Abstract
Recent urban landscape vegetation surveys conducted in many cities in China identified numerous plant nutrient deficiencies, especially in newly developed cities. Soil nutrients and soil nutrient management in the cities of Hubei province have not received adequate attention to date. The aims of this study were to characterize the available nutrients of urban soils from nine cities in Hubei province, China, and to assess how soil nutrient status is related to land use type and topography. Soil nutrients were measured in 405 sites from 1,215 soil samples collected from four land use types (park, institutional [including government building grounds, municipal party grounds, university grounds, and garden city institutes], residential, and roadside verges) and three topographies (mountainous [142–425 m a.s.l], hilly [66–112 m a.s.l], and plain [26–30 m a.s.l]). Chemical analyses showed that urban soils in Hubei had high pH and lower soil organic matter, available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and available boron (B) concentrations than natural soils. Nutrient concentrations were significantly different among land use types, with the roadside and residential areas having greater concentrations of calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) that were not deficient against the recommended ranges. Topographic comparisons showed statistically significant effects for 8 of the 11 chemical variables (p < 0.05). Concentrations of N, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, and Mn in plain cities were greater than those in mountainous cities and show a negative correlation with city elevation. These results provide data on urban soils characteristics in land use types and topography, and deliver significant information for city planners and policy makers.
Highlights
Urbanization has been an especially rapid process in developing countries such as China
The aim of our study was to characterize the available nutrients of urban soils from nine cities in Hubei province, China, and to assess how soil nutrient status was related to land use type and topography
8% samples fell below neutrality, all the rest were alkaline
Summary
Urbanization has been an especially rapid process in developing countries such as China. Urban greenland is an important and essential component of urban construction that filters harmful substances, improves micro-climates, and reduces noise, and improves the aesthetic value of the city, propagates progressive city culture, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions [3]. After extensive ‘green city’ construction, it has been found that garden plants fail to form the expected ‘garden’ landscape, and some plants die from wilt disease a few years later after transplanting [4].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
