Northeast Region Of China Research Articles

Soil Surface Roughness Characteristics Under Different Agricultural Tillage Practices—A Case Study in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China

Soil Surface Roughness Characteristics Under Different Agricultural Tillage Practices—A Case Study in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China

Assessing the impact of climate warming on tree species composition and distribution in the forest region of Northeast China.

Global climate change has markedly influenced the structure and distribution of mid-high-latitude forests. In the forest region of Northeast China, the magnitude of climate warming surpasses the global average, which presents immense challenges to the survival and habitat sustainability of dominant tree species. We predicted the potential changes in aboveground biomass, dominant tree species composition, and distribution in the forest region of Northeast China over the next century under different climatic conditions encompassing the current scenario and future scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5). Forest ecosystem process model LINKAGES 3.0 was used to simulate dynamic changes in species-level aboveground biomass under four climate scenarios at the homogeneous land-type unit level. The potential spatial distribution of tree species was investigated based on three indicators: extinction, colonization, and persistence. The results showed that LINKAGES 3.0 model effectively simulated the aboveground biomass of 17 dominant tree species in the forest region of Northeast China, achieving a high accuracy with R² = 0.88. Under the current, RCP2.6, and RCP4.5 climate scenarios, the dominant tree species presented gradual increases in aboveground biomass, whereas under RCP8.5, an initial increase and subsequent decline were observed. With increasing warming magnitude, cold-temperate coniferous tree species will gradually be replaced by other temperate broad-leaved tree species. Furthermore, a large temperature increase under RCP8.5 will likely produce a significant contraction in the potential distribution range of tree species like Larch, Scotch pine, Ribbed birch, Spruce and Fir, while most temperate broad-leaved tree species and Korean pine are expected to demonstrate a northward migration. These findings provide guidance for enhancing the adaptability and resilience of forest ecosystems in middle and high latitudes and addressing the threats posed by climate warming.

The Effects of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on the Land Surface Temperature Over Northeast China

To investigate the impacts of land use and land cover change (LULCC) on regional climate in Northeast China, the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model was run with the satellite land cover type, vegetation fraction (Fg), leaf area index, and albedo in 2001 and 2018, respectively, and the results were compared. The major LULCC during 2001–2018 were conversions from grasslands to croplands over the central regions of Northeast China and conversions from woody savannas to deciduous broadleaf forests in the northern and eastern portions of Northeast China. The changes in Fg and albedo are highly correlated with the daytime land surface temperature (Ts). From 2001 to 2018, the daytime Ts is decreased (increased) over the central regions of Northeast China by more than 1 K in summer (winter). There is also a widespread, about 1 K, cooling in the spring and autumn temperatures. The changes of the nighttime Ts and the daytime Ts from 2001 to 2018 are similar in summer, autumn, and winter, but the nighttime Ts changes are comparatively smaller. Analysis of the surface energy budget and the biophysical effects found that the cooling of the daytime Ts over the central regions of Northeast China in spring, summer, and autumn from 2001 to 2018 can be attributed to a decrease of absorbed shortwave radiation and an increase of latent heat flux corresponding to LULCC. This cooling is weakened by the decrease of the sensible heat flux. In contrast, the widespread warming trend of the daytime Ts in winter is mainly due to an increased net shortwave radiation, which offsets the cooling effects of surface fluxes. During the nighttime, the soil heat flux contributes the most to the changes of Ts.

Assessment of the current invasive situation of alien plants in semi-arid area of Northeast China

Alien invasive plants have been found in the semi-arid region of Northeast China for a long time, but the overall invasion situation is rarely reported. In this study, we established a database of alien invasive plants in the semi-arid area of Northeast China through field investigation, specimen collection, research of specimen online information platform and literature. The results showed that there were 34 species of alien invasive plants belonging to 26 genera and 10 families in the semi-arid area of Northeast China, among which the Composite family had the largest number of richness, with 9 genera (34.6%) and 11 species (32.4%). There were 15 species (44.1%) in 11 genera (42.3%) of Legumes, Solanaceae and Gramineae. In all the alien invasive plants, 33 species were herbaceous plants, being overwhelmingly dominant (97.1%). There were both 7 species of countrywide invasive plants with invasive grade 1 and 2, each accounting for 20.6% of the total. The number of species with invasive grade 4 was the largest, 17 species, accounting for 50% of the total. The invasive plants originated in North America and Europe was the most, accounting for 64.7%, while those from South America, Asia and Africa accounted for 35.3%. Totally, 44.1% of all the invasive alien plants were intentionally introduced, while 55.9% were unintentionally introduced. In the semi-arid area of Northeast China, 81.3% of the counties (cities) had the distribution of alien invasive plants, and the invasion situation was very serious.

