Analysis and Assessment on the Heavy Metals in a Severely Degraded Subtropical Red Soil Region

5 different forests of Pinus massoniana, Schima superba, Liquidambar formosana, P. massoniana × S. superba, P. massoniana × L. formosana as the research object were set up to study the Cr, Cu and Zn content of degraded red soil region in subtropics. The soil heavy metal pollution degree was evaluated by national environmental quality standard (II class). The results showed that three soil metals of P. massoniana × S. superba were the highest, and the soil metals enrichment ability was strong. The order of single factor pollution index of metal elements was Cu (1.38) > Cr (0.81) > Zn (0.42), and moderately pollution, pollution warning and no pollution, respectively. There was no significant correlation between three soil heavy metals and soil total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). These results suggested that the accumulation of heavy metal elements was not derived from the parent material of soil. There was a significant positive correlation between the three metal elements which indicated that the sources of the three elements were similar. The structural equation model showed that the direct and indirect effects among the influencing factors ultimately affected the activity of heavy metals by cascade effects.

Spatial variability of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the hilly red soil region of Southern China

To obtain accurate spatial distribution maps of soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)in the Hetian Town in Fujian Province,China,soil samples from three depths(0–20,20–40,and 40–60 cm)at 59 sampling sites were sampled by using traditional analysis and geostatistical approach.The SOC and TN ranged from 2.26 to 47.54 g kg-1,and from 0.28 to 2.71 g kg-1,respectively.The coefficient of variation for SOC and TN was moderate at 49.02–55.87%for all depths.According to the nuggetto-sill ratio values,a moderate spatial dependence of SOC content and a strong spatial dependence of TN content were found in different soil depths,demonstrating that SOC content was affected by both extrinsic and intrinsic factors while TN content was mainly influenced by intrinsic factors.Indices of cross-validation,such as mean error,mean standardized error,were close to zero,indicating that ordinary kriging interpolation is a reliable method to predict the spatial distribution of SOC and TN in different soil depths.Interpolation using ordinary kriging indicated the spatial pattern of SOC and TN were characterized by higher in the periphery and lower in the middle.To improve the accuracy of spatial interpolation for soil properties,it is necessary and important to incorporate a probabilistic and machine learning methods in the future study.

Effects of organic matter on the distribution of rare earth elements in red soil aggregates during ecological restoration

Rare earth elements(REEs)are widely applied in high-tech fields.However,their increasing presence in the food chain poses significant risks to human health.At present,little is known about the effects of organic matter on the distribution of ion-adsorbed REEs in soil aggregates during ecological restoration.Red soil derived from coarse-grained granite in Southern China is both prone to ecosystem degradation from soil erosion and rich in REEs.Understanding the distribution of REEs in soil aggregates undergoing ecological restoration is helpful to formulate effective measures for controlling the environmental migration of REEs.Four sites that had undergone different durations/degrees of ecological restoration were selected in the areas to analyze.REEs concentration of six different aggregates sizes(<0.25,0.25-0.5,0.5-1,1-2,2-5,and>5 mm)were analyzed and the enrichment coefficients were calculated in 4 sample sites of severe-degraded ecosystem in Changting County,Fujian Province,Southern China.The results showed that the total rare earth elements(TREEs)concentration in the aggregates increased from 213 mg kg^(-1) to 528 mg kg^(-1) with the extension of the ecological restoration time.At the initial stages of ecological restoration,there was no significant difference in the TREEs concentration among the six aggregates sizes.However,in the middle and late stages of restoration,the concentration of TREEs increased significantly with the decrease of aggregate size.The concentration of individual REEs showed three changing trends with sizes of aggregates during ecological restoration,respectively:1)no obvious regular change(S1),2)a V-shaped change trend(S2),and 3)increasing concentration with the decrease of aggregate size(S3 and S4).Ce and Eu showed a positive and negative anomaly in the soil aggregates,respectively.Moreover,the light rare earth elements(LREEs)were enriched,while the heavy rare earth elements(HREEs)were depleted during the initial stages,and the HREEs were enriched during the middle and late stages of restoration.The correlation coefficient between organic matter and REEs in aggregates was generally low;however,LREEs showed a stronger correlation with organic matter than that of HREEs during the initial stages of ecological restoration.The correlation between organic matter and HREEs gradually increased and even exceeded that of LREEs with on-going ecological restoration.The distribution of REEs concentration in degraded soil aggregates in Southern China showed obvious variability with the ecological restoration time.

