Main authors:	Gergely Tóth (Joint Research Centre), Xiaodong Song (Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Tamás Hermann (University of Pannonia), Brigitta Tóth (University of Pannonia)
Editor:	Jane Brandt
Source document:	Tóth, G.. et al. (2016) Hierarchical and multi-scale pedoclimatic zonation. iSQAPER Project Deliverable 2.1 125 pp

China has a vast territory, a unique natural environment, complex historical and economic process, and a variety of soil types. There are great differences in the soil characteristics and distribution, and production regions of agriculture, animal husbandry and animal husbandry. Coupled with China's large population and fast growth rate, the contradictions of population demand and supply of resources are becoming increasingly acute because of the relative shortage of the arable land and water resources, and ecological environment degradation. Therefore, the question of how to ensure food security and the sustainable development of China is particularly important. In order to facilitate the production of local conditions of agricultural production, district planning, classification guidance, and classification implementation are conducted. From the 1950s until now, the Chinese pedoclimatic zones delineation has been listed as an important national long-term research task, and constantly under review.

Soil type and pedoclimatic zones can both be used as the spatial unit of soil management. Both of them are related and different; soil types are often used as the basis for pedoclimatic zone delineation. Soil type focuses on revealing the soil behaviour characteristics and generalizing the regional soil, whose analysis object is the pedon and soil individual. It is noted that regional spatial continuity is not taken into account. Whereas delineating pedoclimatic zones is used to reveal the soil groups characteristics and spatial distribution, based on the features of the soil combination in a range of areas and many natural elements to distinguish. The regional characteristics is emphasized, the surface is not repetitive, and the space is connected to a piece.

The pedoclimatic zones delineation is based on the regional differentiation rules of soil, as far as possible to objectively in China are classified into several with internal and external difference in regional similarity. According to the subordination of regional level, a hierarchical system is established to better understand the basic situation of soil resources, and analyze the status quo and potential. Furthermore it is necessary to point out reasonable utilization and improvement measures of the unfavorable conditions so as to make full use of the soil resources, give full play to the comparative advantages of the regions, improve adverse soil properties and natural conditions, and provide scientific feasible bases for the State Environmental Planning and Management and regional sustainable development. This helps to strengthen the guidance of agricultural and non-agricultural production initiative, and in turn reduce blindness.

In this section of iSQAPERiS we discuss the different climate zones in China. We give details of the climate and soil data that we used and the methods for mapping the pedoclimatic zones;
»Data and method used for delineating pedoclimatic zones

describe the features of the main soil groups;
»Main features of soils in pedoclimatic zonesMain features of soils in pedoclimatic zones

and show the area covered by each soil group within each climate zone, together with the resultant map of the pedoclimatic zones in China.
»Pedoclimatic zones of China

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