Yongcun Zhao

Major nutrient balances in small-scale vegetable farming systems in peri-urban areas in China

Balances of major nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in small-scale farming systems are of critical importance to nutrient management and sustainable agricultural development. Mass balances of N, P, and K and some of their influencing factors were studied for two years from July 2003 to July 2005 on small-scale vegetable-farming systems in two contrasting peri-urban areas (Nanjing and Wuxi) of the Yangtze river delta region of China. This balance approach considered organic fertilizer inputs (cow manure, pig manure, and human biosolids), inorganic fertilizer inputs (urea, composite fertilizer, and phosphates), irrigation water, and atmospheric deposition; and considered outputs by vegetables. Input via organic fertilizers was significant for all element balances in the Nanjing area. Inorganic and organic fertilizer, particularly inorganic fertilizer, contributed major nutrient inputs to the system in the Wuxi area. Compared with nutrient output by vegetables, there were significant surpluses of N and P on two vegetable farm systems. Furthermore, N surplus in the Nanjing area was higher than that in the Wuxi area with an inverse relationship to P surplus. In contrast, the general trend of K balances was negative on both sites; hence, the nutrient use efficiency was significantly lower for N and P than K. The nutrient imbalance may be attributed to the differences between fertilizer types and management modes driven by social economic status differences among farmer households. The large N and P net excess creates an environmental threat because of potential losses to ground or surface waters, whereas negative K balance creates soil fertility risks. The results highlight researchers’ and farmers’ need to develop rational fertilization technology to optimize nutrient management on vegetable farmlands to promote sustainable agricultural development in peri-urban areas.

Sources of heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils of a rapidly industrializing area in the Yangtze Delta of China

The rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries have increased pollution by heavy metals, which is a concern for human health and the environment. In this study, 230 surface soil samples (0-20cm) were collected from agricultural areas of Jiaxing, a rapidly industrializing area in the Yangtze Delta of China. Sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and multivariate factorial kriging analysis (FKA) were used to identify and explore the sources of heavy metal pollution for eight metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd, Hg and As). Localized hot-spots of pollution were identified for Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni and Cd with area percentages of 0.48 percent, 0.58 percent, 2.84 percent, 2.41 percent, 0.74 percent, and 0.68 percent, respectively. The areas with Hg pollution covered approximately 38 percent whereas no potential pollution risk was found for As. The soil parent material and point sources of pollution had significant influences on Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd levels, except for the influence of agricultural management practices also accounted for micro-scale variations (nugget effect) for Cu and Zn pollution. Short-range (4km) diffusion processes had a significant influence on Cu levels, although they did not appear to be the dominant sources of Zn and Cd variation. The short-range diffusion pollution arising from current and historic industrial emissions and urbanization, and long-range (33km) variations in soil parent materials and/or diffusion jointly determined the current concentrations of soil Pb. The sources of Hg pollution risk may be attributed to the atmosphere deposition of industrial emission and historical use of Hg-containing pesticides.

Storage and Spatial Variation of Phosphorus in Paddy Soils of China

Abstract Due to the growing concern about the agricultural phosphorus (P) losses pollution, an in-depth understanding of P in paddy soils of China would be helpful in providing a national perspective of the environmental impact of P cycling and fertility on Chinas farms. In this study, we evaluated the P storage and the P density of paddy soils in China, characterized the spatial variations of P among the subgroups of paddy soils and soil regions in China, and evaluated the P data using GIS-based analysis, which included a newly compiled 1:1 000 000 digital soil map of China, and using 1 490 soil profiles. The available and total P densities of paddy soils were 6.7 and 698.5 g m −3 , respectively. Overall in China, the total P storage within 1 m of paddy soils was estimated to be 330.2 Tg. The P density of paddy soils varied substantially with subgroups due to the different soil water regimes such as groundwater table and soil drainage. The P availability in paddy soils, especially in surface layer, was higher in high temperature and precipitation areas. Further research is needed to examine more anthropogenic impact factors, such as increasing use of chemical fertilizer.

