Table 1 Soil conditions within Weifang City.

Qingzhou

The low hills in the southern part of the region are dominated by brown soil, which has good aeration while retaining fertilizer and water, making it suitable for the forest and fruit industries.

The middle and northern plains contain brown and fluvo-aquic soils, with good soil fertility and convenient irrigation conditions, making them important production areas for grains, vegetables, and other crops.

Zhucheng

The southern mountainous areas are dominated by brown soil, which can be used to grow specialty crops such as tea with careful soil and water conservation and fertilizer management.

The brown and fluvo-aquic soils of the central and northern plains, with their high soil quality, are conducive to large-scale grain and vegetable production.

Shouguang

Highly fertile brown soil is found in some areas in the south, and it is suitable for growing vegetables, fruit trees, and other cash crops.

Fluvo-aquic soil is present along rivers and in the central plains, with deep soil layers and a strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, providing an important base for a well-developed vegetable industry.

The coastal saline soil in the northern coastal areas has a high salt content and requires a series of improvement measures before it can be used for agricultural production.

Anqiu

The southern mountainous areas are characterized by brown soil, with soil erosion a concern in some areas. Soil quality can be improved through measures such as afforestation.

The central region is characterized by areas of brown soil and lime concretion black soil; the brown soils have fair soil fertility, while the lime concretion black soils need improvement to increase their productivity.

Fluvo-aquic soil is widely distributed in the northern plains, which are an important area for agricultural cultivation.

Gaomi

The area is dominated by lime concretion black and fluvo-aquic soils, with high soil fertility, flat terrain, and good irrigation conditions, making it an important grain and cotton-producing area.

Changyi

Fluvo-aquic soil is found in the central and southern plains, where it is fertile and conducive to agricultural production.

The northern coast has saline soil, and some progress has been made in its improvement and exploitation via projects such as saline-tolerant ecological restoration.

Some low-lying areas have lime concretion black soil, which requires improvement in its structure to enhance its quality.

Linqu

The southern mountainous areas are mainly characterized by acidic brown loams, which are suitable for growing some acid-tolerant cash crops such as blueberries.

The northern plains contain some brown and fluvo-aquic soils, and the soil quality is sufficient to grow a diverse range of crops.

Changle

The southern mountainous areas have brown loams with a moderate texture, good aeration and permeability, and a relatively high capacity for retaining fertilizer and water.

The plains in the central and northern parts of the country are characterized by brown loams, which are suitable for growing a variety of crops such as wheat, corn, and cotton.