Soil water uptake from different depths of three tree species indicated by hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes in the permafrost region of Northeast China.

Global warming has caused the gradual degradation of permafrost, which may affect the vegetation water uptake from different depths. However, the water utilization strategies of different vegetation species during the thawing stages of permafrost regions need further study. To elucidate these differences, we selected the permafrost region in Northeast China as study area. We analyzed the water uptake from different depths of Larix gmelinii, a deciduous coniferous tree, Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, an evergreen tree, and Betula platyphylla, a deciduous broadleaf tree, using stable isotopes of xylem water, soil water, and precipitation from June to October 2019. The results showed that L. gmelinii primarily used shallow soil water (0-40cm) with the highest proportion at 64.1%, B. platyphylla generally used middle soil water (40-110cm) with the highest proportion at 55.7%, and P. sylvestris mainly used middle (40-110cm) and deep soil water (110-150cm) with the highest proportion at 40.4% and 56.9%. The water sources from different depths exhibited more frequent changes in P. sylvestris, indicating a higher water uptake capacity from different soil depths. L. gmelinii mainly uptakes water from shallow soils, suggesting that the water uptake of this species is sensitive to permafrost degradation. This study revealed the water uptake strategies from different depths of three tree species in a permafrost region, and the results suggested that water uptake capacity of different tree species should be considered in the prediction of vegetation changes in permafrost regions under a warming climate.

Typical Village and Town Houses in the Cold Region of Northeast China: Simulation Analysis of Courtyard Layout and Winter Wind Environment Habitability

Folk residence in the cold region of Northeast China is an integral part of China’s traditional folk residence, with significant geographical representation. In this paper, we take the residential compounds of villages and towns in the cold region of Northeast China as the research object, summarize four typical layout forms of residential compounds of villages and towns in the cold region of Northeast China, simulate the wind environment of combinations of different layout forms in winter using the computer numerical simulation software Fluent, and then analyze and evaluate the wind environment of the compounds, including the evaluation standard of the wind speed ratio and considering the area of wind shadows, number of vortices, and other factors.

Influences of conservation tillage on soil macrofaunal biodiversity and trophic structure in the Mollisol region of Northeast China

Tillage regimes directly impact soil disturbance and crop residue levels in the field, subsequently affecting soil macrofauna abundance and diversity, crucial for maintaining soil health and ecosystem functionality. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different tillage regimes (no-tillage (NT), conventional tillage (CT) and reduced-tillage (RT)) on soil properties and macrofaunal communities in a typical black soil region of Northeast China. Our study revealed that, in comparison to CT and RT, NT significantly enhanced soil macrofauna biodiversity and brought about modification in the community composition. Additionally, it reduced changes in the soil physical–chemical properties. Furthermore, the choice of tillage regimes impacted the trophic structure of soil macrofauna, manifesting in great density and species richness of herbivores and predators in NT plots with crop residue retention when compared to those managed with tillage. Overall, soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH played pivotal roles in regulating the soil macrofaunal community. The alternations observed in the soil macrofaunal community represented a comprehensive response to tillage practices and residue return, which in turn influenced soil properties and microenvironments, including food resources and microhabitats. Therefore, our findings indicated that conservation tillage exerted a notable influence on the soil macrofaunal community. This underscores the significance of soil environments and properties in molding the structure and composition of the soil macrofaunal community. The study will enhance comprehension of soil management practices and advocate for diversity within soil macrofaunal communities.

The impact of economic uncertainty on carbon emission: Evidence from China

Economic uncertainty (EU) has received greater attention in recent years Based on media data, this research applies the Latent Dirichlet Allocation method to create a new provincial EU index and from panel data of provinces in China examines how EU impacts carbon emissions. The calculations illustrate that province-level EU in the country exerts a significantly positive influence on province-level carbon emissions. A mechanism test indicates that EU raises carbon emissions by harming green technology innovation, enterprise profits, and carbon emission efficiency. Companies hesitantly make decisions, put off innovations, and use cheaper, environmentally-unfriendly materials, and so a moderating test shows that a province's economic level suppresses the impact of EU on carbon emissions whereas foreign direct investment enhances it. Developed areas are more capable of bearing the negative effect from high EU, while foreign companies tend to focus on short-term profit instead of environment protection. Central and northeast regions of China suffer a significant impact from EU on carbon emissions, but the east and west regions incur no obvious change when undergoing EU. The west region is too backwards to see any impact from EU, while the east region is the opposite. Carbon emissions from transportation and industrial production incur a significant impact from EU, but not from daily life activities. Spatial analysis describes that carbon emissions see a significant impact of EU from other provinces. Governments and decision makers should thus give carbon emissions a higher priority, and the case of China is rather applicable to other regions and countries.

