Impacts of Overgrazing and Reclamation on Soil Resources in Rangeland Ecosystems in Huailai Basin, Hebei, China

The soil constituents and relations between the variation of soil resources and plant communities in three adjacent sites representing the overgrazing, reclamation and comparatively undisturbed communities respectively were quantified and examined in study area in Huailai Basin, Hebei Province, China. There have been significantly greater constituent of C, N, P in the soils of shrubland site. Corg, Ntotal, Navail and Pavail were between 1.18 and 3.90 times more concentrated in the soils of shrubland site in comparison with the other two sites. Although the Ptotal concentration was lower in shrubland soils than in overgrazed rangeland soils, the Pavail concentration, however, was significantly greater in the soils of shrubland site, and increased by 59.1% and even 289.6% in the soils of shrubland site comparing to those in the soils of range-land and millet field sites. Among the three sites, CV exceeding 40% were found for SO4, Cl, and F ion. The CV of organic carbon also exceeded 40% but only in the soils of millet field site. The highest CV were found for F, SO4 ion in the soils of shrubland and overgrazed rangeland sites, while for Cl and SO4 ion in those of millet field site. The results also showed that the introductions of shrubs are of vital importance for the accumulation of soil nutrients and maintenance of soil fertilities, and also for the restoration and reconstruction of desertified ecosystems.

A NATION-WIDE SOIL SURVEY RATIONALIZES EXPLOITATION OF VARIOUS SOIL RESOURCES

To tap the production potential of soil resources in China by making a nationwide soil investigation is a precondition for developing the farming production as a means of coping with the current population explosion and providing necessities for people’s livelihood.This article expounds practical methods for the survey and elucidates rational exploitation in line with soil conditions in different localities across the land.

Facts about Cotton and Soil Resources

After the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen,environmental protection and low-carbon have been brought into spotlight.Due to the climate change,people have focused on how to do the green thing. We should live and produce in a low-carbon style.How to do this?You should pay much more attention to materials that were used in the production.

Assessment and utilization of soil water resources

Based on the analyses of water interactions and water balance, this paper discusses the issues on the assessment and regulation of soil water resources, which lays the scientific basis for limited irrigation and water-saving agriculture.

Soil and Water Resources and Land Sustainable Productivity in the Catchment Area with Intensive Management in Hilly Red Soil Regions,China

Taking an example of Majiayu Catchment Area (14.15 ha) in Taoyuan County of HunanProvince, the soil and water resources dynamics, fertility evolution characteristics andland productivity changing situation were studied. Fixed observation results from 1993to 2002 showed that pools covering about 15% of total area could store up 10% of surfacerunoff, keep 78.1% of eroded soil and 65.4% of lost nutrients. The yearly ratio ofinterception and evapotranspiration in land, storage in pools and drainage was 7:2:1,which ensured the resources and nutrients equilibrium and a benign recycle in thecatchment area system, and benefited the aquatic culture and helped to resist seasonaldrought. Moreover, the results showed that soil erosion modulus decreased significantly,equal to or lower than soil loss tolerance (≤500 tkm-2) in reddish yellow soil regions.Soil organic matter, total and available N content in sloping land, dryland and paddyfield increased steadily (>10%); water storage enhanced by more than 20% in sloping landand dryland in drought season; crop production increased by more than 20%; and productionof trees, fruits, tea and fish as well as land productivity increased yearly.

Application of Immune Algorithm to Evaluation of Soil Resource Quality

Based on the geographic information system (GIS) technology, ArcInfo software was adopted to collect, process andanalyze spatial data of Guangdong Province for an evaluation of soil resource quality. The overlay analysis method wasused in combining evaluation factors of Guangdong soil resource quality to determine the evaluation units. Because ofits favorable convergent speed and its ability to search solutions, the immune algorithm was applied to the soil resourcequality evaluation model. At the same time, the evaluation results of this newly proposed method were compared to twoother methods: sum of index and fuzzy synthetic. The results indicated that the immune algorithm reflected the actualcondition of soil resource quality more exactly.

