Abstract:
Objective This study aims were to clarify the current status and variation characteristics of soil acidity under different land use types in the low mountain and hilly region of eastern Liaoning, in order to provide a theoretical basis and data support for developing improvement techniques for acidified soils.
Method Soil samples were collected from dryland, paddy field and forestland at different depths (0 - 80 cm) in Qingyuan County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. Soil pH, exchangeable acidity, base saturation, acid damage capacity and acid damage intensity were measured to analyze the soil acidity characteristics in different land use types.
Result The soils in dryland, paddy field and forestland all exhibited acidification, with pH ranges of 5.02 - 5.72, 5.84 - 6.15 and 5.76 - 5.97, respectively. In the 0 - 40 cm soil layer, soil pH of dryland was significantly lower than that of paddy field and forestland. Soil pH of dryland increased significantly with depth in the 0 - 60 cm layer, indicating a marked decrease in acidification. Whereas soil pH of paddy field and forestland also increased with depth in the 0 - 60 cm layer, but the decrease in acidification was not significant. The exchangeable acidity content in the surface soil of dryland was significantly higher than that in paddy field and forestland, with no significant difference between paddy field and forestland. In the 0 - 60 cm layer of dryland, exchangeable acidity was dominated by exchangeable Al3+. In the 0 - 40 cm layer, the CEC and base saturation of paddy field and forestland were significantly higher than those of dryland. The acid damage capacity and acid damage intensity of paddy field were significantly higher than those of dryland and forestland.
Conclusion Among the different land use types in the low mountain and hilly region of eastern Liaoning, dryland had the lowest soil pH and the most severe acidification. Soil pH of all land use types increased with increasing soil depth, while exchangeable acidity and base saturation showed opposite trends. Paddy field exhibited a stronger ability to resist external acid.