Soil degradation: a problem threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China

Summary

This review synthesises evidence on soil degradation across Northeast China's Mollisol ('Black soil') region, a critical agricultural area for China's grain production. The authors document that moderately and severely water-eroded land comprises 39.3% of the region, with organic carbon content in cultivated soils declining to approximately half that of uncultivated soils over 50 years of cultivation. The paper proposes management strategies—including crop rotation, conservation tillage, terracing, and soil amendments—to arrest degradation and maintain agricultural productivity, framed within broader sustainability objectives.

Regional applicability

Whilst this study focuses on Northeast China's specific pedology and agricultural context, the underlying mechanisms of soil degradation through erosion and organic matter depletion are transferable to upland and sloping arable systems in the United Kingdom. UK policy on soil protection and the shift toward sustainable intensification would benefit from similar quantitative baseline data and targeted intervention strategies, particularly in erosion-prone regions; however, UK Mollisol equivalents are limited and climate, crop rotations and slope angles differ substantially.

Key measures

Water erosion distribution and intensity, gully density, topsoil thickness, soil organic carbon content, bulk density, field water holding capacity, infiltration rates, soil microorganism numbers, and enzyme activities

Outcomes reported

The study documents the extent and severity of water erosion, soil organic carbon decline, and associated changes in soil physical and biological properties across Northeast China's grain-producing regions. It evaluates the efficacy of management practices including crop rotation, tillage management, terraces, strip cultivation and soil amendments in mitigating degradation.

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