Integration of Soil Information System and Interactive Self-Organizing Data for Agricultural Developing Zones in Red Soil Region

Integration of soil information system (SIS) and interactive self-organizing data (ISODATA) was studied to establish proper agricultural developing zones in red soil region of southern China which are of crucial importance to farmers, researchers, and decision makers while utilizing and managing red soil resources. SIS created by using ARC/INPO was used to provide data acquisition, systematic model parameter assignment, and visual display of analytic results. Topography, temperature, soil component (e.g., organic matter and pH) and condition of agricultural production were selected as parameters of ISODATA model. Taking Longyou County, Zhejiang Province as the case study area, the effect of the integration and recommendations are discussed for future research.

Belowground Bud Bank Is Insensitive to Short-Term Nutrient Addition in the Meadow Steppe of Inner Mongolia

Human activities and industrialization have significantly increased soil nutrients,such as nitrogen(N)and phos-phorus(P),profoundly impacting the composition and structure of plant community,as well as the ecosystem functions,especially in nutrient-limited ecosystems.However,as the key propagule pool of perennial grasslands,how belowground bud bank and its relationship with aboveground vegetation respond to short-term changes in soil nutrients was still unclear.In this study,we conducted a short-term(2021–2022)soil fertilization experiment with N addition(10 g N m^(-2) yr^(-1))and P addition(5 g N m^(-2) yr^(-1))in the meadow steppe of Inner Mongolia,China,to explore the responses of belowground bud bank,aboveground shoot population and their relationships(represented by the ratio of bud to shoot density-meristem limitation index(MLI))for the whole community and three plant functional groups(perennial rhizomatous grasses-PR,perennial bunchgrasses-PB,and perennial forbs-PF)to nutrient addition.The short-term nutrient addition had no significant influences on belowground bud density,aboveground shoot density,and MLI of the whole plant community.Plant functional groups showed different responses to soil fertilization.Specifically,N addition significantly increased the bud density and shoot density of PR,especially in combination with P addition.N addition reduced the shoot density of PF but had no influence on its bud density and MLI.Nutrient addition had significant effects on the three indicators of PB.Our study indicates that the belowground bud bank and its relationship with aboveground vegetation in temperate meadow steppe are insensitive to short-term soil fertilization,but plant functional groups exhibit specific responses in terms of population regeneration,which implies that plant community composition and ecosystem functions will be changed under the ongoing global change.

Red Soil Resource Information System and Its Preliminary Application

Red soil is a very important soil resource in southern China. However, due to being simultaneously of high productive potentialities and severely degraded, it needs harnessing urgently. Red Soil Resource Information System (RSRIS) based on remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) plays an important role in survey, evaluation, utilization and management of red soil resource. RSRIS of Quzhou City) Zhejiang Province (1:250000) and RSRIS of Longyou County, Zhejiang Province (1:50000) have been made respectively on SUN SPARC station and using ARC/INFO. This paper introduces the system design,database creation and system functions, and it particularly focuses on developing applied models, such as red soil resource division and mapping, suitability evaluation, erosion risk evaluation, plant utilization zone etc. The problems on study of RSRIS and its developing strategy are also discussed.

Global Warming Induced Sea Level Rise on Soil, Land and Crop Production Loss in Bangladesh

Available data have been analyzed to assess impacts of global warming induced sea level rise on loss of soil and land resources and their implications on food security of Bangladesh. Scientists believe that because of sea level rise coastal zone of Bangladesh has already experienced noticeable impacts especially in terms of area of inundation and erosion, saline intrusion, loss of soil and land, loss of crop production in addition to migration of people from vulnerable areas. The loss of land mass and degradation of soil and land resources will adversely affect national food production and thereby food security. Sea level rise impacts are really high for Bangladesh, though the country plays insignificant role in green house gas emission. Development and implementation of adaptation policies and taking initiatives to realize those policies are the right ways to respond to sea level rise impacts in Bangladesh.

