Objective To investigate the characteristics of soil quality changes after sloping farmland consolidation in the region of the Brahmaputra River and its two tributaries in Xizang, providing a scientific basis for agricultural land consolidation and soil fertility enhancement on the plateau. Methods The standard land consolidation (ST) and guest soil consolidation (GT) practices widely implemented in sloping farmland in Qushui County, Lhasa City, were selected as the research objects. Twelve soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators were measured, a minimum data set was constructed, and the soil quality index method was used to investigate the soil quality characteristics of different slope positions. Results After sloping farmland consolidation, fine particles (<0.02 mm) accumulated in the lower slope positions, with an increase in silt content of 41.95%~67.71%, while the soil in the upper slope positions became sandy. Guest soil consolidation significantly alleviated the sandification trend of the cultivated layer. The soil bulk density of the cultivated layer and sub-cultivated layer increased significantly after land consolidation, with increases of 12.20% to 28.98%. The cation exchange capacity, organic matter, total nitrogen, and other nutrient contents of the soil in the lower slope positions were close to or higher than those of high-yield terraced fields. In contrast, the upper slope positions showed a tendency toward nutrient loss and alkalization. The recovery of microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus was significantly inhibited due to soil disturbance from land consolidation. However, GT treatment showed significant recovery potential compared with ST treatment. Moreover, microbial biomass in lower slope positions increased by 1.25 to 1.56 times compared to upper slope positions but remained lower than the level of non-consolidated sloping farmland. After five years of sloping farmland consolidation, the soil quality index showed significant spatial differentiation in different slope positions. The soil quality index in lower slope positions improved significantly by 50.00% compared with non-consolidated sloping farmland, while those in middle slope positions decreased by 17.86%, and those in upper slope positions deteriorated significantly by 57.14%. Guest soil consolidation had a positive effect on improving the soil quality of the plough layer. Conclusions After a short-term period (five years) following sloping farmland consolidation in the region of the Brahmaputra River and its two tributaries in Xizang, a declining trend in the soil quality is observed. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize the implementation of precision fertilization and improvement measures at upper slope positions to promote the rapid recovery of soil quality and enhance the fertility of sloping farmland.
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