Difference in Soil Biogeochemical Properties of Agricultural Highland by Topographical Characteristic and Soil Management

Abstract

In agricultural highland, soil properties change over time due to soil management methods, soil erosion, and cultivation. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in soil properties according to land management in agricultural highland. As a result of the soil analysis, Anbandegi, Maebongsan, Yeongwol, and Jeongseon, located near the top of the mountain, had low bulk densities, and organic matter, CEC, exchangeable cation, water stable aggregation rate, and dehydrogenase activity, were relatively higher than those of Daegwallyeong and Punch bowl. In the Daegwallyeong and Punch bowl, saprolite soil was periodically piled to replace eroded top-soil, and as a result, soil characteristics differed significantly from those located near the top of the mountain. In the principal component analysis result, organic matter showed the largest eigenvalue in PC1, and pH was selected as PC2. The distribution of soil clusters by sampling point was PC1, and Daegwallyeong and Punch bowl were classified differently from highland areas near the top of the mountain, and coastal basins and Daegwallyeong were classified by PC2. In conclusion, highland soil showed different soil properties for each region, which was the result of differences according to the soil management methods. And considering the relationship between soil characteristics, it was confirmed that organic matter was the most important factor in the soil management methods. Coefficients of each variable for PC1 and PC2 through the PCA of agricultural highland soils.