Ecogeomorphic Feedbacks in Semiarid Rangelands:A Review

The ecogeomorphic processes occurring on semiarid rangelands are reviewed, with emphasis on the source-sink relations and positive feedback loops that existed between shrub patches and intershrub areas, and the way livestock presence affected these interactions. Compared with intershrub areas, the shrub patches had a higher soil porosity, infiltration capacity, water-holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, structural stability, and organic matter content, and lower bulk density. These differences derived from a host of processes whose intensity was less in the shrub patches, including raindrop impact, mechanical crust formation, overland water flow, soil erosion, evaporative moisture loss, and flock trampling. There was also greater shading of the soil surface; soil and litter deposition; water accumulation; microbial, fungal, and mesofaunal activities in the shrub patches. The overland flow of water carried soil and litter from the intershrub areas to the shrub patches and resulted in microtopographic modifications that tended to strengthen these source-sink relations. Grazing had an impact on these processes, not only at the shrub-intershrub scale but also within the intershrub areas, through the creation of highly compacted trampling routes. The combined role of the above ecogeomorphic processes was to maintain the rangeland＇s functionality. Without these inter-relationships, water loss, soil erosion, and nutrient depletion would occur at the hillside scale, causing degradation of the landscape.

Biomass and dominance of conservative species drive above-ground biomass productivity in a mediterranean-type forest of Chile

Background: Forest productivity has a pivotal role in human well-being. Vegetation quantity, niche complementarity, mass-ratio, and soil resources are alternative/complementary ecological mechanisms driving productivity. One challenge in current forest management depends on identifying and manipulating these mechanisms to enhance productivity. This study assessed the extent to which these mechanisms control aboveground biomass productivity(AGBP) of a Chilean mediterranean-type matorral. AGBP measured as tree aboveground biomass changes over a 7-years period, was estimated for twelve 25 m × 25 m plots across a wide range of matorral compositions and structures. Variables related to canopy structure, species and functional diversity, species and functional dominance, soil texture, soil water and soil nitrogen content were measured as surrogates of the four mechanisms proposed. Linear regression models were used to test the hypotheses. A multimodel inference based on the Akaike’s information criterion was used to select the best models explaining AGBP and for identifying the relative importance of each mechanism.Results: Vegetation quantity(tree density) and mass-ratio(relative biomass of Cryptocarya alba, a conservative species) were the strongest drivers increasing AGBP, while niche complementarity(richness species) and soil resources(sand, %) had a smaller effect either decreasing or increasing AGBP, respectively. This study provides the first assessment of alternative mechanisms driving AGBP in mediterranean forests of Chile. There is strong evidence suggesting that the vegetation quantity and mass-ratio mechanisms are key drivers of AGBP, such as in other tropical and temperate forests. However, in contrast with other studies from mediterranean-type forests, our results show a negative effect of species diversity and a small effect of soil resources on AGBP.Conclusion: AGBP in the Chilean matorral depends mainly on the vegetation quantity and mass-ratio mechanisms.The findings of this study have implications for matorral restoration and management for the production of timber and non-timber products and carbon sequestration.

Progress in Significant Soil Science Fields of China over the Last Three Decades: A Review

Due to continuous decreases in arable land area and continuous population increases,Chinese soil scientists face great challenges in meeting food demands,mitigating adverse environmental impacts,and sustaining or enhancing soil productivity under intensive agriculture.With the aim of promoting the application of soil science knowledge,this paper reviews the achievements of Chinese scientists in soil resource use and management,soil fertility,global change mitigation and soil biology over the last 30 years.During this period,soil resource science has provided essential support for the use and exploitation of Chinese soil resources,and has itself developed through introduction of new theories such as Soil Taxonomy and new technologies such as remote sensing.Soil fertility science has contributed to the alleviation and elimination of impeding physical and chemical factors that constrain availability of essential nutrients and water in soils,the understanding of nutrient cycling in agroecosystems,and the increase in nutrient use efficiency for sustainable crop production.Chinese soil scientists have contributed to the understanding of the cropland's role in global change,particularly to the understanding of methane and nitrous oxide emission from rice fields and the effect of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on rice-wheat system.Soil biology research has progressed in biological N fixation,distribution of fauna in Chinese soils,and bioremediation of polluted soils.A new generation of soil scientists has arisen in the last three decades.The gaps between research and application in these soil science fields are also discussed.

