Soil nutrient assessment based on attribute recognition model in the Loess Plateau of China

Soil fertility is important factors for growth and productivity of vegetation. The relationship between vegetation and soil fertility deserves attention due to its scientific importance and practical applications. However, the effects of soil fertility on vegetation development and succession are poorly documented. Here we study soil fertility in Yanhe watershed at northern Shaanxi on five different land uses, namely shrubland, farmland, natural grassland, woodland, and artificial grassland, and in soil under restoration for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25. Attribute recognition model based on entropy weight was used to evaluate the soil fertility of typical region in the Loess Plateau of China, which contained 52 soil samples with 6 physical and chemical indexes, including soil organic matter, soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, etc. The results show that (1) Land use has an obvious effect on soil bulk density, total porosity and capillary porosity of surface layers, but not significant in the subsurface layer; (2) SOM, N(total), N(hydro) and K(avail) are the most in shrubland and woodland while P(total) and P(avail) in farmland, respectively; (3) Vegetation succession on eroded soil result in significant changing of soil fertility; and (4) Vegetation succession on eroded soil result in significant changing of soil fertility.