Modified biochar reduces the greenhouse gas emission intensity and enhances the net ecosystem economic budget in black soil soybean fields

Long-term high intensity utilization leads to the degradation of black soil in Northeast China and the serious loss of organic carbon. Biochar has great potential for improving the carbon storage capacity of agroforestry ecosystems and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the effectiveness of biochar application depends on pedoclimatic factors, and few studies have explored the effects of biochar and its modified biochars on the net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB) of black soil farmland. To increase the environmental benefits of carbon sequestration and emission reduction and to improve farmer profits, this study modified biochars by physical, chemical and biological methods, and studied the effects of different types of modified biochars on soil properties, crop yield and GHG emissions in black soil farmland through field experiments. The NEEB of different treatments was evaluated by combining carbon cost, yield benefit and biochar cost. A total of 6 treatments were used in the experiment: normal fertilization (CK), fertilization + raw biochar (BC), fertilization + physically modified biochar (PBC), fertilization + acid-modified biochar (HBC), fertilization + magnetically modified biochar (MBC), and fertilization+ biologically modified biochar (BBC) treatments. Compared with the control (CK), the application of biochar increased the content of soil organic matter by 18.76–42.57% and improved the soil fertility. The raw biochar had no significant effect on soybean yield and increased the global warming potential by 41.18%. Soybean yields significantly increased with decreasing GHG emission intensity when modified biochars were applied. Due to the high cost of biochar and the current low carbon price, the effect of biochar on crop yield is crucial for increasing the NEEB. The NEEB in the HBC treatment was the highest, 57.86% higher than that in the CK treatment and was an effective strategy for increasing crop yield while reducing GHG emissions. The results of this study could provide a theoretical basis and technical support for soybean farmland carbon sequestration, emission reduction, soil improvement and yield improvement in the black soil region of Northeast China.

Measurement of cultivated land ecosystem resilience in black soil region of Northeast China under the background of cultivated land protection policy in China: Case study of Qiqihar City

Scientific understanding and measurement of cultivated ecosystem resilience is crucial for the protection of cultivated land represented by black soil and the sustainable development of cultivated land ecosystem. In this study, we took Qiqihar, a typical black soil region, as the study area and divided the cultivated land ecosystem into two subsystems, black soil ecology and human socioeconomic. And we constructed a “policy background - generation process - system composition” measurement element screening model (PGSM) to establish the subsystem index systems. Cultivated land ecosystem resilience in 2020 was measured by the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model and the multiscale fusion model. The results showed that the resilience of the black soil ecological subsystem (54.27) in Qiqihar is higher than that of the socioeconomic subsystem (49.01), and their spatial distribution trends were opposite. The overall resilience of cultivated land ecosystem was moderately low (51.64) but spatially heterogeneous. Cultivated land resource endowment and human activities pressure had the greatest impact on the subsystem. Socioeconomic input was the primary problem in regional resilience. Based on these findings, we made suggestions for cultivated land protection in black soil regions. This study contributes to the scientific and comprehensive measurement of the cultivated land ecosystem resilience and provides reference for sustainable management of black soil systems in China and globally.

Seasonal change of tensile crack morphology and its spatial distribution along gully bank and gully slope in the Mollisols region of Northeast China

