Erosion effects on soil properties of the unique red soil hilly region of the economic development zone in southern China

Erosion can have a significant impact on soil properties in areas characterized by undulating topography. The spatial trends of soil properties and the availability of soil nutrients change with land use conversion. Most studies on these changes in China, however, focus on the natural or agricultural ecosystems. Little attention has been paid to unique changes, such as the conversion of natural or agricultural land to economic development zones. To this end, it has been determined that the properties of the surface soil in an economic development zone with unique topography characterized by large mounds of earth and stones in the red soil hilly region in China. The aim of this study is to characterize the overall level and spatial patterns of the concentrations of topsoil selected soil properties, including pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density, soil moisture, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nitrogen (N), soil phosphorus (P), and soil potassium (K). Results show that the mean pH and CEC of soils is as low as 5.35 and 6.47 cmol kg−1, and the mean value of soil moisture is 0.30 g g−1, and the mean level of bulk density is 1.45 g cm−3. SOC and total P are as low as 5.89 and 0.35 g kg−1, while total N and total K have a high level of 8.44 and 25.2 g kg−1. The mean level of alkali-hydrolyzable N, Olsen P, and available K is 54.33, 6.35, and 120.33 mg kg−1, respectively, all at intermediate or low levels according to the Second National Soil Survey. All selected soil properties and nutrients have overall similar spatial patterns with the highest value on the lower slope positions except for alkali-hydrolyzable N. The results are most likely governed by the native properties of red soil, zonal climate, agricultural history for all the soils, and different degrees of soil erosion, and the probable impact of human activity like construction among different slope positions. Results indicate that (1) topography influences soil properties, as evidenced by the different spatial trends of the soil nutrients, and (2) human activity, especially construction, affects the soil properties of economic development zones. This study aims to provide valuable insights for the evaluation of soil quality as a prerequisite for land use planning in economic development zones.