Rapid revegetation by sowing seed mixtures of shrub and herbaceous species

Abstract

Abstract. Fast revegetation by means of sowing seed mixtures of shrub and herbaceous species is a measure to prevent bare soils from wind and water erosion. A field experiment was used to test the effect of species selection and the ratio of shrub to herbaceous species on vegetation formation and shrub growth. Results showed that herbaceous species hastened cover formation and maintained a high coverage for a longer period. However, the growth of shrubs was hindered. In the North China Plain or where the soil and climate are similar, the ratio of shrub to herbaceous seeds is proposed to be 6 : 4-7 : 3 (weight ratio). Among the herbaceous species tested, Festuca arundinacea Schreb. grows relatively slow, so it should be mixed with other fast-growing species in the practice of rapid revegetation, and a seeding density lower than 6 g m −2 is proposed when applied; Orychophragmus violaceus O. E. Schulz. wilts when the seeds are ripe, leading to a significant decrease of coverage, so other species with different phenology should be involved when it is applied; Viola philippica Car. is a good ground cover plant which grows fast and maintains a stable coverage from July to October, and a seeding density of 1.5 g m −2 is proposed for rapid revegetation. Herbaceous species have different traits. Three different types of herbs were found in our experiment: slowgrowing stable species (F. arundinacea), fast-growing unstable species (O. violaceus) and fast-growing stable species (V. philippica). Shrubs, slow-growing stable species and fastgrowing unstable species should not be used alone because they cannot cover the ground fast or they cannot maintain a long period of good coverage. A small seeding rate of fastgrowing stable species should be used to ensure a fair coverage against erosion. Because natural environmental conditions are heterogeneous and stochastic, more species should be added to enhance the stability of plant community.

The Impact of Ecological Construction Programs on Grassland Conservation in Inner Mongolia, China

“…Land degradation has received considerable interest from academic scholars and governments, mainly paying attention to issues of desertification and deserts as fragile ecosystems, the loss of forest lands, and environmental changes in scrublands (Vieira et al , ; Easdale, ; Keesstra et al , ; Lucas‐Borja et al , ). However, grasslands also play an important role in global ecosystems, and grassland degradation therefore deserves further attention (Feng et al , ; Hu et al , ; Mekonnen et al , )…”

Spatial Variation of Soil Seed Bank under Cushion Plants in a Subalpine Degraded Grassland

“…The soil seed distribution in the different locations around the cushions can also be used as a tracer of the seed redistribution (Cerdà & García‐Fayos, ; De Vlaeminck et al, ; Yu et al, ) and help to understand the seed behaviour (Wang et al, ). Moreover, understanding the fate of the seeds along the slopes is definitive to plan restoration and rehabilitation programmes (Feng et al, ; Gilardelli et al, ; Qian et al, ). In fact, the plant patches and their interaction with the sediment, water movement and seeds redistribution is a well‐known issue (Cerdà, ; Akhtar et al, ).…”

The Contribution of Astragalus adsurgens Roots and Canopy to Water Erosion Control in the Water–Wind Crisscrossed Erosion Region of the Loess Plateau, China

“…Feng et al . () found that rapid revegetation could be obtained in the North China Plain by sowing seed mixtures of shrub and herbaceous species, and it is a useful measure to protect soil from wind and water erosion. Tian et al .…”