Drivers of spatio-temporal changes in paddy soil pH in Jiangxi Province, China from 1980 to 2010

Abstract

The spatio-temporal distribution soil pH is critical for understanding the productivity and long-term sustainability of our agri-ecosystem. This study quantified the spatio-temporal distribution of paddy soil pH in Jiangxi province, China, and the potential driver of the change between 1980 and 2010. Data from the Soil Survey Information of Jiangxi province (1980s) and Jiangxi Soil Testing and Fertilizer Recommendation study (2010s) were collected and categorized into six pH ranges from strongly-acidic to strongly-alkaline with unit pH differences. Changes were calculated from the maps developed using the Pedological Knowledge base for 1980s data (without geolocation) and geostatistical methods for the 2010s data (geolocated). An overall 0.6-unit decrease and a major shift of soil pH from weakly-acidic (54% → 18%) to acidic (35% → 74%) was observed over the province in a scattered fashion with concentration in the central part and the Poyang Lake area. About half of the area under paddy cultivation went through acidification by at least one pH unit and 7% by at least 2 pH units, while 40% of the area remained unchanged. Excessive fertilizer application and acid-rain intensity contributed to the acidification. Thus, a more knowledge-based and comprehensive fertilizer management should be adopted to make paddy production sustainable in the province.

Afforestation and agroforestry enhance soil nutrient status and carbon sequestration capacity in eastern China

“…Significantly lower pH values were observed in the M and GW systems than in the W system, which was probably attributed to higher organic matter inputs of plantations and acidifying effects of coniferous trees (Yan et al, ). The pH values at our study site ranged from 7.82 to 8.58, which were classified as weakly alkaline (7.5–8.5) and moderately alkaline (8.5–9.5; Guo et al, ). The magnitude of the changes ranged from only 0.11 to 0.27 pH units among planting systems.…”

Chemical and Biological Properties of Sandy Loam Soil in Response to Long-Term Organic–Mineral Fertilisation in a Warm-Summer Humid Continental Climate

“…The importance of this soil property for its productivity results from the indirect effects of acidification and the effects of regulating pH taking into account plant requirements. The soil reaction affects the solubility of minerals and their availability to plants [63]. It is also a basic factor regulating many biological processes in soil [64].…”

Temporal Variations of Soil Organic Carbon and pH at Landscape Scale and the Implications for Cropping Intensity in Rice-Based Cropping Systems

“…Thus, it is important to elucidate the effects of agriculture on various soil properties to determine spatial and temporal trends of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil pH, and whether these properties are being maintained at levels sufficient to sustain current land use and future agricultural development [3][4][5][6]. The spatial and temporal variability of SOC and soil pH are two of the fundamental soil properties that can be used to assess the impact of land use change on soil productivity and the sustainability of agricultural systems [7][8][9]. The spatial and temporal evaluation of SOC and soil pH is important for soil health restoration and to assess carbon sequestration potential of agricultural soils [10][11][12].…”

“…There are advantages of using legacy data for spatial and temporal monitoring and evaluation of soils, as it is generally cost-effective and results based on past soil information are available while gathering new data requires costly and time consuming re-sampling and laboratory analysis [6]. Legacy soil datasets have been used to quantify variation in SOC and soil pH in China [7], South Korea [5], England and Wales [29] and Australia [6]. Thus, assessment of the variability of SOC and soil pH using the legacy soil data of Dinajpur district could identify the change in the levels of these properties over time, and what parts of the land types were more vulnerable to the loss of SOC and decline in soil pH.…”