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Soil Quality Mediates the Corn Yield in a Thin-Layer Mollisol in Northeast China

Author

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  • Wei Fang

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
    College of Earth Sciences, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China)

  • Xuemei Zhong

    (College of Earth Sciences, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China)

  • Xinhua Peng

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Linyuan Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Shaoliang Zhang

    (School of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China)

  • Lei Gao

    (State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China)

Abstract

Soil quality (SQ) is critical to sustainable agricultural development. It is sensitive to the crop yield, especially in thin-layer black-soil regions, which have experienced severe degradation in recent years. However, how to evaluate the SQ and its influence on land productivity is not clear in regions with thin black-soil coverage. Therefore, an integrated soil quality index (SQI) was constructed using diverse datasets along a 30 km transect in a typical thin-layer black-soil region of China. The results showed that obvious soil degradation was observed in this area. Black-soil thickness (BST), soil organic matter (SOM), and the total nitrogen (TN) content were the most strongly correlated with corn yield among the 13 investigated indexes, with Pearson coefficients of 0.65, 0.39 and 0.34, respectively. The minimum-dataset-based SQI using six soil properties within 0–30 cm was the optimal solution for SQ evaluation in the study area. The good performance of the established SQI using the optimal method was supported by its strong correlation with the corn yield, with a Pearson coefficient and linear R 2 of 0.75 and 0.56, respectively. The BST identified by differences in colour across the soil profile provided powerful information for the SQI, the value of which would be underestimated by 8% if this index were ignored. The linear R 2 between the SQI and corn yield decreased from 0.56 to 0.49 when the BST index was removed. This study showed the significance of improving the SQ in thin-layer black-soil regions. The core of soil management is to prevent the losses of surface black soil and improve the SOM content in this region. These findings can help farmers and decision makers adopt proper measures to improve SQ and thereby crop yield.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Fang & Xuemei Zhong & Xinhua Peng & Linyuan Li & Shaoliang Zhang & Lei Gao, 2023. "Soil Quality Mediates the Corn Yield in a Thin-Layer Mollisol in Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:6:p:1187-:d:1165006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Leilei Wen & Fenli Zheng & Haiou Shen & Feng Bian & Yiliang Jiang, 2015. "Rainfall intensity and inflow rate effects on hillslope soil erosion in the Mollisol region of Northeast China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 79(1), pages 381-395, October.
    2. Mingliang Jiang & Ligang Xu & Xiaobing Chen & Hua Zhu & Hongxiang Fan, 2020. "Soil Quality Assessment Based on a Minimum Data Set: A Case Study of a County in the Typical River Delta Wetlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, October.
    3. Salman A. H. Selmy & Salah H. Abd Al-Aziz & Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta & Francisco Jesús García-Navarro & Mohamed E. Fadl, 2021. "Soil Quality Assessment Using Multivariate Approaches: A Case Study of the Dakhla Oasis Arid Lands," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Xiaoyan Li & Huiying Li & Limin Yang & Yongxing Ren, 2018. "Assessment of Soil Quality of Croplands in the Corn Belt of Northeast China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, January.
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