Temporal and spatial variations of soil C, N contents and C:N stoichiometry in the major grain-producing region of the North China Plain

Soil C, N contents and C:N stoichiometry are important indicators of soil quality, the variation characteristics of which have great significance for soil carbon-nitrogen cycle and sustainable utilization. Based on 597 observations along with soil profiles of 0–20cm depth in the 1980s and the 2010s, the temporal and spatial variations of soil C, N contents and C:N stoichiometry in the major grain-producing region of the North China Plain were illustrated. Results showed that there were significant changes in soil C, N contents over time, with increasing rates of 60.47% and 50%, respectively. The changes of C, N contents resulting in a general improvement of C:N stoichiometry. There was a significant decline in nugget effects of soil C, N contents from the 1980s to 2010s, the spatial autocorrelation of soil nutrients showed an increasing trend, and the effect of random variation was reduced. C:N stoichiometry was higher in Huixian City and Weihui City, and lower in Yanjin County, an apparent decline was observed in the spatial difference of soil C:N stoichiometry from the 1980s to 2010s. Soil C, N contents and C:N stoichiometry differed among soil types, agricultural land-use types, and topography in space. The temperature, precipitation, and fertilization structure were considered as the main factors that induce the temporal variations. These findings indicated that the soil nutrient elements in the farmland ecosystems changed in varying degrees in both time and space scales, and the variation was influenced by soil types, land-use types, topography, meteorological factors, and fertilization structure.