Gully bank expansion is a critical process of gully development, with tensile cracks development being a necessary condition for gully bank instability and collapse. However, there has been a lack of research on the morphological characteristics of tensile cracks and their distribution along gully bank and slope, which hinders our understanding of gully expansion and its underlying mechanisms. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by investigating the temporal changes in the morphology and spatial distribution of tensile cracks in the Mollisols region of Northeast China. We conducted field investigations at three times: 2020–10 (before freeze–thaw), 2021–05 (after freeze–thaw), and 2021–10 (after rainy season). Morphological and topographical indicators, as well as the locations of each crack, were taken into determination, and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was employed to capture images of the gullies for clarifying the distribution of tensile cracks. A total of 284 cracks were found with 66.9 % of them on the gully bank and 33.1 % on the gully slope, with their average length, width, and depth of 4.69 m, 8.88 cm, and 20.55 cm, respectively. The length of cracks after freeze–thaw increased by 12.8 %, while the width and depth decreased by 31.2 % and 32.5 %, respectively, and the width of cracks increased by 16.5 % but their length and width decreased by 14.8 % and 24.8 % after rainy season, respectively. The cracks in the rainy season were mainly extinction, and the total length of the cracks is 86.3 % higher than that in the freeze–thaw period, while the freeze–thaw period is dominated by the new formation of cracks with the length of the newly formed cracks being 28.3 % higher than that in the rainy season. Most cracks were distributed in the middle and lower part of gully, and the cracks were closer to the gully head and the gully channel centerline after freeze–thaw. The length, width, and depth of cracks showed a significantly negative correlation with upstream slope, and they were significantly and positively related with gully slope and gully-slope length. Our results provide critical insights into the nature and severity of cracks, lending vital support to the study of gully bank expansion.

Temporal variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity on a typical black soil slope of northeast China

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) is highly variable in both space and time. Compared to its spatial variability, however, the temporal Ks variability has rarely been studied or taken into account in the hydrological modelling. The objectives were to characterize the slope-scale temporal variability of Ks and to diagnose the primary factors regulating Ks variation during the growing season. In the black soil region of northeast China, a typical slope farmland dominated by silt loam was selected and divided into five sections with respect to soil erosion. Soil samples were collected in each section at approximately every 3 weeks during the maize growing season, and Ks, bulk density (BD), land surface roughness, wet-aggregate stability (WAS), soil organic carbon content (SOC), clay and sand contents (SAND) were investigated. Mainly owing to root growth, precipitation and agricultural management, strong temporal variability of Ks was observed in each of the five sections, as the corresponding coefficients of variation all exceeded 35 %. Using the redundancy analysis (RDA) and classical correlation analyses, the primary variables controlling Ks distribution varied among sections, i.e., precipitation (P) and SAND in the erosive section and BD in the others. The predominance of BD was also manifested when performing RDA and structural equation modelling (SEM) over the entire slope covering all five sections.The other significant factors included SAND, SOC, P and WAS, in the decreasing order of direct path coefficient. In addition, these factors also indirectly affected Ks through their influence on BD and/or other factors. These findings demonstrate the strong temporal variability of Ks throughout the maize growing season and intricate interactions of Ks with related factors, and have important implications for hydrological modelling and agricultural production in the black soil region of northeast China and other similar regions.

Impacts of Multi-Strategy Nitrogen Fertilizer Management on Potato Yield and Economic Gains in Northeast China

Differentiated nitrogen (N) application styles and dosages can directly affect crop yield and planting costs. To maximize the efficiency of N fertilizer utilization and solve the problem of increasing production without increasing income, the Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model was used in this study to carry out experiments simulating different N application styles and dosages for potatoes at 15 meteorological observation stations in the northeast region of China during 2013–2017. The present study aims to analyze the relationship among yield, cost, and net gains under different N fertilizer management scenarios by combining the cost-benefit method. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the staged and incremental application of N fertilizer during the potato growth period can promote a yield increase. The lowest yield was achieved by a one-time basal application of N fertilizer at sowing, and the highest yield was observed when N fertilizer was applied in a 1:1 ratio at sowing and the end of tuber formation, respectively. (2) The range for N fertilizer application to achieve the highest potato yield at each station is 275–330 kg·ha−1. (3) The highest potato yield under sufficient N application treatments did not correspond to the highest net gains. Potato net gains at all stations showed an increasing-then-decreasing trend with the increase in N application. The highest gains were obtained when 220 kg·ha−1, 220 kg·ha−1, and 275 kg·ha−1 of N fertilizer were applied in a 1:1 ratio as a basal fertilizer and supplementary fertilizer at sowing, and the end of tuber formation in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, respectively. This study provides a reference program for potato planting with the highest benefits for regional governments, farmers, and enterprises and aims to improve the status quo of potato planting, increasing production without increasing income.