Study on the Effect of Different Modified Zeolite to Phosphorus Activation in Red Soil

The activation of soil-fixed phosphorus is a long-term concern in soil science. In order to enhance the activation effect to soil-fixed phosphorus in red soil, different modified zeolite, through physical, chemical method and the associated both physics and chemistry, was used in this paper. The results showed as following: 1) the activated ability to soil-fixed phosphorus in red soil for modified zeolite was higher than the common one signally. Order of the ability for all kinds of modification zeolite in absolute activation amount and activation rate was: Modified in high temperature ammonium saturated zeolite > Ammonium saturated zeolite > Modified in high temperature zeolite > Common zeolite. 2) The increasing rate of modified phosphorus in high temperature ammonium saturated zeolite and ammonium saturated zeolite had a decline trend with time postponed while that for modified phosphorus in high temperature zeolite and routine zeolite was rising gradually with time postponed. For ammonium saturated zeolite, the increasing rate of phosphorus in low available phosphorus content red soil was significantly faster than that in red soil with the higher content of available phosphorus. 3) The activation rate for the same modified zeolite showed difference in different phosphorus level soil. The order is: SPhigh > SPmedium > SPlow.

Eco-geological environment quality assessment based on multi-source data of the mining city in red soil hilly region, China

High-intensity and large-scale resource development seriously threatens the fragile ecological environment in the red soil hilly region in southern China. This paper analyzes the eco-geological environmental problems and factors affecting Ganzhou, a mining city in the red soil hilly region,based on field survey and literature. The ecogeological environment quality(EGEQ) assessment system, which covered 11 indicators in physical geography, mining development, geological hazards,as well as water and soil pollution, was established through multi-source data utilization such as remote sensing images, DEM(Digital Elevation Model), field survey and on-site monitoring data. The comprehensive weight of each indicator was calculated through the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) and entropy method. The eco-geological environment assessment map was developed by calculating the EGEQ value through the linear weighted method. The assessment results show that the EGEQ was classified into I-V grades from excellent to worse, among which, EGEQ of I-II accounted for 29.88%, EGEQ of III accounted for 32.35% and EGEQ of IV-V accounted for 37.77%;the overall EGEQ of Ganzhou was moderate. The assessment system utilized in this research provides scientific and accurate results, which in turn enable the proposal of some tangible protection suggestions.

Trace Elements Loss Characteristics in Runoff Discharge from Tobacco-Growing Red Soil in Sichuan Province of China

Trace elements are found in small concentrations in soil, yet plants require them for physiological functions. The runoff process leads to soil fertility loss by shifting soil particles and elements, and deposits them to a different position. However, there is a lack of information about the amount of trace elements that flow in tobacco-growing red soil during the natural rainy seasons due to runoff. In this study, runoff discharge was collected from two different soil mulching conditions (straw and no straw) at 15?, in Miyi county of Sichuan province, to evaluate the characteristics of trace elements in runoff discharge. The runoff discharge was filtered to separate water (runoff) from sediment. The concentrations of the elements were analyzed in samples obtained from 9 erosive rainfall events, with 3 replications for every sample. The considered trace elements were Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), and Molybdenum (Mo). In addition, the total amount of each element loss per unit area (total loss) was also calculated statistically. The results revealed different concentrations and total losses for the selected trace elements. The total loss in runoff ranged from 10.82 to 194.05 mg/ha, 0.62 to 18.91 mg/ha, and 0.32 to 2.37 mg/ha for Zn, Cu, and Mo, respectively. The total loss in sediment ranged from 54.65 to 12036.34 mg/ha, 44.74 to 5285.30 mg/ha, and 1.78 to 399.82 mg/ha for Zn, Cu, and Mo, respectively. Rainfall intensity, runoff depth, and sediment yield showed distinct positive correlations with the trace elements losses. The loss reduced with the addition of straw in the experimental area. Since each trace element showed distinct characteristics in the runoff and sediment, it is crucial to assess the loss of trace elements in runoff discharge from different agronomic practices. In turn, various sustainable practices of preventing soil fertility loss will be identified.