Scale Dependence of Soil Spatial Variation in a Temperate Desert

Spatial variation is a ubiquitous feature of natural ecosystems, especially in arid regions, and is often present at various scales in these regions. To determine the scale dependence of the heterogeneity of soil chemical properties and the dominant scales(factors) for soil heterogeneity in arid regions, the spatial variability of soil resources was investigated in the Gurbantunggut Desert of Central Asia at the scales of 10-3, 10-2, 10-1, 100, 101, 102, 103and 104m(from individual plant to population or community to ecosystem). Soil chemical properties including pH, electrical conductivity(EC), organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus were considered in the investigation. At a scale of 10-1m, which represented the scale of individual plant, significant enrichment of soil resources occurred under shrub canopy and "fertile islands" formed in the desert ecosystem. Soil EC exhibited the largest heterogeneity at this scale, indicating that individual plants exerted a great influence on soil salinity/alkalinity. Soil nutrients exhibited the greatest heterogeneity at a scale of 102m, which represented the scale of sand dune/interdune lowlands(between communities). The main important factors contributing to soil spatial heterogeneity in the Gurbantunggut Desert were individual plants and different topographic characteristics, namely, the appearance of vegetation, especially shrubs or small trees, and existing sand dunes. Soil salinity/alkalinity and soil nutrient status behaved differently in spatial heterogeneity, with an inverse distribution between them at the individual scale.

Energy potential assessment and techno-economic analysis of micro hydro-photovoltaic hybrid system in Goda Warke village,Ethiopia

Rural Ethiopia has significant untapped potential for hydro and solar energy generation systems.However,challenges arise from seasonal variations and unfavourable topographic positions of flowing rivers,hindering the efficient exploitation of these resources.Despite the country’s abundance in hydro and solar energy resources,>75%of the population still lack access to electricity from the national grid.This work deals with energy resource potential assessment and techno-economic analysis of micro hydro-photovol-taic(PV)hybrid systems,considered in the case study of Goda Warke village,located in the Yaya Gulele district.A novel framework is proposed that utilizes the Natural Resource Soil Conservation Service curve number method to assess the energy potential of micro-hydro energy in ungauged basins,specifically at the exit point of the Girar River basin catchment.The average monthly flow rate in the basin is 0.975 m3/s,while the area exhibits a solar radiation potential of 5.39 kWh/m^(2)/day.Energy policy promotes expanding ac-cess to modern energy sources and utilization of indigenous energy resources.Simulation results indicate that the hydro/PV/diesel generator(DG)/battery and hydro/PV/battery systems are the most optimal choices based on net present cost,with the inclusion of a DG for economic comparison.Micro-hydro energy covers most of the electric load in the area,achieving a capacity factor of 47.5%.The cost of energy and net present cost were found to be sensitive to variables such as the price of diesel fuel,pipe head loss,and the growth of the village load.The optimized system demonstrated a hydro energy potential of 1405.37 MWh/year and a PV energy output of 274.04 MWh/year,resulting in a levelized cost of energy of 0.0057 and 0.049$/kWh for the hydro and PV components,respectively.

Responses of soil microbial communities to freeze–thaw cycles in a Chinese temperate forest

Background:Freeze–thaw events are common in boreal and temperate forest ecosystems and are increasingly infuenced by climate warming.Soil microorganisms play an important role in maintaining ecosystem stability,but their responses to freeze–thaw cycles(FTCs)are poorly understood.We conducted a feld freeze–thaw experiment in a natural Korean pine and broadleaf mixed forest in the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve,China,to determine the dynamic responses of soil microbial communities to FTCs.Results:Bacteria were more sensitive than fungi to FTCs.Fungal biomass,diversity and community composition were not signifcantly afected by freeze–thaw regardless of the stage.Moderate initial freeze–thaw resulted in increased bacterial biomass,diversity,and copiotrophic taxa abundance.Subsequent FTCs reduced the bacterial biomass and diversity.Compared with the initial FTC,subsequent FTCs exerted an opposite efect on the direction of change in the composition and function of the bacterial community.Soil water content,dissolved organic carbon,ammonium nitrogen,and total dissolved phosphorus were important factors determining bacterial community diversity and composition during FTCs.Moreover,the functional potentials of the microbial community involved in C and N cycling were also afected by FTCs.Conclusions:Diferent stages of FTCs have diferent ecological efects on the soil environment and microbial activities.Soil FTCs changed the soil nutrients and water availability and then mainly infuenced bacterial community composition,diversity,and functional potentials,which may disturb C and N states in this temperate forest soil.This study also improves our understanding of microbial communities regulating their ecological functions in response to climate change.