Temporal and Spatial Variation in Rainfall Erosivity in the Rolling Hilly Region of Northeast China

The Rolling Hilly Region of Northeast China (RHRNEC) is a critical grain production area in China, and soil erosion is a major problem in this region. To determine spatial and temporal changes in rainfall erosivity (RE) in the RHRNEC and generate information useful for soil and water conservation, agricultural management, and ecological protection efforts, a RE index consisting of nine erosivity indices based on normal and extreme precipitation was established. The normal RE index (NREI) comprised annual RE (ARE), wet season RE (WRE), dry season RE (DRE), typical wet-month RE (TWRE), and typical dry-month RE (TDRE), and the extreme RE index set (EREI) comprised maximum one-day RE (RE × 1 day), maximum five consecutive days RE (RE × 5 day), storm RE (RE50), and maximum continuous RE (CRE). ARE, WRE, and TWRE decreased at relative rates of 2.5%, 2.9%, and 4.1%, respectively. By comparison, DRE increased at a non-significant relative rate of 6.3%, and all extreme RE indices decreased at a non-significant rate relative to 1981–2015 mean values. The future trends for all RE indices were predicted to be opposite to historical trends. The future trends and historical trends of all indices exhibited opposite patterns. RE gradually increased from north to south, and WRE, DRE, and all extreme RE indices were significantly negatively correlated with longitude, latitude, and altitude (p < 0.05). ARE, WRE, and TWRE showed increasing trends in the north and south and decreasing trends in the center. The findings are useful for soil and water conservation, especially for agricultural management and ecological protection.

Occurrence, distribution and ecological risk assessment of herbicide residues in cropland soils from the Mollisols region of Northeast China

The first systematic and comprehensive investigation of herbicide residues was conducted by identifying their spatial distribution, influencing factors and ecological risk in cropland soils from the Mollisols region covering 109 million hm2 in Northeast China. Fifty-six herbicides were detected with total herbicide concentrations ranging from 1.01 to 1558.13 μg/kg (mean: 227.45). Atrazine, its degradates deethyl atrazine (DEA) and deisopropyl atrazine (DIA), trifluralin and butachlor were the most frequently detected herbicides, while DEA, clomazone, nicosulfuron, fomesafen, and mefenacet exhibited the highest concentrations. Despite being less frequently reported in Chinese soils, fomesafen, nicosulfuron, clomazone, and mefenacet were found widely present. Although most of the compounds posed a minimal or low ecological risk, atrazine, nicosulfuron and DEA exhibited medium to high potential risks. The key factors identified to regulate the fate of herbicides were soil chemical properties, amount of herbicides application, and the crop type. The soybean soils showed highest herbicide residues, while the soil mineral contents likely adsorbed more herbicides. This study provides a valuable large-scale dataset of herbicide residues across the entire Mollisols region of China along with fine-scale characterization of the ecological risks. Mitigation and management measures are needed to reduce the herbicide inputs and residues in the region.

Assessment of the cultivated land quality in the black soil region of Northeast China based on the field scale.

In some developing countries, particularly China, a significant number of individual farmers manage small field scale of cultivated land. However, the existing research on cultivated land quality assessment mainly focuses on large-scale regions, establishing comprehensive index systems from a macro perspective, while lacking evaluations customized to individual farmers, who constitute a crucial component in agricultural production, and a demand-driven field-scale assessment of cultivated land quality. Therefore, we developed a field-scale index system that meets the needs of individual farmers in the black soil region of Northeast China. Additionally, we proposed a machine learning model for field-scale cultivated land quality assessment. The experimental results showed that our model achieved an [Formula: see text] value of 0.9660 and an [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] under fourfold cross-validation, which represents an improvement of 5.19% and a reduction of 1.13%, respectively, relative to the XGBoost model. Ultimately, we conducted obstacle factor diagnosis, aiming to assist individual farmers in identifying the existing issues in their cultivated land fields. This study not only provides guidance to individual farmers but also addresses the research gap in cultivated land quality assessment by offering an individual farmer demand-driven index system for field-scale studies.