Environmental Threshold of Phosphorus Infiltration in Red Soil under Different Land Use Patterns

The risk of soil phosphorus leaching increases in basin regions in light of large-scale use of phosphorus fertilizers because of agricultural modernization. In this study, we conducted an earth pillar simulation test on the infiltration threshold of red soil, Vaseline-coated PVC pipe, intact soil core, fine sand, and nylon filter was used for Penetration test, which covers the largest area of the Dianchi Lake Basin in China. Results showed that: 1) The contents of the total available phosphorus in algae (NaOH-P) and dissolved labile phosphorus (CaCl2-P) in red soil were consistent with the content of available phosphorus (Olsen-P) under different use patterns manifested by the law of greenhouse > open field > grassland. Grassland had the highest phosphorus sorption index (PSI), followed by the greenhouse and then by the open field. 2) The leachate under the same use pattern had the characteristics of total phosphorus (TP) > particle phosphorus (PP) > total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) > dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) > molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP). The TP contents in the leachates of grassland, greenhouse, and open field were 0.46, 0.61, and 0.49 mg/L, respectively. DOP, TDP, PP, and MRP had similar contents, and their distributions in the three land types were consistent with that of TP. 3) Olsen-P had a significant correlation with TP, TDP, PP, and DOP in the leachates. Olsen-P of <40 mg/kg and PSI of >50 slightly influenced eutrophication. Moreover, Olsen-P of >40 and <70.90 mg/kg and PSI of >40 had minimal influence on the environment. Olsen-P of >70.90 mg/kg and PSI of <30 significantly influenced eutrophication in Dianchi Lake Basin. 4) When Olsen-P was >26.09 mg/kg, the TP content in the leachate increased sharply.

Influence of the ground flora on the variation characteristics of the runoff distribution on red soil slope

In this paper, we use the inter flow area as the research object in the logical science park for soil and water conservation in Jiangxi province; and the Paspalum natatum and its litter cover are used as the ground flora. We discusses and analyses the vertical distribution of runoff so as to provide theoretical support for the wide application of the Paspalum natatum for soil and water conservation in the region of red soil in south China.

Crop Yield and Soil Responses to Long-Term Fertilization on a Red Soil in Southern China

A 15-year fertilization experiment with different applications of inorganic N,P and K fertilizers and farmyard manure (M)was conducted to study the yield and soil responses to long-term fertilization at Qiyang,Hunan Province,China. Average grain yields of wheat and corn(1 672 and 5 111 kg ha-1,respectively)for the treatment NPKM were significantly higher than those(405 and 310 kg ha-1)of the unfertilized control and single inorganic fertilizer treatments.Compared with the corresponding initial values of the experiment,all treatments showed a yield decline of 9 to 111 kg ha-1 year-1 in wheat and 35 to 260 kg ha-1 year-1 in corn,respectively,and a significant pH decline of 0.07 to 0.12 pH year?1,except for the treatments PK and NPKM.After long-term fertilization,the soil organic C,soil available P,exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+and available Cu2+and Zn2+contents were higher in the treatment NPKM than in the treatments applied with inorganic fertilizer only.Compared to the treatment NPK,the treatment NPKM,where manure partially replaced inorganic N,had a positive impact on arresting the decline of soil pH.This improved grain yields of wheat and corn, suggesting that application of NPK fertilizer in combination with farmyard manure is important to maintain soil fertility and buffering capacity in red soil.

