Sustainable Use of Soil Resources and Agriculture High-Quality Development

Ince 2017, China put forward the concept of high-quality development, agriculture development had entered the new time of high-quality development of agriculture. Agriculture high-quality development is to take some measures and methods to make the land produce the maximum output and services to meet people’s yearning for a better life and the needs of agricultural production services [1]. As economy develops and population increases, there is an increasing demand for the quantity and variety of plant production and service, but the plant production, especially food, fruit, fibre and wood and son on produced by original forest ecosystem cannot meet the need of demand for the quantity and variety of timber, food, medicine and so on and ecological service, so 80% of the original forest in the loess plateau [2] and the world has become farmland, man-made forest and grass and a lot of exotic plant was introduced to produce more production and service.

Because exotic plant changes the plant resources relation and the ability of self-regulation to adapt to climate change is very low, vegetation decline, crop failure, serious soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions and other ecological and environmental problems happens [3]. To solve these problems of soil degradation, vegetation decay or crop failure or waste of resources and achieve high-quality sustainable development and meet the increasing need of people for plant goods and service. Years of research has shown that there is a limit of plant utilization of soil water resources and the carrying capacity of soil water to vegetation the method of high quality and sustainable management of forest vegetation in water shortage area in the process of vegetation restoration [4-6]. The change of precipitation with month and year in semiarid loess hilly region (Guyuan. China) (Figure 1). The main contents are as follows:

The Theory of use Limit of Soil Resources by Plants

Along with plant growth, plant height，diameter and canopy volume increase, and roots develop deep and soil water resources in the root zone reduced but available soil water resources are declined. To obtain maximum yield and beneficial result and achieve high-quality and development, even the root distribution depth is more than the maximum infiltration depth (Figure 2), plant roots do not absorb water indefinitely due to lack of water such as in semiarid loess hilly region (Guyuan. China) the precipitation changes with year and month (Figure 1) [7]. There should be a control limit for the utilization of soil water resources by plants in water-scarce areas, that is, the soil water resources use limit by plants [8] It is the soil water storage when the soil water content is equal to the wilting coefficient in the range of the maximum infiltration depth. The wilting coefficient at different soil depth in the maximum infiltration depth can be determined by centrifugal machine or press film.

The undisturbed soil at different soil depth in a soil profile was taken by a cutting ring with a 5 cm high and 5cm diameter. The maximum infiltration depth can be estimated by the two curves method [9]. The wilting coefficient is expressed by the wilting coefficient of indicating plants in a plant community. The indicator plants of natural vegetation are the predominance species, especially the predominance species in the top canopy of plant community, the constructive species, and the artificial vegetation is the target species. When the soil water resources decrease to the utilization limit of soil water resources, the plantwater relationship enters the starting time of critical period of plant water relationship regulation [10]. At this time, the regulation of plant-water relationship should be considered be regulated. The initial planting density influences the soil water resource use limit by plants [11].

Theory of Vegetation Carrying Capacity

Vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of land resources to support vegetation, which is limit. The vegetation carrying capacity is the soil water vegetation carrying capacity, which is the ability of soil water resources to support vegetation and limited in water shortage area. The soil water carrying capacity for vegetation [12]. It refers to the maximum quantity per unit area of soil water resources that can maintain healthy growth of indicator plants at a given period and site condition [13] and can be estimated by soil water plant density model, expressed by the number (absolute index) or density (relative index) of indicator plant population in the plant community. Soil water vegetation carrying capacity (SWVCC), changing with plant species (vegetation type), time or position, time climate change, especially the critical period of plant water relationship regulation, which is the theoretical basis for determining indicators and criteria for forest resources use degree and high quality and sustainable management of forest vegetation.

