Abstract:

To provide reference and guidance for follow-up management of newly-increased farmland, soil fertility status of newly-increased farmland following land consolidation project in Heyang County of Shaanxi Province, which was part of the eastern Weibei dryland, was studied. Development of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in newly-increased farmland from 12 towns in Heyang County were analyzed and then evaluated comprehensively using the matter-element model. The results show that the soil nutrient concentration is generally low in newly-increased farmland in Heyang County with an average organic matter content of 8.66 g/kg, total nitrogen of 1.30 g/kg, available phosphorus of 18.66 mg/kg, and available potassium of 151.21 mg/kg. The content of soil organic matter is relatively low, the contents of total nitrogen and available phosphorus are moderate, and available potassium is abundant. According to nutrient evaluation grades, soil classified as Grade IV with extremely low fertility accounts for 83.4% of all the newly-increased farmland and has huge room for soil fertility improvement. Taking local economic level and typical nutrient management practices into consideration, the priority should be given to organic fertilizers while application of chemical fertilizers should be increased at an appropriate rate. With respect to cropping systems, a 3-year grain-legume rotation with 1-year of soybean and 2-year of wheat is recommended.

Key words: Weibei dryland, land consolidation, newly-increased farmland, soil nutrient, grade evaluation