Artificial soil nutrient, aggregate stability and soil quality index of restored cut slopes along altitude gradient in southwest China. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Mengke; Yang, Siqian; Ai, Shenghao; Ai, Xiaoyan; Jiang, Xue; Chen, Jiao; Li, Ruirui; Ai, Yingwei
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 246(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Recovered cut slopes -- Altitude gradient -- Soil quality index -- Aggregate stability -- Nutrient availability; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125687
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: In the subalpine mountainous region of southwest China, the artificial soil properties of restored cut slopes along the altitude gradient were studied, including available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), urease (UR), sucrase (SC), protease (PR), catalase (CAT), texture, and aggregate stability of soil. Soil aggregatet stability by mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), structure failure rate (P), index of unstable aggregates (IUA) and area difference of dry and wet sieve cumulative distribution curve (ΔS) were measured and analyzed. It was found that available soil nutrients, UR, and CAT activities increased initially and then decreased, but the texture of soil was finer, and aggregate structure tended to be more stable along with an increase in the altitude gradient. The soil aggregate stability index that MWD, GMD, P, IUA, and ΔS indicated that the higher the altitude, the stability of soil aggregates was better. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the soil quality index (SQI). The obtained results from this study showed that the artificial soil quality of the cut slopes was better at a higher altitude compared to a lower altitude. These results provide a reference for the improvement of artificial soil properties of cut slopes and their quality in the future. It is necessary to pay attention to the soil quality management at a low-altitude area and reform the soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and soil structure for the restored cut slopes in the mountainous subalpine highway of southwest China. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Soil nutrients increased initially then decreased along with elevated altitude. Artificial soil texture was finer and aggregate structure was more stable at high altitude. SQI of the restored cut slopes was better in the high altitude. Artificial soil quality should be emphasized in the cut slope at low elevation.