio in 0 - 20 cm soil layer, but also decreased the content of -N in 20 - 40 cm, which was beneficial to reduce the risk of nitrogen leaching caused by nitrate leaching into deep layer. The increase of soil pH in NPKM treatment obviously alleviated the problem of soil acidification caused by long-term application of chemical fertilizer. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between soil nitrogen forms and cation exchange capacity (CEC), but no significant correlation with soil pH. In conclusion, NPKM ensured the nutrients of soil plough layer (0 - 20 cm), also reduced the risk of nitrogen infiltration and nitrogen loss, thus ensuring the fertility of soil profile.