Seasonal dynamics of fine root biomass, root length density, specific root length, and soil resource availability in a Larix gmelinii plantation

Fine root turnover is a major pathway for carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and is most likely sensitive to many global change factors.Despite the importance of fine root turnover in plant C allocation and nutrient cycling dynamics and the tremendous research efforts in the past,our understanding of it remains limited.This is because the dynamics processes associated with soil resources availability are still poorly understood.Soil moisture,temperature,and available nitrogen are the most important soil characteristics that impact fine root growth and mortality at both the individual root branch and at the ecosystem level.In temperate forest ecosystems,seasonal changes of soil resource availability will alter the pattern of carbon allocation to belowground.Therefore,fine root biomass,root length density(RLD)and specific root length(SRL)vary during the growing season.Studying seasonal changes of fine root biomass,RLD,and SRL associated with soil resource availability will help us understand the mechanistic controls of carbon to fine root longevity and turnover.The objective of this study was to understand whether seasonal variations of fine root biomass,RLD and SRL were associated with soil resource availability,such as moisture,temperature,and nitrogen,and to understand how these soil components impact fine root dynamics in Larix gmelinii plantation.We used a soil coring method to obtain fine root samples(≤2 mm in diameter)every month from May to October in 2002 from a 17-year-old L.gmelinii plantation in Maoershan Experiment Station,Northeast Forestry University,China.Seventy-two soil cores(inside diameter 60 mm;depth intervals:0-10 cm,10-20 cm,20-30 cm)were sampled randomly from three replicates 25 m×30 m plots to estimate fine root biomass(live and dead),and calculate RLD and SRL.Soil moisture,temperature,and nitrogen(ammonia and nitrates)at three depth intervals were also analyzed in these plots.Results showed that the average standing fine root biomass(live and dead)was 189.1 g·m^(-2)·a^(-1),50%(95.4 g·m^(-2)·a^(-1))in the surface soil layer(0-10 cm),33%(61.5 g·m^(-2)·a^(-1)),17%(32.2 g·m^(-2)·a^(-1))in the middle(10-20 cm)and deep layer(20-30cm),respectively.Live and dead fine root biomass was the highest from May to July and in September,but lower in August and October.The live fine root biomass decreased and dead biomass increased during the growing season.Mean RLD(7,411.56 m·m^(-3)·a^(-1))and SRL(10.83 m·g^(-1)·a^(-1))in the surface layer were higher than RLD(1474.68 m·m^(-3)·a^(-1))and SRL(8.56 m·g^(-1)·a^(-1))in the deep soil layer.RLD and SRL in May were the highest(10621.45 m·m^(-3) and 14.83m·g^(-1))compared with those in the other months,and RLD was the lowest in September(2198.20 m·m^(-3))and SRL in October(3.77 m·g^(-1)).Seasonal dynamics of fine root biomass,RLD,and SRL showed a close relationship with changes in soil moisture,temperature,and nitrogen availability.To a lesser extent,the temperature could be determined by regression analysis.Fine roots in the upper soil layer have a function of absorbing moisture and nutrients,while the main function of deeper soil may be moisture uptake rather than nutrient acquisition.Therefore,carbon allocation to roots in the upper soil layer and deeper soil layer was different.Multiple regression analysis showed that variation in soil resource availability could explain 71-73%of the seasonal variation of RLD and SRL and 58%of the variation in fine root biomass.These results suggested a greater metabolic activity of fine roots living in soil with higher resource availability,which resulted in an increased allocation of carbohydrate to these roots,but a lower allocation of carbohydrate to those in soil with lower resource availability.

