Nutrients in Soil Layers at Vineyards in Regions of Hu'nan

Contents of nutrients in soil layers at vineyards in 4 regions of Hunan province were determined for efficient management and fertilization. The sampling of the 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm soil layers took place at 4 typical areas in Xiangbei, Xiangzhong, Xiangnan and Xiangxi. The results showed that (1) the soil pHs ranged from 5.0 to 6.1 with a gradual increase along with the depth of the soil at a same location; (2) significant variations in content of organic matters existed among the regions that decreased with the depth, and the greatest was found in 0-20 cm layer sample from Xiangxi (i.e., 27.4 g·kg^-1), while the lowest, from Xiangbei (i.e., 16.7 g·kg^-1); (3) the deeper the soil beneath the ground level, the lower the contents of total and alkaline nitrogen, as Xiangxi had the highest total nitrogen at 1.68 g·kg^-1 and available nitrogen at 149.2 mg·kg^-1 in the 0-20 cm layer; (4) the contents of total and available phosphorus declined with the depth, but no significant difference on total phosphorus among the regions in 0-20 cm layer, however, the available phosphorus was the highest in Xiangnan (i.e., 32 mg·kg^-1) and the lowest in Xiangzhong (i.e., 8.8 mg·kg^-1); (5) the potassium was found less in the deeper layers in 0-20 cm layer, the highest total potassium content was 19.2 g·kg^-1 in Xiangxi, and the available potassium at 639.9 mg·kg^-1 in Xiangbei. It appeared that the acidity of the soil could be neutralized by using alkaline fertilizers, and a balanced fertility be achieved by appropriate applications coupled with proper management for the vineyards in the regions.