Where in China are alpine meadow soils distributed, and what is suitable for growing on them?

Alpine meadow soil refers to soil developed under meadow vegetation above the closed canopy line of alpine forests. In China it was once called grass felt soil. Its main features are: the surface is layered or mound-shaped due to frequent frost cracking and soil sliding; the surface layer is a soft and tough grass felt layer interwoven by grass roots. What is alpine meadow soil suitable for growing? Let us first look at its distribution.

China's alpine meadow soil is mainly distributed on the plateau surfaces and high mountains of the eastern and southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as in the Pamir Plateau, the Altai Mountains, the mountains west of the Junggar Basin, the Tianshan Mountains, the Qilian Mountains, and other high mountain areas of Central Asia at altitudes of 3200-5200 m. In mountains such as the Tianshan Mountains it often appears as a vertical belt, while on plateau surfaces it has the characteristics of horizontal zonal distribution. This type of soil is also distributed in the high mountain areas of Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. 

The terrain and positions where alpine meadow soil occurs are mostly hillsides, gentle mounds on plateau surfaces, moraine platforms, broad valleys, and basins. The parent material is mostly residual-slope deposits, slope deposits, moraine material, and glaciofluvial deposits. The climate of the area is characterized by coldness, moderate moisture, and a long freezing period; the mean annual temperature is -6-4°C, and the annual precipitation is 400-700 mm. The vegetation belongs to alpine cold meadow, mainly dense-tufted, short-rhizome small Kobresia and dwarf Kobresia, often accompanied by various sedges, Polygonum macrophyllum, and mixed grasses. The coverage is about 70-90%, and shrubs often also appear on sunny slopes near the upper limit of the forest line. 

Alpine meadow soil has obvious humus accumulation. The humus layer is 8-20 cm thick and has a gray-brown to black-brown granular-flat nut-shaped structure. The organic matter content is 10-20%, dominated by fulvic acid, and the humic acid/fulvic acid (H/F) ratio is 0.6-1.0. The soil complex colloid belongs to the high organic matter, low complexation type, and is dominated by loosely bound humus. The color fades rapidly downward from the humus layer. In the subalpine belt, the transition between soil horizons is rapid and obvious; while in the alpine (true alpine) belt it is not very obvious, and a dark layer appears in the AB horizon. Water-soluble salts and calcium carbonate have been leached from the profile, and only in the middle and lower parts of some alpine meadow soil profiles is there accumulation of calcium carbonate. Clay particles and sesquioxides change little in the profile. The clay minerals are mainly hydromica, with a small amount of kaolinite and vermiculite. The reaction is acidic to neutral. The soil layer thickness is only 40-50 cm, with obvious freeze-thaw micromorphological features, and the bottom layer has a seasonal frozen layer or permafrost. 

Alpine meadow soil can be used as natural pasture. In some areas of the subalpine belt, after adding cold protection and fertilizer and water management measures, it can be reclaimed as dry farmland, and is suitable for growing cold-tolerant crops such as highland barley and rapeseed.