Effects of land use patterns on slope soil water in the semiarid Loess Plateau,China

Land use patterns(LUPs)are the form in which various land use types are combined spatially,evidently impacting soil water.However,the influence mechanism by which LUPs form remains unclear.In this study,the soil water content(SWC)in the 0–160-cm soil depth was observed in shrubland(SL),mature forestland(MF),grassland(GL)and young forestland(YF)sites on four slopes with different LUPs in the Yangjuangou catchment of the Chinese Loess Plateau.The SWC in SL-YF-SL(13.28%)was significantly greater than that in YF-MF(9.93%),MF-GL-YF(10.38%)and SL-MF(10.83%)and was temporally stable during the study period.The spatial distribution of SWC along the slope differed among the four LUPs.Vegetation characteristics and soil texture mainly determined the spatial variations in SWC in the shallow soil layers(0–40 cm),while topographic factors were the determinants in the deep soil layers(60–160 cm)as well as in the entire soil profile(0–160 cm).The significance of SWC differences among the various land use patterns increased with decreasing precipitation during the growing seasons.YF-MF(77.8 mm)and SL-YF-GL(73.9 mm)required more rainwater than SL-MF(68.2 mm)and MF-GL-MF(67.5 mm)to compensate for the loss of soil water on the monthly scale during the rainy season.Therefore,vegetation restoration should consider land use patterns on hillslopes for soil water conservation.

Potato-Cabbage Double Cropping Effect on Nitrate Leaching and Resource-Use Efficiencies in an Irrigated Area

To reduce the nitrate leaching risk after potato （Solanum tuberosum L.） harvest and improve nitrogen fertilizer-use efficiency, a potato-cabbage double cropping system （DCS） was established at Hetao, North China, an arid area with irrigated land. A two-year field experiment demonstrated that planting early-maturing potato cultivar under plastic mulch shortened its growth period by 14 d and allowed a second crop of cabbage to scavenge the soil residual NO^--N to a depth of 160 cm, substantially reducing the risk of nitrate leaching into groundwater. The yearly total N uptake in DCS was about 110 kg ha-1 more than that in the conventional cropping system （CCS）, i.e., mono potato planting. This accounted for apparent nitrogen recovery （ANR） improvement of 16.90%-26.57% in the DCS as compared to that in the CCS for both years. As a result, the soil residual NO3-N in the 0-160 cm soil profile in the DCS was lower than that in the CCS. The solar energy-use efficiency and soil-use efficiency were also substantially increased with DCS.

Effects of climate and land use changes on runoff,sediment,nitrogen and phosphorus losses in the Haihe River Basin

Investigating the impacts of climate and land use changes on the hydrological cycle and water environment at the basin scale is important for providing scientific evidence to manage the trade-offs and synergies among water resources,agricultural production and environmental protection.We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)with various spatiotemporal data to quantify the contributions of climate and land use changes to runoff,sediment,nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)losses in the Haihe River Basin since the 1980s.The results showed that 1)climate and land use changes significantly increased evapotranspiration(ET),transport loss,sediment input and output,and organic N and P production,with ET,sediment input and organic N affected the most;2)runoff,sediment and ammonia N were most affected by climate and land use changes in the Daqing River Basin(217.3 mm),Nanyun River Basin(3917.3 tons)and Chaobai River Basin(87.6 kg/ha),respectively;3)the impacts of climate and land use changes showed explicit spatiotemporal patterns.In the Daqing,Yongding and Nanyun River Basins,the contribution of climate change to runoff and sediment kept increasing,reaching 88.6%-98.2%and 63%-77.2%,respectively.In the Ziya and Chaobai River Basins,the contribution of land use was larger,reaching 88.6%-92.8%and 59.8%-92.7%,respectively.In the Yongding,Chaobai,Ziya and Daqing River Basins,the contribution of land use to N and P losses showed an increasing trend over the past 40 years(maximum 89.7%).By contrast,in Nanyun and Luanhe River Basins,the contribution of climate change to N and P losses increased more(maximum 92.1%).Our evaluation of the impacts of climate and land use changes on runoff,sediment,and N and P losses will help to support the optimization of land and water resources in the Haihe River Basin.