Critical Period of Plant- Resources Relationship Regulation

Generally, along with plant growth, the available solar resources amount is limit in given canopy (cube) such as leaf amount in given canopy or soil water resources in the maximum infiltration depth will also decrease, even though the soil water resources will increase after the rain. The plant water relationship enters the critical period of plant water relationship regulation. If the present plant density is more than soil water vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plant water relationship regulation, plant water relationship regulation must be regulated. Plant-water relationship can be regulated Plant-water relationship can be regulated by different methods such as cultivating and selecting better plant species and varieties, soil preparation such as thin film cover and ridge tillage in the semiarid loess hilly region (Guyuan. China) (Figure 3) and pruning some leave and trig and so on, but the most important method is to regulate the plant-water relationship by reducing plant density in the critical period of plant-water relationship regulation. Plant resources relationship in the growing season can be divided into different stages according to resources use limit by plants such as soil water resources use limit by plants in the water-limited regions.

If the available resources in the canopy are more resources use limit by plants or soil water resources in the range of the maximum infiltration depth is more than soil water resources use limit by plants, showing resources such as soil water resources enough and plant grow healthily. If not, more attention should be paid to the plant-water relationship regulation. The critical period of plant resources relationship regulation refers to the time that the resources can maintain the plant growth healthy when the resources descend to the utilization limit of resources by plants such as soil water resources within the range of the maximum infiltration depth, it not only affects plant growth condition but also determines the maximum yield and benefit in the growing season in the water-limited regions. The critical period of plant water relationship regulation is the period from the starting time soil water resources reduced to the limit of soil water resources utilization by plants to the ending time plant water relationship regulation is failure. The ending time of critical period of plant water relationship regulation can be estimate by the thinning plant method. Sowing seeds in a plot with a maximum plant density and ensure the maximum experimental plant density equals to or more than soil water carrying capacity for vegetation.

High Quality and Sustainable Management of Forest

Firstly, the better plant species and varieties must be selected according to site condition and cultivation goal [14] and then suitable initially planting density must be taken. The initially planting density is more than soil water carrying capacity for vegetation such as soil water carrying capacity for vegetation in water-limited regions. If the existing plant density is more than soil water vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plantwater relationship regulation, showing plant overuse soil water and plant density exceeds soil water carrying capacity, which will cause soil degradation, vegetation decline, fruit and crop failure if plant-water relationship should not be regulated. At this movement, we should regulate the plant-water relationship by reducing the plant density. The reducing amount of plant density is equal to the different between the existing plant density and soil water carrying capacity for vegetation. When the soil water resources decrease to the utilization limit of soil water resources by plants in the range of maximum infiltration depth, plant-water relationship enters the critical period of plant-water relationship regulation. if the existing plant density is more than soil water carrying capacity for vegetation in the critical period of plant-water relationship regulation, plantwater relationship should be regulated by estimating the soil water carrying capacity for vegetation in the critical period of plant-water relationship regulation, and the maximum yield and benefit of non-commercial forest and grass can be obtained by determining and controlling the plant-water relationship according to the soil water carrying capacity for vegetation in the critical period of plant water relationship regulation. The high quality and sustainable development can be achieved in water-limited regions [15-17].

The most important work of forest restoration is the plantresources relationship regulation in the process of plant growth, especially plant-resources relationship regulation in the critical period of plant resources relationship regulation such as plantwater relationship regulation in the water-limited regions because the plant-resources relationship decides the maximum yield and benefit of a population or plant community [18]. The theoretical foundation of plant-resources relationship regulation is resources use limit by plants, vegetation carrying capacity and critical period of plant resources relationship regulation [19]. When the soil resources amount reduced to utilization limit of soil resources by plants, such as the soil water resources within the range of the maximum infiltration depth descend to the utilization limit of soil water resources by plants, plant resources relationship enters the critical period of plant- resources relationship regulation in which the resources severe influence the plant growth and decides the maximum yield and ecological, economic and social benefits [20-24]. At this time, the plant resources relationship should be regulated to obtain the maximum yield and benefit of non-native vegetation, such as forest, grass and crop to carry out sustainable use of soil resources and agriculture high-quality development.