Investigating the Soil Wind Erosion in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China Based on <sup>137</sup>Cs Tracer Method

Investigating the Soil Wind Erosion in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China Based on <sup>137</sup>Cs Tracer Method

Statistical analysis of wind load probabilistic models considering wind direction and calculation of reference wind pressure values in Liaoning Province, China

Wind pressure serves as the fundamental base for architectural design, particularly the reference wind pressure value, which affects the reliability and economy of high-rise, towering, and large-span structures. To facilitate the calculation of reference wind pressure values for design reference periods, load codes from various countries offer probabilistic distribution models for wind speed or reference wind pressure. However, the application of a uniform load probabilistic distribution model for calculating the reference wind pressure for the reference period often results in overestimation or underestimation of the reference wind pressure. To this end, this study collected annual maximum wind speed data from 34 meteorological stations in Liaoning Province, a region in Northeast China, and established extreme value type I, extreme value type III, lognormal, and generalized extreme value distribution models for the annual maximum wind speeds using the maximum likelihood method and method of moment, respectively. The goodness-of-fit test was conducted utilizing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov method. The results showed that the extreme value type III model and the method of moment achieved the best goodness-of-fit for the probabilistic distribution of annual maximum wind speeds. Based on the measured wind direction data corresponding to the annual maximum wind speed, joint probability density functions and cumulative probability density functions of wind speed and wind direction were established. Finally, the influence of different load statistical periods on the reference wind pressure was analyzed.

Spatial variation in soil aggregate stability and erodibility at different slope positions in four hilly regions of northeast China

The spatial heterogeneity of erosion can affect soil properties in agricultural areas, which can in turn alter the soil aggregate stability and erodibility. However, it remains elusive how aggregate stability and soil erodibility vary at different positions in the Mollisol region of northeast China, and how soil properties drive these variations. This study selected different slope positions across a latitudinal gradient in four hilly regions from cold temperate (Jiusan, JS; Keshan, KS) to middle temperate (Hailun, HL; Binxian, BX) areas in northeast China. The spatial variations of soil properties, geometric mean diameter (GMD), mean weight diameter (MWD), soil erodibility (K), and soil structural stability index (SSI) were calculated at topsoils (0–20 cm) and subsoils (20–40 cm). Total nitrogen (TN) and soil organic carbon (SOC) decreased with increasing latitudes, and gradually declined and finally rose with decreasing slope positions. MWD, GMD, and SSI were the highest in JS, and first obviously decreased from the top position to lower position, and then increased at the bottom position. The K followed an order of BX > HL > KS > JS, and decreased in the bottom position compared with that in the middle and lower positions across the four regions, which could be ascribed to the new aggregate formation promoted by fine soil particle deposition at the slope bottom. Redundancy analysis and variance decomposition analysis indicated that SOC, TN, and bulk density had higher vector values, and region (interpretation rate = 57.97 %) had the greatest influence on aggregate stability and soil erodibility. Available potassium (AK), saturated conductivity (KS), SOC, TN and soil texture were the main factors driving the variation of MWD and K. These findings highlight the spatial variations in soil aggregate stability and erodibility in Mollisol regions, providing a scientific basis for soil restoration in eroded farmland.

Temporal and spatial distribution and development of permanent gully in cropland in the rolling hill region (phaeozems area) of northeast China

The cropland in the Songnen phaeozems area (SPA) experiences an extensive gully erosion in the black soil region of northeast China. This study investigates the historical trends, current status, and future trajectories of permanent gully (PG) development, aiming to reveal the mechanisms behind PG development and protect the black soil. We selected nine study areas, totalling 378 km2, across three latitudinal zones in the SPA with slopes of 0–1 %, 1–3 %, and 3–5 %. The results revealed a consistent rise in gully density over time in the SPA, with values increasing from 0.87 km/km2 in 1970 to 0.94 km/km2 in 2010, and 1.32 km/km2 in 2021. Conversely, the ground lacerative degree significantly decreased from 0.025 km2/ km2 in 1970 to 0.010 km2/ km2 in 2010, and rebounding slightly to 0.019 km2/ km2 in 2021. The development rate of PG in the northern area was higher than that in the middle and southern areas, with steeper slopes (3–5 %) having more PGs compared to gentler slopes. The average rate of gully area extension increased with increasing gully level. From 1970 to 2010, the area of PG experienced a decline attributed to extensive gully management. However, subsequent decade (2010–2021) experienced a more rapid PG development, resulting in an annual cropland loss of 0.097 %. The northern area has consistently exhibited the fastest PG development rate in 1970–2021. It is noteworthy that managing gullies through reclamation after filling PG has resulted in the re-generation of secondary gullies in the same locations, which developed more rapidly than natural gullies. The reclamation after filling PG, without improvement of field drainage systems, contributes to an accelerated development rate of PG in cropland. Despite significant reductions in the total area and length of PGs through large-scale gully management, the notable increase in the development rate of gullies warrantsattention in the SPA of northeast China. Furthermore, the global community should take caution with inappropriate gully management measures because they not only prove ineffective but aggravate gully erosion.