The role of roots traits of climax community species to shear strength in the Loess Hilly Region, China

Su, Xuemeng; Zhou, Zhengchao; Liu, June; Wang, Peipei; Liu, Junyang; Li, Qiujia; Zhao, Fuwang

doi:10.1016/j.still.2022.105417

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Root distribution related to root cohesion is reported mainly on woody plants in the Loess Plateau in the past decade [10,22,23]. In the past two years, herbaceous plants have been studied and the root distribution of several herbs introduced [24,25]. Root distribution characteristics including root area ratio, root number, root diameter, root cross-sectional area, root surface area and root volume have not been studied in detail.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Distribution and Root Cohesion of Two Herbaceous Plants in the Loess Plateau of China

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to understand the root morphology distribution and mechanical properties of typical herbaceous plants, and to evaluate the ability of soil reinforcement by the plant roots, root morphology investigation, single root tensile test in laboratory and root cohesion evaluation by the Wu-Waldron model were carried out on two local representative herbaceous plants, Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad and Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb. in the Loess Plateau of China. The results showed that the root morphological indexes (root number, single root diameter, root cross-sectional area, root surface area, root volume and root area ratio) of the two herbaceous plants decreased with the increase in soil depth, and the ratio of root to shallow soil layer was the highest in the 0–10 cm soil layer. The efficiency of root reinforcement could be higher in the shallow soil layer less than 10 cm. A positive correlation was observed between the root tensile force and root diameter in power function or exponential function, and a negative correlation was observed between the root tensile strength and root diameter in power function. The root cohesion of Kochia scoparia (2.73 kPa, or 0.92 kPa–1.37 kPa) was greater than that of Artemisia sacrorum (1.60 kPa, or 0.54 kPa–0.8 kPa), which could be used as the preferred herbaceous plant species for soil erosion control. The results could provide a scientific basis for selecting dominant species in the fields of ecological slope protection and soil and water conservation plant engineering in the loess area.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Distribution and Root Cohesion of Two Herbaceous Plants in the Loess Plateau of China

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, it is consistent in that relatively finer root systems have better resistance per unit area 24 , 25 . This phenomenon is mainly due to differences in the chemical content within the root system and their synergistic effect 26 . The chemical composition of the root system includes cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyclic loading changes the taproot's tensile properties and reinforces the soil via the shrub's taproot in semi-arid areas, China

Hu,

Zhang,

Yan

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to reveal the soil reinforcement by shrub root systems after repeated stress from external forces, such as high winds and runoff, for extended periods in the wind-hydraulic compound erosion zone. Using the widely distributed Shandong mine area soil and water-conserving plant species, Caragana microphylla, Hippophae rhamnoides, and Artemisia ordosica, cyclic loading tests were conducted on taproots of the three plant species (1–5 mm diameter) via a TY8000 servo-type machine to investigate the taproots’ tensile properties response to repeated loading–unloading using simulated high wind pulling and runoff scouring. Our study revealed that the tensile force was positively correlated with the root diameter but the tensile strength was negatively correlated under monotonic and cyclic loading of the three plants’ taproots. However, after cyclic loading, the three plant species' taproots significantly enhanced the tensile force and strength more than monotonic loading (P < 0.05). The taproot force–displacement hysteresis curves of the three plant species revealed obvious cyclic characteristics. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that root diameter and damage method directly affected the taproots' survival rate, reflecting their sustainable soil reinforcement capacity. The damage method significantly influenced the soil reinforcement more than the root diameter. Our findings reveal that the plant species' taproots can adapt more to the external environment and enhance their resistance to erosion after natural low perimeter erosion damage, effectively inducing soil reinforcement. Particularly, the taproots of Caragana microphylla have superior soil-fixing ability and can be used for ecological restoration.

show abstract

“…Soil detachment is primarily decreased via the binding and bonding effects of the roots. The binding effects are due to the interpenetration and extrusion of roots, which can intertwine soil particles into aggregates (Gyssels et al, 2005; Reubens et al, 2007) and exert anchorage and reinforcement to the soil mass physically (Comino & Druetta, 2010; Zhang et al, 2014), thereby improving the soil shear strength (Su et al, 2022). The bonding effects of roots on soils mostly result from root exudates and the decomposition of dead roots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Varied root effects on soil detachment with growth time and hydrodynamic characteristics

Liu,

Zhou,

Chen

et al. 2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plant roots significantly reduce soil detachment by overland flow. However, there have been few studies on how plant growth time and hydrodynamic characteristics affect the erosion‐reducing potential of plant roots. This study cultivated ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) as representative of plants possessing fibrous roots and taproots, respectively, in silty soil from the Loess Plateau, China. Root‐soil composites were collected monthly from March to September 2021 and subjected to flow scouring in a hydraulic flume at a 15° slope using five different flow discharges (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.3 L s−1). The results of the study indicated that root length density, root surface area density and root mass density exhibited a significant increase during the early growth phase, followed by a slight decrease. All parameters of fibrous roots revealed greater values than those of taproots, except for root mass density. The reduction in soil detachment under varying flow shear stresses showed a significant increase during the early phases of growth, followed by a gradual decline. Notably, fibrous roots demonstrated a greater impact on soil detachment than taproots, and this discrepancy fluctuated over time. Moreover, the contributions of fibrous and taproots to reducing soil detachment decreased from 55.81% to 39.66% and from 38.21% to 20.99% with increasing flow shear stress, respectively. It indicated that the erosion‐reducing potential of plant roots was greater when subjected to low‐flow shear stress compared to high‐flow shear stress. This study can provide a scientific basis for understanding the erosion‐reducing potential of plant roots at different growing stages and under varying hydrodynamic characteristics.

show abstract

The role of roots traits of climax community species to shear strength in the Loess Hilly Region, China

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

Root Distribution and Root Cohesion of Two Herbaceous Plants in the Loess Plateau of China

Root Distribution and Root Cohesion of Two Herbaceous Plants in the Loess Plateau of China

Cyclic loading changes the taproot's tensile properties and reinforces the soil via the shrub's taproot in semi-arid areas, China

Varied root effects on soil detachment with growth time and hydrodynamic characteristics

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About