Short rotation willow on the Prairie Potholes' degraded marginal riparian lands: A potential land‐use practice to manage soil salinity

Abstract

Land‐use practice shift in the wetland riparian zone can influence groundwater table (GWT) fluctuations and salts dynamics, potentially leading to soil salinization. The risk of soil salinization linked with high water tables could be better managed by using high growing capacity and deep‐rooted phreatophytic vegetation via the 'biodrainage' approach. We evaluated the impacts of short rotation willow (SRW; Salix dasyclados Wimm.) plantation on soil and groundwater salinity linked to shallow GWT fluctuations and compared with adjacent annual crop (AC) and pasture (PA) in a field experiment. Groundwater salinity (ECgw) along with depth to GWT and soil salinity (ECsoil at 0–60 cm depth) were measured along transects within each land‐use practice in two Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) wetland sites (A and B). The variations in ECgw were significant (p < 0.05) across land‐uses; however, inconsistent in both sites. The positive correlation with ECgw, ECsoil, and total dissolved salts (TDS) indicated higher salinity and salt accumulation with increased depth to GWT in both sites. The ECsoil varied significantly (p < 0.05) among land‐use practices; however, land‐use patterns were not consistent in both sites. Throughout the experimentation, site B consistently exhibited higher ECsoil (two‐fold) than site A. We observed a decreasing inclination in ECsoil with increasing SRW biomass at both depths (i.e., 0–30 and 30–60 cm) and vice versa. This study refines our knowledge of SRW plantation‐linked potential hydrological alteration and its implication on salinity, which provides a critical context for degraded marginal riparian wetland soil management in the PPR.

Effect of reclamation projects on the salt ion migration process in the saline-alkali soil of tidal flats

“…The TDS in the soil showed an upward trend with the extension of reclamation time and partially re ected the salt content of the soil (Shahariar et al, 2021).…”

Effects of changing riparian topography on the decline of ecological indicators along the drawdown zones of long rivers in China

“…At different elevations, the climate has a dissimilar impact upon the vegetation; hence, a similar effect can be expected from other topographical features (stream channel widths and riparian buffer widths) of the drawdown zone of rivers. Because the environment affects vegetation in different ways at varying elevations (Pompa-Garcia et al, 2021;Shahariar et al, 2021), topographical features (e.g., stream-channel width, riparian width, and elevation) may variably impact the river's other EIs. Hence, in the face of a shifting environment and its consequences on productivity, topographical features remain important measures of EIs (Tito et al, 2018;Zheng et al, 2023).…”

The impact of stress factors from three land-use patterns on riparian zones degradation located within mega-reservoirs and around dams in China

“…Human activities have caused substantial disorder in reservoir riparian zones across several countries (Arif et al, 2021;He et al, 2020), such as deterioration caused by urbanization and other industrial development (Belete et al, 2020;Bombino et al, 2019). Riparian zones ensure preliminary reservoir safety and, ultimately, naturally improve water quality on a large scale (Mello et al, 2018;Shahariar et al 2021). Reservoirs and lakes are essential water sources that promote human welfare, production, and life-cycle conservation, and they provide 90% of the biosphere's freshwater (Dai et al, 2017).…”