Spatial Distribution and Regulating Factors of Soil Nutrient Stocks in Afforested Dump of Pingshuo Opencast Coalmine, China

Determining the regulating factors of soil nutrient variations can guide the implementation of land reclamation measures in opencast coalmine regions. In this study, 132 soil samples were collected at 22 sample sites in the South Dump of Pingshuo opencast coalmine, and soil physicochemical properties were separately measured to obtain the related soil information. Geostatistical analyses were employed to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of soil organic carbon stocks (SOCD), total nitrogen stocks (TND), available phosphorus stocks (APD), and available potassium stocks (AKD) at 0-60 cm. The results showed that the spatial distributions of these soil nutrient stocks were characterized by moderate (TND) to strong (SOCD, APD, and AKD) spatial dependence. Meanwhile, the values of SOCD (16.4-60.1 Mg ha(-1)) and TND (1.9-15.5 Mg ha(-1)) were much higher than those of APD (0.022-0.095 Mg ha(-1)) and AKD (0.31-1.40 Mg ha(-1)). The statistical analyses indicated that the influence of afforestation on SOCD, TND, APD, and AKD was not significant, and the dynamic variations of soil nutrient contents were mainly regulated by soil pH in the South Dump. The findings of this study can provide some scientific guidance for soil nutrient management in the opencast coalmine regions of similar ecosystems.

Automated summary

This study investigated the regulating factors of soil nutrient variations in the South Dump of Pingshuo opencast coalmine. The results showed that soil organic carbon stocks and total nitrogen stocks were higher than available phosphorus stocks and available potassium stocks. The study also found that afforestation had no significant impact on soil nutrient content, and the dynamic variations of soil nutrient contents were mainly regulated by soil pH.