This research was supported by the National Science Fund of China (Project Nos 42077079, 41071193 and 41271539) and Study on high quality sustainable development of soil and moisture conservation (A2180021002).

No conflict of interest.

1. Guo Z (2020) Estimating Method of Maximum Infiltration Depth and Soil Water Supply. Scientific Reports 10(1):
2. Guo Z, Shao M (2013) Impact of afforestation density on soil and water conservation of the semiarid Loess Plateau. J SOIL WATER CONSERV 68(5): 401-410.
3. Chen H, Shao M, Li Y (2008) Soil desiccation in the Loess Plateau of China. GEODERMA 143(1-2): 91-100.
4. Guo ZS, Wu QX, Si LM (1990) A Study on selecting trees and grasses species of woodland for Fuel, Fodder and manure using fuzzy mathematics method in the loess hilly area. Journal of Biomathematics 5(3): 69-76.
5. Guo Z (2021) Soil water carrying capacity for vegetation. Land degradation development 32(14): 3801-3811.
6. Guo Z (2021) Soil hydrology process and Sustainable Use of Soil Water Resources in Desert Regions. Water 13(7):
7. Guo Z (2019) Rice carrying capacity and sustainable produce of rice in resources-limited regions. Int J Agric Sc Food Techno 5(1): 054-057.
8. Guo Z (2010) Soil water resource use limit in semi-arid loess hilly area. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 21(12): 3029-3035.
9. Guo Z (2014) Theory and Practice on soil water carrying capacity for vegetation. Scientific Press PP. 45-100.
10. Guo Z, Li Y (2009) Initiation stage to regulate the caragana growth and soil water in the semiarid area of Loess Hilly Region, China. J ECOL 29: 5721-5723.
11. Guo Z, Zhang W (2016) Impact of Initial Planting Density on Soil Water Resource uses Limit by Plants. Geoinfor Geostat: An Overview 4: 1.
12. Guo Z, Shao M, Zhang y, Wu Q (2002) A Layer-dividing Approach to the soil water in forest land, the Proceedings of Soil Physics and Ecological Environmental Construction edited by Shao Mingan. Shanxi Science and technology press PP. 74-79.
13. Guo Z, Shao M (2003) Vegetation carrying capacity of soil water and soil desiccation in artificial forestry and grassland in the semiarid regions of Loess Plateau. Chin J ECOL 23: 1640-1647.
14. Shi LM, Guo ZS (1995) Preliminary report of fruit tree introduction experiment in mountainous area of southern Ningxia. Ningxia Agriculture and Forestry Technology 1: 69-76.
15. Guo Z (2022) Agriculture High-quality development. Encyclopaedic forum in Chinese 1: 64-66.
16. Guo Z (2023) Forest restoration, resources sustainable use and high-quality sustainable management. Glob J Ecol 8(1): 007-010.
17. Guo Zhongsheng (2024) New Stage of Agriculture Development, Agriculture High-Quality Development. Journal of Food Technology & Nutrition Sciences 6(6): 1-3.
18. Cohen JE (1995) Population growth and earth’s human carrying capacity. Science 269(5222): 341-346.
19. Guo Z, Shao M (2004) Mathematical model for determining vegetation carrying capacity of soil water. J Hydr 35 (10): 95-99.
20. Guo Z, Shao M (2010) Effect of Artificial Caragana Krushinski Forest on Soil Water in the Semiarid Area of Loess Hilly Region. Chin. Forest SCI 46: 1-8.
21. Guo Z (2009) Limit of vegetation rehabilitation for soil and water conservation in semi-arid region of Loess Plateau. J Science SOIL WATER CONSERV 7(4): 49-54.
22. Lvovich MI (1980) Soil trend in hydrology. Hydrological Sciences Bulleting 25: 33-45.
23. Price D (1999) Carrying capacity reconsidered. POPUL ENVIRO 21: 5-26.
24. Young CC (1998) Defining the range: The development of carrying capacity in management Practice. J HIST BIOL 31: 61-83.