Effects of Cadmium, Lead, and Zinc on Size of MicrobialBiomass in Red Soil

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the influence of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb)and zinc (Zn) on the size of the microbial biomass in red soil. All the three metals were applied, separately,at five different levels that were: Cd at 5, 15, 30, 60 and 100 μg g-1; Pb at 100, 200, 300, 450 and 600 μg g-1 and Zn at 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 μg g-1 soil. In comparison to uncontaminated soil, the microbial biomass carbon and biomass nitrogen decreased sharply in soils contaminated with Cd, Ph and Zn. A more considerable increase in the microbial biomass C: N ratio was observed in the metal contaminated soils than the non-treated control. Among the tested metals, Cd displayed the greatest biocidal effect followed by Zn and Pb, showing their relative toxicity in the order of Cd > Zn > Pb.

Effect of Different Vegetation Systems on Soil Erosion and Soil Nutrients in Red Soil Region of Southeastern China

The effect of different vegetation systems including bamboo plantation (BP), forest ecosystem (CF),citrus orchard (Ctr) and farmland (FL) on erosion and nutrients of red soil were investigated in hilly region of southeastern China to find effective control measures for soil erosion. The results showed that all the vegetation systems could significantly reduce soil erosion and nutrient losses compared to bare land (Br).The ability of different vegetation systems to conserve soil and water was in the order of Ctr ＞ BP ＞ CF ＞ FL ＞ Br. Vegetation could also improve soil fertility. The soil organic matter, total N and total P contents were much higher in all the vegetation systems than in bare land, especially for the top soils. Vegetation systems improved soil physical properties remarkably. Compared to the bare land, soil organic matter, TP,TK and available K, especially soil microbial biomass C, N and P, increased under all the vegetation covers.However, they were still much lower than expected, thus these biological measurements are still needed to be carried out continuously.

Combined Pollution and Pollution Index of Heavy Metals in Red Soil

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and As coexisting in red soilon growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.), mung bean (Vigna rabiata (Linn.) Wilczek), alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.), slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and aspen (Populus L.). Results showed that rice, mung bean andalfalfa were significantly innuenced by combined pollution of the heavy metals. The contents of Pb, cd andAs in rice grains greatly exceeded the National Standards for Food Hygiene of China. Heavy metals at ahigh concentration seriously retarded growth of mung bean and alfalfa, but not so obviously with slash pineand aspen. The composite index is suggested for evaluating the relativity of combined pollution witll heavymetals in soil.

GIS-Based Red Soil Resources Classification andEvaluation

INTRODUCTIONCoveringabout2.18millionkmZor22.7%ofChina'slandterritory,redsoilresources(RSR)areextremelyimportantfortheregionofSouthChina,wherethereareadiversityofsoilswith58.7%(1.28millionkm')ofthembeingcategorizedtoredsoils(RS)(Huetal.,1999).Withboun...

Long-Term Application of Organic Manure and Mineral Fertilizer on N_2O and CO_2 Emissions in a Red Soil from Cultivated Maize-Wheat Rotation in China

A long-term field experiment was established to determine the influence of mineral fertilizer and organic manure on soil fertility.A tract of red soil(Ferralic Cambisol) in Qiyang Red Soil Experimental Station(Qiyang County,Hunan Province,China) was fertilized beginning in 1990 and N2O and CO2 were examined during the maize and wheat growth season of 2007-2008.The study involved five treatments:organic manure(NPKM),fertilizer NPK(NPK),fertilizer NP(NP),fertilizer NK(NK),and control(CK).Manured soils had higher crop biomass,organic C,and pH than soils receiving the various mineralized fertilizers indicating that long-term application of manures could efficiently prevent red soil acidification and increase crop productivity.The application of manures and fertilizers at a rate of 300 kg N ha-1 yr-1 obviously increased N2O and CO2 emissions from 0.58 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1 and 10 565 kg C ha-1 yr-1 in the CK treatment soil to 3.01 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1 and 28 663 kg C ha-1 yr-1 in the NPKM treatment.There were also obvious different effects on N2O and CO2 emissions between applying fertilizer and manure.More N2O and CO2 released during the 184-d maize growing season than the 125-d wheat growth season in the manure fertilized soils but not in mineral fertilizer treatments.N2O emission was significantly affected by soil moisture only during the wheat growing season,and CO2 emission was affected by soil temperature only in CK and NP treatment during the wheat and maize growing season.In sum,this study indicates the application of organic manure may be a preferred strategy for maintaining red soil productivity,but may result in greater N2O and CO2 emissions than treatments only with mineral fertilizer.

