Soil Quality Improvement with Increasing Reclamation Years in the Yellow River Delta

Abstract

The saline soils in the Yellow River Delta are primarily affected by seawater intrusion resulting from the intersection of land and sea, which exhibit variations in salinity. The quality of these soils is also influenced by anthropogenic reclamation, including fertilization and irrigation. This study quantitatively evaluated the distinct soil properties and soil quality characteristics of the Yellow River Delta during different reclamation years (i.e., 0a, 1a, 5a, 10a, and 20a) using principal component analysis (PCA) and the Soil Quality Index (SQI). The findings indicated that the soil salt content (SSC) significantly decreased (p < 0.05) from 6.60 g/kg in the initial reclamation year (0a) to 1.63 g/kg in the 10th year (10a) and then slightly increased to 2.85 g/kg in the 20th year (20a). Consequently, the soil salinity level shifted from saline soil to slight salinity and then increased to medium salinity. Ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) notably increased by 8.31 mg/kg during the first five years of reclamation (0a to 5a) and gradually decreased by 2.56 mg/kg in the 20th year (20a). On the other hand, nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) experienced a significant decrease of 2–5 times after reclamation but continued to increase by 8.96 mg/kg with subsequent reclamation years. The available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and soil organic carbon (SOC) exhibited a significant increase of 24.87 mg/kg, 10.11 mg/kg, and 6.76 g/kg, respectively, with increasing reclamation years. However, available potassium (AK) gradually decreased after reclamation and then increased in the 20th year (20a). The values of SQI for different reclamation years were 0.307 for 0a, 0.339 for 1a, 0.320 for 5a, 0.318 for 10a, and 0.327 for 20a, indicating an increasing trend with increasing reclamation years. It was discovered that long-term reclamation significantly reduced soil salinity and improved soil quality, leading to the sustainable development of reclaimed saline soils in the Yellow River Delta.

Influence of Land Use Types on Soil Properties and Soil Quality in Karst Regions of Southwest China

“…These soil indicators played a crucial role in soil function and ecosystem services and were commonly used as members of MDS for SQ assessment in various ecosystems [24][25][26]. Using an MDS to establish an SQI offered numerous advantages, including cost, labor, and resource savings compared to using the total data set of soil properties [24,37]. Consequently, many previous studies used the MDS to establish the SQI and assess the SQ changes under different land use management or specific regions [2,37].…”

“…Using an MDS to establish an SQI offered numerous advantages, including cost, labor, and resource savings compared to using the total data set of soil properties [24,37]. Consequently, many previous studies used the MDS to establish the SQI and assess the SQ changes under different land use management or specific regions [2,37].…”

The Changes in Cropland Pattern Enhanced Carbon Storage in Northwest China

“…Uncertainty characterizes current estimates of impacts of cropland changes on carbon budgets for distinct types of conversions alike, due to the diversity of associated environmental and anthropogenic factors [16,17]. For example, conversion from forest and grassland to cropland often leads to a major loss of carbon because carbon density decreases [18,19].…”