Abstract
Trace elements in farmland soil are important indicators of soil quality and farmland health, and also maintain the nutrient balance and promote the healthy growth of plants. In this study, taking Conghua District of Guangzhou city as the study area, the effects of topography, soil, land use, and other factors on trace elements in soil were investigated, and the spatial variability of boron (B), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in farmland soil in a typical red soil region were mapped using a geographically weighted regression (GWR) method. The pH and land economic index (LEI) were important factors affecting the changes in trace element concentrations in the five soils, and the Cu and Zn concentrations were clearly affected by human factors. In the study area, 86.99% of B measurements were classified as low and very low levels, 50.61% and 49.20% of Mo measurements were also low and very low, 71.79% of Mn measurements were classified as moderate, while 91.02% of Cu and 52.95% of Zn measurements were classified as high. After a cross validation, the GWR Kriging (GWRK) model results of each element were relatively stable, and the order of the fitting coefficient (R2) was Cu > Zn > B> Mn > Mo. This study clarifies the spatial distribution and influencing factors of soil microelements in the studied region. This information can be used to improve the nutrient imbalance, further guide agricultural production, strengthen the management of farmland, and improve the healthy productivity of cultivated land.
Highlights
Trace elements in farmland soils are important environmental indicators [1,2], and are used to characterize soil quality [3,4]
It is of great significance to accurately describe the spatial variability of trace elements in farmland and clarify the influence of various factors on the evolution of trace elements in the farmland ecosystem to improve the yield and quality of plants, implement field management, and increase farmland health and productivity
With the increase in the application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elemental fertilizers, the proportion of farmland nutrients has gradually become unbalanced, resulting in increasingly serious problems such as trace element deficiencies [35]. To effectively alleviate such imbalances and enhance the sustainable supply of elements available for plant growth, it is necessary to take targeted field management measures according to the spatial variation in trace element concentrations in soil [36]
Summary
Trace elements in farmland soils are important environmental indicators [1,2], and are used to characterize soil quality [3,4]. The abundance/deficiency of each trace element in the soil directly affects the growth and development of crops, as well as human health to a certain extent [5]. The spatial variability of trace elements and their influencing factors, have attracted increasing attention from researchers worldwide [6,7,8]. Due to the combined effect of soil formation processes and human factors, the distribution of trace elements in different regions and on different scales has a certain spatial heterogeneity [9,10]. It is of great significance to accurately describe the spatial variability of trace elements in farmland and clarify the influence of various factors on the evolution of trace elements in the farmland ecosystem to improve the yield and quality of plants, implement field management, and increase farmland health and productivity
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