Impact of pH on Microbial Biomass Carbon and Microbial Biomass Phosphorus in Red Soils

The impact of pH changes on microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and microbial biomass phosphorus (Pmic)were examined for 3 red soils under citrus production with different lengths of cultivation. Soil pH significantly affected Cmic and Pmic. The Cmic and Pmic changes, as a function of soil pH, appeared to follow a normal distribution with the original soil pH value at the apex and as pH increased or decreased compared to the original soil pH, Cmic and Pmic declined. Moreover, there were critical pH values at both extremes (3.0 on the acidic side and 8.0 to 8.5 on the alkaline side), beyond which most of microorganisms could never survive.The effect of pH on Cmic and Pmic was also related to the original soil pH. The higher the original soil pH was, the less Cmic or Pmic were affected by pH change. It is suggested that soil microorganisms that grow in a soil environment with a more neutral soil pH range (I.e. pH 5.5-7.5) may have a greater tolerance to pH changes than those growing in more acidic or more alkaline soil pH conditions.

Ecological and Economic Benefits of Vegetation Management Measures in Citrus Orchards on Red Soils

A three-year experiment was conducted to investigate and compare the economic and ecological benefits of six types of vegetation management measures in citrus orchards of the hilly red soil region of the eastern part of China.Six vegetation treatments,including tillage without herbicide(clean tillage)and no tillage without herbicide(sod culture) and with herbicide paraquat(paraquat),glyphosate(glyphosate),glyphosate-glyphosate-paraquat(G-G-P),and paraquat- paraquat-glyphosate(P-P-G),were applied in the citrus orchards on a clayey red soil with slopes of 8°and 13°and a sandy soil with slope of 25°.The results showed that the sod culture,paraquat,glyphosate,G-G-P,and P-P-G treatments reduced surface runoff by 38.8%,42.5%,18.7%,28.7%,and 37.5%,then the soil-water losses by 55.5%,51.7%,39.9%,46.8%, and 50.0%,and the N,P,and K nutrient losses by 60.3%,50.2%,37.0%,41.8%,and 45.4%,respectively,as compared with the clean tillage treatment.The weed regeneration ratios with the treatments of clean tillage without herbicide,paraquat, glyphosate,G-G-P,and P-P-G were reduced by 55.1%,67.2%,30.3%,36.8%,and 51.2%,respectively,as compared with the sod culture.The sod culture,paraquat,glyphosate,G-G-P,and P-P-G treatments could increase the soil fertility (annual accumulation of N,P,K,and OM)by 7.1%,6.9%,5.3%,6.2%,and 6.6%,respectively,whereas the clean tillage treatment without herbicide reduced soil fertility by 4.4% after the three-year experiment.The citrus fruit yields in the treatments of paraquat,glyphosate,G-G-P,and P-P-G increased by 7%-10%;the soluble solid,total sugar,total acidity,sugar-acid ratio,and single fruit weight of citrus fruits of all treatments except sod culture significantly(P>0.05) exceeded that of the clean tillage treatment.In general,the paraquat treatment showed the best economic and ecological benefits among the six treatments;therefore,it could be regarded as the best available vegetation management measure in citrus orchards of hilly red soil region to retain water and soil,enhance soil fertility,and improve the yield and quality of citrus.

