Abstract
Purpose: The Yellow River delta boasts rich land resources but lacks fresh water and exhibits poor natural conditions. To rationally develop and utilize the land resources therein, it is necessary to evaluate the soil quality. Methods: Adopting specific screening conditions, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to construct a minimum data set (MDS) from 10 soil indicators. Then, a complete soil quality evaluation index system of the Yellow River delta was developed. The soil quality comprehensive index (SQI) method was used to assess the soil quality in the Kenli District, and the soil quality grades and spatial distribution were analyzed. Results: (1) The average SQI of the Kenli District is 0.523, and the best soil quality is concentrated near the Yellow River, especially in Huanghekou town. (2) The normalized difference vegetation index was positively correlate with SQI, whereas Dr (nearest distance between the sampling site and Yellow River) and Ds (nearest distance between the sampling site and Bohai Sea) were negatively correlated with SQI. Elev (sampling site elevation) was not correlated with SQI. (3) The SQI of agricultural planting is greater than that of the natural land type and significantly greater than that of nudation. The main factors limiting farmland soil quality are SK (water-soluble potassium) and pH, whereas the factor limiting the natural land type are the soil nutrient indicators. Conclusions: To improve soil quality and develop and utilize land resources, the towns should adopt systematic land development/utilization methods based on local conditions. These results have important guiding significance and practical value for the more objective and accurate evaluation of soil quality in coastal areas and the development and utilization of land resources.
Highlights
Soil, air and water, are integral components of our environment [1,2,3]
Ten soil characteristics and four external environmental factors related to soil quality were measured and analyzed (Table 2)
Five (Na, pH, organic matter (OM), available nitrogen (AN), simple kriging (SK)) of the 10 soil indicators were selected as the minimum data set (MDS) by principal component analysis (PCA) and external environmental factors, and the comprehensive quality index method was used to evaluate the soil quality in the Kenli District of the Yellow River delta
Summary
Air and water, are integral components of our environment [1,2,3]. Soil can support the growth of plants and animals, maintain and improve the quality of water and air, and provide adequate shelter for humans in both natural and unnatural ecosystems. Understanding soil quality is important to improving sustainable land use management [5], providing early warning signals of adverse trends in soil quality change, identifying problematic areas of soil quality [6], and providing a valuable basis for the subsequent rational use and improvement of soil [7]. These understanding can only be obtained through reliable and accurate soil quality evaluation methods. Soil quality evaluation refers to the monitoring and evaluation of soil properties, soil functions and soil conditions
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