Response of changes in soil nutrients to soil erosion on a purple soil of cultivated sloping land

Severe soil erosion of cultivated sloping land in hilly areas of Sichuan, China, has resulted in deterioration of soil quality, and therefore has an adverse impact on crop production. A hillslope of 110 m in length was selected with a slope steepness of 10.12% where the soils were classified as Regosols. Soil samples for determining 137Cs, soil organic matter (SOM), total N, P, K, available N, P, K and particle size fraction were collected at 10 m intervals along a transect of the hillslope. Loss of soil nutrients owing to soil erosion was studied by using 137Cs technique, and the relationships between 137Cs-derived soil redistribution rates and soil nutrients were established over the cultivated sloping land in hilly areas of Sichuan, China (30o26′N, 104o28′E). The values of SOM, total N, available N, P, K and the soil particle fractions of size < 0.002 mm were smaller at upper and middle slope positions where 137Cs inventories were lower (i.e., soil erosion rates were higher) than at downslope positions where 137Cs inventories were higher (i.e., soil erosion rates were lower). The lowest 137Cs inventories were found at the hilltop, showing that besides erosion owing to water flow, tillage also contributed to soil losses, and intensive tillage was mostly responsible for severe erosion at upper slope positions. There were significant differences in SOM, total N, available N, P, K and the soil particle fractions of size < 0.002 mm between different slope segments, and these properties were significantly correlated with slope length. These soil properties were also significantly correlated with 137Cs inventories, indicating that both 137Cs and nutrient concentrations varied with topographical changes. The variation in soil properties was strongly influenced by erosion-induced soil redistribution, and therefore 137Cs inventories mirroring soil redistribution rates would be considered as an integrated indicator of soil quality.