The role of fine and coarse roots in shallow slope stability and soil erosion control with a focus on root system architecture: a review

Abstract

The contribution of plant root systems to slope stability and soil erosion control has received a lot of attention in recent years. The plant root system is an intricate and adaptive object, and understanding the details of soil-root interaction is a difficult task. Although the morphology of a root system greatly influences its soilfixing efficiency, limited architectural work has been done in the context of slope stabilization and erosion control, and hence it remains unknown exactly which characteristics are important. Many of the published research methods are tedious and time-consuming. This review deals with the underlying mechanisms of shallow slope stabilization and erosion control by roots, especially as determined by their architectural characteristics. The effect of soil properties as well as the relative importance of different root sizes and of woody versus non-woody species are briefly discussed.Empirically and intuitively, architectural features seem to determine the effect of root systems on erosion phenomena and an effort is therefore made here to link both aspects. Still, the research to underpin this relationship is poorly developed. A variety of methods are available for detailed root system architectural measurement and analysis. Although, generally time-consuming, a full 3D architectural description followed by analysis in software such as AMAPmod offers the possibility to extract relevant information on almost any root system architectural characteristic. Combining several methods of measurement and analysis in a complementary way may be a useful option, especially in a context of modelling.

Effects of Land Use and Management on SoilHydraulic Properties

“…Soil and crop properties such as soil texture, porosity (n), bulk density (ρ), vegetation types, and root structures can strongly influence the soils' hydraulic properties [15]. Our knowledge of soil hydraulic and physical processes and the associated changes and interactions through soil matrices driven by environmental and/or ecological factors needs to be continuously improved to mitigate potential adverse impacts of future land modifications on soil functioning.…”

Tree species selection for land rehabilitation in Ethiopia: from fragmented knowledge to an integrated multi-criteria decision approach

“…It appeared to be difficult to clearly delineate species-specific agro-ecological ranges, of species suitability for the study area and is in line with the notion that little is known about (Reubens et al 2007). Nevertheless, insight in rooting characteristics is crucial towards 754 application both for agroforestry in general and soil erosion control.…”

An exploratory analysis of vegetation strategies to reduce shallow landslide activity on loess hillslopes, Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

“…Their root width extends extend over 0.5-4 m, with considerable lateral spread of roots at a depth of 0.2-1.5 m. These plants are very effective at reinforcing and anchoring soil. These affects are closely related to root number, root diameter, root shape (architecture), root strength, and root-soil interaction (Wu et al 1979;Stokes et al 1996;Dupuy et al 2007;Mickovski et al 2007;Reubens et al 2007). Indeed, studies show that structure-related root factors such as root density (RD), root length density (RLD), root area ratio (RAR), number of roots, maximum root depth and branching pattern are likely to exert a greater impact upon hillslope stability than factors such as root tensile strength (Reubens et al 2007;Genet et al 2005;Fattet et al 2011;Mao et al 2012;PollenBankhead et al 2009).…”

“…smaller roots have more cellulose per dry mass than larger roots (Turmanina 1965;Hathaway and Penny 1975;Commandeur and Pyles 1991;Genet et al 2005)). Other important considerations include root system morphology, such as root biomass, root number, root diameter and root length (Wu et al 1979) and root system architecture (Stokes et al 1996;Dupuy et al 2007;Mickovski et al 2007;Reubens et al 2007). The most efficient branching pattern is generated when many roots are spread deep into the soil (Stokes et al 1996;Fan et al 2010).…”

“…The most efficient branching pattern is generated when many roots are spread deep into the soil (Stokes et al 1996;Fan et al 2010). The optimum branching angle is a vertical angle of 90 o between a lateral root and the main axis, while the mechanically optimal radial angle between a lateral branch and its daughter is between 0-20 o (Stokes et al 1996;Reubens et al 2007).…”