Choosing economically important trees and establishing planting patterns can improve soil quality in economic forests. To clarify the soil quality status of the main economic forest land distributed in northern Shaanxi, the research object in this study was jujube and apple economic forests, and the control was grassland. By evaluating 17 soil indicators, the minimum data set (MDS) and structural equation model (SEM) were used to analyze the soil quality status and its dominant factors under different economic forests and land preparation methods. The results showed that (1) compared with grassland, the economic forest has a certain improvement and promotion in soil’s properties, mainly in the water-holding capacity and available nutrients. Compared to the undisturbed slope, the level bench had better physical and chemical properties. (2) Six indicators were identified as the minimum data set for assessing soil quality, including the soil organic carbon, saturated water content, bulk density, alkaline nitrogen, sand, and total capillary porosity. In addition, structural equation model analysis showed that the soil organic carbon, saturated water content, alkaline nitrogen, and capillary porosity were the dominant factors affecting soil quality in the study area. (3) Jujube trees exhibited the highest soil quality and the best restoration effect, followed by apple trees, while grassland had the poorest restoration effect. The soil quality of undisturbed slopes under different land preparation methods was lower than that of the level bench land preparation. The outcomes of this study are to provide data support and a theoretical basis for improving soil quality, enhancing ecological benefits, and selecting and managing economic forest species, in the study area and similar regions in the future.

Foliar water uptake (FWU), an important source of supplemental water for plants, provides a novel pathway for alleviating drought stress. However, quantitative analysis of reverse water transport after water uptake in plant leaves has been insufficient, which has become a bottleneck in the study of adaptive plant survival under drought stress. This study investigates Cunninghamia lanceolata ( C. lanceolata ) using pot experiments with controlled watering, simulated fog environments, and stable isotope techniques to quantitatively explore the conditions that facilitate water absorption in C. lanceolata seedlings under drought stress, the thresholds for reverse water movement in various organs, and whether FWU enhances drought resistance. The results indicated that FWU occurred when the soil water content (SWC) fell below 60% of field capacity for 2 h in a foggy water environment. After 12 h of fog water treatment, the leaf water potential (LWP) and leaf water content (LWC) of C. lanceolata seedlings significantly improved under drought stress. When SWC exceeded 60% of field capacity, retrograde transport did not occur. When SWC ranged between 45% and 60% of field capacity, leaf water uptake retrograde transport to the stem, resulting in an increase in δ _D value by 20.54‰ ± 5.16‰. When SWC dropped between 30% and 45% of field capacity, retrograde transport to the rhizosphere soil occurred, with δ _D values increasing by 30.94‰ ± 1.4‰. Water absorbed by leaves can move along the leaf‐stem‐root water potential gradient into the xylem and surrounding soil, with maximum utilization rates of 16.26%, 11.13%, and 1.66%, respectively, thereby improving the plant's water status. From the above, it can be seen that C. lanceolata can effectively alleviate drought stress through leaf water uptake, and the reverse water transport threshold can be used as a research basis to provide new ideas for plants to cope with drought stress.