Spatiotemporal Changes in Soil Nutrients: A Case Study in Taihu Region of China

The accurate assessment of the spatiotemporal changes in soil nutrients influenced by agricultural production provides the basis for development of management strategies to maintain soil fertility and balance soil nutrients. In this paper, we combined spatial measurements from 2157 soil samples and geostatistical analysis to assess the spatiotemporal changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium content (AK) from the first soil survey (in the 1980s) to the second soil survey (in the 2000s) in the Taihu region of Jiangsu Province in China. The results showed that average soil nutrients in three soil types all exhibited the increased levels in the 2000s (except for AK in the yellow brown soil). The standard deviation of soil nutrient contents increased (except for TN in the paddy soil). Agricultural production in the 20 years led to increases in SOC, TN, AP and AK by 74, 82, 89 and 65%, respectively, of the Taihu areas analyzed. From the 1980s to 2000s all the nugget/sill ratios of soil nutrients indices were between 25 and 75% (except for AK in the yellow brown soil in the 2000s), indicating moderate spatial dependence. The ratio of AP in the yellow brown soil in the 2000s was 88.74%, showing weak spatial dependence. The spatial correlation range values for SOC, TN, AP and AK in the 2000s all decreased. The main areas showing declines in SOC, TN and AP were in the northwest. For AK, the main region with declining levels was in the east and middle of western areas. Apparently, the increase in soil nutrients in the Taihu region can be mainly attributed to the large increase in fertilizer inputs, change in crop systems and enhanced residues management since the 1980s. Future emphasis should be placed on avoiding excess fertilizer inputs and balancing the effects of the fertilizers in soils.