Scale Effect of Climate and Soil Texture on Soil Organic Carbon in the Uplands of Northeast China

Abstract Understanding how spatial scale influences commonly-observed effects of climate and soil texture on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage is important for accurately estimating the SOC pool at different scales. The relationships among climate factors, soil texture and SOC density at the regional, provincial, city, and county scales were evaluated at both the soil surface (0–20 cm) and throughout the soil profile (0–100 cm) in the Northeast China uplands. We examined 1 022 profiles obtained from the Second National Soil Survey of China. The results indicated that the relationships between climate factors and SOC density generally weakened with decreasing spatial scale. The provincial scale was optimal to assess the relationship between climate factors and SOC density because regional differences among provinces were covered up at the regional scale. However, the relationship between soil texture and SOC density had no obvious trend with increasing scale and changed with temperature. There were great differences in the impacts of climate factors and soil texture on SOC density at different scales. Climate factors had a larger effect on SOC density than soil texture at the regional scale. Similar trends were seen in Heilongjiang and eastern Inner Mongolia at the provincial scale. But, soil texture had a greater effect on SOC density compared with climate factors in Jilin and Liaoning. At the city and county scales, the influence of soil texture on SOC density was more important than climate factors.

Source identification and spatial variability of nitrogen, phosphorus, and selected heavy metals in surface water and sediment in the riverine systems of a peri-urban interface

This study was conducted, using an elaborate sampling activity of surface water and sediment within an industrially developed peri-urban interface with a riverine system in Wuxi, Taihu Lake area, China, to address the following objectives: (i) to identify possible sources of selected nutrients such as N and P, and heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Cd in surface water and sediments, and (ii) to determine the spatial variability of these elements around the source areas. The results showed that concentrations of N and P in the surface water and Cu, Zn, Cr, and Pb in most of sediments had exceeded trigger levels established by the nation, while all metal concentrations in surface water were still below the levels. The source identification of these pollutants in water and sediments in terms of their spatial distribution pattern and principal component analysis showed that: (i) Pb, N and organic carbon (OC) were closely related to the influence of urban runoff and domestic wastewater; (ii) Cu and Cr were related to the influence of industries; and (iii) P and Zn were related to the effect of both urban and industries. The results of this study showed that urbanization is the main contributor for N and P in the peri-urban interface instead of agricultural sources. The concentrations of N, P, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr in the sediment along the main river decreased with the distance away from the source area. The concentrations of these elements decreased to the background levels at about 4.5–5.5 km downstream of the source of origin.

Minimum Data Set for Assessing Soil Quality in Farmland of Northeast China

Soil quality assessment provides a tool for agriculture managers and policy makers to gain a better understanding of how various agricultural systems affect soil resources. Soil quality of Hailun County, a typical soybean (Glycine max L. Merill) growing area located in Northeast China, was evaluated using soil quality index (SQI) methods. Each SQI was computed using a minimum data set (MDS) selected using principal components analysis (PCA) as a data reduction technique. Eight MDS indicators were selected from 20 physical and chemical soil measurements. The MDS accounted for 74.9% of the total variance in the total data set (TDS). The SQI values for 88 soil samples were evaluated with linear scoring techniques and various weight methods. The results showed that SQI values correlated well with soybean yield (r = 0.658**) when indicators in MDS were weighted by the regression coefficient computed for each yield and index. Stepwise regression between yield and principal components (PCs) indicated that available boron (AvB), available phosphorus (AvP), available potassium (AvK), available iron (AvFe) and texture were the main factors limiting soybean yield. The method used to select an MDS could not only appropriately assess soil quality but also be used as a powerful tool for soil nutrient diagnosis at the regional level.

Impacts of human activities and sampling strategies on soil heavy metal distribution in a rapidly developing region of China

The impacts of industrial and agricultural activities on soil Cd, Hg, Pb, and Cu in Zhangjiagang City, a rapidly developing region in China, were evaluated using two sampling strategies. The soil Cu, Cd, and Pb concentrations near industrial locations were greater than those measured away from industrial locations. The converse was true for Hg. The top enrichment factor (TEF) values, calculated as the ratio of metal concentrations between the topsoil and subsoil, were greater near industrial location than away from industrial locations and were further related to the industry type. Thus, the TEF is an effective index to distinguish sources of toxic elements not only between anthropogenic and geogenic but also among different industry types. Target soil sampling near industrial locations resulted in a greater estimation in high levels of soil heavy metals. This study revealed that the soil heavy metal contamination was primarily limited to local areas near industrial locations, despite rapid development over the last 20 years. The prevention and remediation of the soil heavy metal pollution should focus on these high-risk areas in the future.

