Vegetation restoration and fine roots promote soil infiltrability in heavy-textured soils

Hao, Hao-xin; Wei, Yujie; Cao, Dan-ni; Guo, Zhonglu; Shi, Zhihua

doi:10.1016/j.still.2019.104542

Cited by 77 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…This could be explained by the fact that fine oat roots are more likely to fill up the existing soil pores during their growth and an increase in pore space was therefore not detected at the time of scanning. Hao, Wei, Cao, Guo, and Shi (2020) also reported increased effects on porosity from grass species. Our study shows that not only grass species and cereals, in our case rye, are capable of increasing pore space, but species with a greater root length density and root surface area, such as mustard and buckwheat, can also increase soil porosity in compacted soil layers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Functional root trait‐based classification of cover crops to improve soil physical properties

Hudek

Putinica

Otten

et al. 2021

European J Soil Science

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Cover crop use is a well‐established soil conservation technique and has been proven effective for erosion control and soil remediation in many arable systems. Whereas the obvious protection mechanism of cover crops occurs through the canopy, plant roots perform multiple functions. It is important to consider the soil functions delivered by different root systems in order to increase the uptake of cover crops for sustainable soil and water management. A classification of cover crop root systems up to 0.6 m deep based on functional traits will allow us to better study their potential role in soil bio‐engineering, soil structural improvements for hydrological services and soil resource protection. This was a glasshouse experiment, using large 1‐m3 containers filled with loam soil, loose topsoil and compacted subsoil, in which seven cover crop species (oat, rye, buckwheat, vetch, radish, mustard, phacelia) were grown for 90 days. Root cores were taken at the end of the experiment, washed and imaged to determine root traits (total root length density, average root diameter, root specific length and root surface area) for both the topsoil and subsoil layers. Root identity was determined from a distinctive combination of single root traits and related to three soil functional variables, representing soil structural improvement, runoff mitigation and erosion control. The results showed that total root length and root surface area correlate well with aggregate stability and soil macroporosity. Buckwheat, mustard and rye had significantly greater aggregate stability, as well as 10, 8 and 7% greater microporosity, respectively, at the interface with the compacted layer when compared to the control bare soil. Furthermore, average root diameter negatively correlated with soil macroporosity, indicating that cover crops with a fine root system are more beneficial for creating pore‐space than those with thicker taproots. Selecting cover crop species with the right root traits is therefore crucial to improve soil health. Highlights Roots of cover crops are a largely unexplored frontier for bio‐engineering of agricultural soils. Combinations of root traits were identified that most improve soil characteristics. Cover crops with finer root systems were better at enhancing porosity. Root length and surface area were most important for enhancing soil structure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Functional root trait‐based classification of cover crops to improve soil physical properties

Hudek

Putinica

Otten

et al. 2021

European J Soil Science

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“…Under the experimental conditions, the planting layout was consistent under the planting method, and the impact of planting layout on erosion was not considered. Recent studies have shown that plant biomass, plant height, root length, and root density are significantly negatively correlated with erosion 35 , 36 . Vegetation indirectly influences erosion primarily via reduction of soil erodibility by improving the soil properties 37 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Slope is a key factor influencing soil erodibility, rain intensity indicates runoff erosivity, and P. vulgaris reduces the influence of slope or rain intensity based on the effects of the internal factors associated with sheet erosion 37 , 41 . The organic matter in the soil can decrease soil erodibility by affecting the infiltration rate and soil roughness 28 , 35 . Therefore, rain intensity, slope of fallow soil, and SOM in combination can significantly influence sheet erosion characterisation, whereas rain intensity, slope of vegetated slope, and SOM cannot influence sheet erosion characterisation significantly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, rain intensity, slope of fallow soil, and SOM in combination can significantly influence sheet erosion characterisation, whereas rain intensity, slope of vegetated slope, and SOM cannot influence sheet erosion characterisation significantly. Similarly, vegetation improves the response to sheet erosion by enhancing soil infiltration and guiding flow 35 , 41 . Hence, a combination of hydraulic parameters and SOM in bare soil cannot significantly improve sheet erosion characterisation, whereas a combination of SOM and hydraulic parameters in a vegetated slope can significantly improve the characterisation of sheet erosion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimizing the Dryland Sheet Erosion equation in South China

Wang

Yuan

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Optimisation of models applied in sheet erosion equations could facilitate effective management of sheet erosion in the field, and sustainable agricultural production. To optimise the characterisation of sheet erosion on slope farmland in South China, the present study conducted field simulation rainfall experiments with vegetated and fallow soils. According to the results, sheet erosion rate first increased with an increase in rainfall duration and then stabilised. Exclusive P. vulgaris planting and P. vulgaris in combination with earthworms could reduce sheet erosion by 10–60%, and the combined method could better control sheet erosion. There were significant differences in erosion rate between mild and steep slopes, and light and heavy rain conditions. The influence of rain intensity on sheet erosion was greater than that of slope. Soil organic matter (SOM), rain intensity, and slope can be used to optimise sheet erosion equations of exposed slopes, and SOM and hydraulic parameters can be used to optimise sheet erosion equations in vegetated slopes. The results of the present study could facilitate the reduction of the time and space variability errors in the establishment of sheet erosion models for vegetated slopes.

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“…Land use types not only affect the properties of the underlying soil surface, but also influence the redistribution of rainfall and the transport of runoff and sediment [ 46 ]. According to previous research in Yanan city, the soil conservation modulus varied with the land use types; furthermore, forest land and grassland had the best soil conservation effects [ 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

Wei

Zhao

Wang

2021

IJERPH

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Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion.

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Vegetation restoration and fine roots promote soil infiltrability in heavy-textured soils

Cited by 77 publications

References 56 publications

Functional root trait‐based classification of cover crops to improve soil physical properties

Functional root trait‐based classification of cover crops to improve soil physical properties

Optimizing the Dryland Sheet Erosion equation in South China

Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

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