Soil Nutrient Characteristics and Main Controlling Factors in the Oasis Zone of the Northeastern Margin of Tarim Basin

Soil health is related to people’s production, living standards, and national food security and is an important strategic resource. To understand the nutrient characteristics of soils in typical oasis areas on the northeast edge of the Tarim basin. A total of 140 soil surface samples were collected from the study area to determine the content of major nutrient elements and analyze their ecological chemometric characteristics, spatial distribution patterns, and the main controlling factors affecting nutrient enrichment. The results showed that: ① High values of Fe and Mn were most widely distributed in the study area, while high values of Mg were the least widely distributed. Analysis of the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of the soil showed that the lack of nitrogen and phosphorus was the main controlling factor limiting the normal growth of plants in the area. ② In terms of quantity, 99.14% of the total land area in the study area is infertile or very infertile, and only 0.86% of the land is at the medium−grade level. In terms of spatial distribution, the moderately fertile land is distributed in the south−eastern part of the district in the form of islands, and the very barren land is mainly distributed in the oasis−desert transition zone. ③ Among the four types of land use, the soil nutrient content of the arable land is higher. Meanwhile, the content of nutrient elements is positively correlated with slope orientation and surface roughness and negatively correlated with altitude. At the same time, the abundance of soil nutrients is also closely related to long−term continuous cropping, crop fertilization, irrigation techniques, and other anthropogenic influences.