Spatial variability of soil properties in Hetao Irrigation Area of Inner Mongolia:A case study of Jiefangzha Irrigation Section and Yongji Irrigation Section
To explore the spatial variability of soil properties in Hetao Irrigation Area, the field soil particle size, water content and electrical conductivity in Jiefangzha Irrigation Section and Yongji Irrigation Section were studied. Based on field soil data, the conventional statistical method and geostatistics method were used to analyze the spatial variation and distribution of soil properties. The results show that the variation coefficients of soil particle size, water content and electrical conductivity in the study area ranges from 10% to 100%, which is classified as moderate variation. The study area is dominated by loam and silt loam, accounting 72%-76% of the total area, and the soil diversity in autumn is slightly higher than that in spring. The spatial variability of soil water content and electrical conductivity are different in different soil textures, among which the spatial variability of water content in loam is the largest, and that of electrical conductivity in loam and silt loam are the largest. Based on the analysis, the spatial variability of soil properties in Jiefangzha Irrigation Section and Yongji Irrigation Section are recognized as moderate.