Regional Simulation of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics for Dry Farmland in East China by Coupling a 1:500 000 Soil Database with the Century Model

Abstract Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils influence soil quality and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Dry farmland covers more than 70% of the whole cropland area in China and plays an important role in mitigating carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. In this study, 4 109 dry farmland soil polygons were extracted using spatial overlay analysis of the soil layer (1:500 000) and the land use layer (1:500 000) to support Century model simulations of SOC dynamics for dry farmland in Anhui Province, East China from 1980 to 2008. Considering two field-validation sites, the Century model performed relatively well in modeling SOC dynamics for dry farmland in the province. The simulated results showed that the area-weighted mean soil organic carbon density (SOCD) of dry farmland increased from 18.77 Mg C ha −1 in 1980 to 23.99 Mg C ha −1 in 2008 with an average sequestration rate of 0.18 Mg C ha −1 year −1 . Approximately 94.9% of the total dry farmland area sequestered carbon while 5.1% had carbon lost. Over the past 29 years, the net SOC gain in dry farmland soils of the province was 19.37 Tg, with an average sequestration rate of 0.67 Tg C year −1 . Augmentation of SOC was primarily due to increased consumption of nitrogen fertilizer and farmyard manure. Moreover, SOC dynamics were highly differentiated among dry farmland soil groups. The integration of the Century model with a fine-scale soil database approach could be conveniently utilized as a tool for the accurate simulation of SOC dynamics at the regional scale.

Effect of Land Use Conversion from Rice Paddies to Vegetable Fields on Soil Phosphorus Fractions

Abstract Excess phosphorus (P) from agricultural soils contributes to eutrophication in water bodies. Samples ( n = 60) were taken from sites where rice paddies have been converted to vegetable fields for 0, 20 years and analyzed for five inorganic P (P i ) fractions, three organic P (P o ) fractions, and several soil parameters to investigate how land use conversion affects P i and P o fractions in a peri-urban area of China with soils characteristic of many agricultural areas of Asia. Significant increases of 33, 281, 293, and 438 mg kg −1 were found for soluble and loosely bound P i (SL-P i ), aluminum-bound P i (Al-P i ), calcium-bound P i (Ca-P i ), and iron-bound P i (Fe-P i ), respectively, after conversion from rice paddies to vegetable fields. Most of the increase in P i was in the form of Fe-P i , which increased from 8% of total P (TP) on paddy soil to 31% on the soil with > 20-year vegetable cultivation, followed by Al-P i , which increased from 2% to 19% of TP. For P o fractions, there was no significant change in P concentrations. The conversion of land use from paddy fields to high intensity vegetable fields was causing significant changes in soil P fractions. Management practices were causing a buildup of soil P, primarily in the Fe-P i fraction, followed by Ca-P i and Al-P i fractions. If current trends continue, a 30%–70% increase in TP could be expected in the next 20 years. Farmers in the area should reduce P application and use to maximize P uptake.

Modeling Carbon Dynamics in Paddy Soils in Jiangsu Province of China with Soil Databases Differing in Spatial Resolution

A number of process-based models have been developed for quantifying carbon (C) sequestration in agro-ecosystems. The DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate and quantify long-term (1980–2008) soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in the important rice-producing province, Jiangsu, China. Changes in SOC storages were estimated from two soil databases differing in spatial resolution: a county database consisting of 68 polygons and a soil patch-based database of 701 polygons for all 3.7 Mha of rice fields in Jiangsu. The simulated SOC storage with the coarse resolution county database ranged between 131.0–320.6 Tg C in 1980 and 170.3–305.1 Tg C in 2008, respectively, while that estimated with the fine resolution database was 201.6 and 216.2 Tg C in 1980 and 2008, respectively. The results modeled with the soil databases differing in spatial resolution indicated that using the soil input data with higher resolution substantially increased the accuracy of the modeled results; and when lacking detailed soil datasets, the DNDC model, parameterized with the most sensitive factor (MSF) method to cope with attribute uncertainty, could still produce acceptable results although with deviations of up to 60% for the case study reported in this paper.