Species of Inorganic Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria in Red Soil and the Mechanism of Solubilization

INTRODUCTION The insoluble phosphates which can not be directly absorbed by plants are the mai forms of inorganic phosphate in soil. These kinds of phosphates can be solubilized by several species of bacteria which are widely spread in soil especially in rhizosphere where70% of the bacteria are capable of solubilizing inorganic phosphate. Many researchers re-

Leaching and Redistribution of Nutrients in Surface Layer of Red Soils in Southeast China

The leaching and redistribution of nutrients in the surface layer of 4 types of red soils in Southeast China were studied with a lysimeter experiment under filed conditions.Results showed that the leaching concentrated in the rainy season(from April to June).Generally,the leaching of soil nutrients from the surface layer of red soils was in the order of Ca>Mg>K>NO3-N,In fertilization treatment,the total amount of soil nutrients leached out of the surface layer in a red soil derived from granite was the highest in all soils.The uptake by grass decreased the leaching of fertilizer ions in surface layer,particularly for No3-N,Soil total N and exchangeable K,Ca and Mg in the surface layer decreased with leaching and grass uptake during the 2 years without new fertilization of urea,Ca(H2PO4)2,KCl,CaCO3 and MgCO3,Ca moved from the application layer(0-5cm) of fertilizer and accumulated in the 10-30cm depth in the soils studied except that derved from quaternary red clay.The deficiency of soil exchangeable K will become a serious degradation process facing the Southeast China.

Effect of Plant Roots on Penetrability and Anti-Scouri-bility of Red Soil Derived from Granite

Distribution of plant roots in a red soil derived from granite was investigated to study the effect of plantroots on intensifying soil penetrability and anti-scouribility by the double-cutting-ring and the undisturbedsoil-flume methods, respectively. The plant roots system consisting mostly of fibrils, < 1 mm in diameter,was mainly distributed in the upper surface soil 30 cm in depth. It can remarhably increase the penetrabilityand anti-scouribility of the red soil derived from granite. When the root density was > 0.35 root cm-2, theintensifying effect of roots on both the penetrability and the anti-scouribility could be described by exponentequations, △ Ks = 0.0021RD1.4826 (R2 = 0.9313) and △ As = 0.0003RD1.8478 (R2 = O.9619), where △ Ks isthe value of intensified soil penetrability, a As the value of intensified soil anti-scouribility and RD the rootdensity, especially in the top soils within 30 cm in depth where plant roots were conceotrated.

Accumulation of Organic Matter in Infertile Red Soils and Its Ecological Importance

Field experiments on the decomposition of organic materials and the accumulation of organic carbon in infertile red soils were conducted at the Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil,the Chinese Academy of Sciences,and the potential of CO2 sequestration by redlamation and improving the fertility of these soils was estimated.Results showed that in infertile red soils,the humification coefficinets of organic materials were rather high,ranging from 0.28 to 0.63 with an average of 0.43,which was 41% higher than those in corresponding red soils with medium fertility.THis was mainly attributed to the high clay content.high acidity and low native organic matter content of infertile red soils.Compared to those in corresponding normal red soils,the decomposition rates of organic materials were significantly lower in infertile red soils in the first 2 years,thereafter no significant difference was observed between those in the two kinds of soils.Depending on the kind and amount of organic manure applied,the soil properties and the rotation systems,annual application of organic manure with a rate of 4500 to 9000kgha^-1 increased the organic carbon content in surface 20cm of infertile red soils by 2.1-7.5g kg^-1 with an average of 4.7g kg^-1 within the first 5years.The organic carbon content in infertile red soils which received organic manure annually increased linearly in the first 10 years,thereafter it slowed down,implying that the fertility of the infertile red soils could reach middle or high level in 10 years if the soil was managed properly.It was estimated that through exploitation of wastelands,re-establishment of fuel forests and improvement of soil fertility,soils in red soil region of China could sequester an extra 1.50×10^15 g of atmospheirc CO2.