Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation of Wetland Soil Quality Degradation:A Case Study on the Sanjiang Plain,Northeast China

Wetland soil quality degradation caused by large-scale agricultural reclamation on the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China has been widely reported. A relative soil quality evaluation (RSQE) model and a projection pursuit evaluation (PPE) model based on real-coded accelerating genetic algorithm were introduced to evaluate quality variations in top layers of the main wetland soils on the Sanjiang Plain in 1999 and 2003, respectively. As soil quality degradation boundaries were vague, this study established two fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) models based on the original data and criteria used in the RSQE and PPE models. The outputs of the two FSE models were obtained by choosing two fuzzy composite operators M(∧, ∨) and M(·, ⊕). Statistical analysis showed that the results of the FSE, RSQE, and PPE models were correlated. In particular, outputs of the FSE model using M(·, ⊕) were significantly correlated with those of the RSQE model with r = 0.989 at P < 0.01. Compared with RSQE and PPE models, the FSE model may be more objective in showing soil quality variations and was closer to the natural situation, showing the feasibility and applicability of the FSE model in evaluating soil quality degradation. However, the choice of composite operator was of critical importance. The study of wetland soil quality degradation on the Sanjiang Plain was of scientific and practical significance for protection and management of soils and for sustainable development of agriculture in this area in the future.