Soil water storage compensation potential of herbaceous energy crops in semi-arid region

Cui, Zeng; Liu, Yü; Jia, Chao; Huang, Ze; He, Honghua; Han, Fengpeng; Shen, Weibo; Wu, Gao‐Lin

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2018.03.026

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…With the growth of M. sativa , the water demand increased and the soil moisture of shallow and deep layers decreased. It is known that M. sativa is a kind of plant with high water consumption requirements and it can even absorb water from deep soil layers by using its extensive root system (Cui et al, ). Previous studies have found that, with increasing the age of alfalfa grassland, the main soil depth where water consumption was predominant was gradually deepening (Ren, Li, Wang, & Fang, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The utilization of shallow water was particularly prominent in M. sativa grassland. Many studies have shown that leguminous plants consume more water than gramineous plants in arid and semiarid areas (Cui et al, ; Huang et al, ). Other studies have indicated that the roots of the leguminous plants ( Caragana korshinskii and M. sativa ) were deeply distributed and could consume more deep soil water (Huang, Tian, Wu, Liu, & Dang, ; Jia & Shao, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the high water consumption of leguminous species has become the main limiting factor for their popularization in arid areas. In particular, the soil in Medicago sativa grasslands can be severely, even extremely, desiccated over planting time (Cui et al, ). On the other hand, the different grassland species have distinct canopy structure, soil cover rates, and root distribution that may result in the modification of the soil properties, thus affecting soil water infiltration (Angers & Caron, ; Bormann & Klaassen, ; Vervoort, Dabney, & Römkens, ; Wang et al, ; Yu et al, ; Zhao, Wu, Zhao, & Feng, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration

et al. 2020

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Soil water deficit is one of the important abiotic stresses affecting vegetation restoration.The magnitude and spatiotemporal dynamics of soil water content (SWC) provide basic guidance for optimal vegetation restoration. In a semiarid Chinese area, the changes in the soil water storage (SWS) of five cultivated grasslands and one wasteland were observed, to evaluate the water consumption at different soil depths (0-100 cm), from 2008 to 2012. The plants of the three leguminous species consumed more water in deep soil layers (80-100 cm) and produced more aboveground biomass than the plants of the two gramineous species. The gramineous plants mainly consumed shallow soil water (0 ≤ 30 cm). The soil water deficit in the whole soil profile of Medicago sativa grassland (43-48%) was significantly higher than the deficit of the gramineous grasslands (p < .05). After 5 years of planting, the SWC of Agropyron cristatum grassland (21%) was the highest in the 20-to 80-cm soil layer. The variation of SWS in M. sativa grassland did not significantly differ during this period, although its mean value was 28% lower than the value in A. cristatum grassland (181 mm). At the end of the experiment, leguminous grasslands caused a serious soil water shortage deficit in the 80-to 100-cm soil layers.These results underscore that vegetation type determines the vertical distribution of soil water deficit, particularly in deep layers. To promote long-term sustainability of water resources, planting A. cristatum may be a good choice for early grassland restoration in arid areas. K E Y W O R D Sarid area, grassland restoration, soil water content, soil water deficit degree

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration

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“…The dominance of single pasture species at a specific site, insufficient forage legumes, lack of forage and a lag in the development of cultivated grasslands cause the reduction of grass storage, which can be very prominent and seriously restricts the development of local animal husbandry and economy. Continuous cultivation of alfalfa affects the soil water storage and the grassland's productivity [20]. Soil water compensation potential refers to the potential to mitigate the negative impact induced by water-intensive activities in water-scarce lands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil water compensation potential refers to the potential to mitigate the negative impact induced by water-intensive activities in water-scarce lands. It was observed that plant growth with increase age of revegetation, particularly below-ground biomass, absorbed more soil water and caused soil desiccation [20]. Therefore, it is important to assess the soil water compensation potential of the planted species and develop specific soil water conservation techniques for proper management of the groundwater in Tibetan pastoral areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

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Huang

Cui

et al. 2018

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Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has strong stress resistance, high nutritional value, good palatability for cattle, high yield and a drought tolerance mechanism, but long-term planting leads to soil desiccation. This research was carried out to examine the soil water conditions of alfalfa pastures with different planted ages, and determine the optimum time for alfalfa rotation in a plateau area of a sub-alpine monsoon climate. Soil water depletion, soil compaction and vegetation characteristics of alfalfa pastures of different ages (i.e., two, four and seven years) were assayed and compared with those of a cornfield which served as the control crop. Three 20 × 20 m plots and five random quadrats per plot were established at each field. Soil water contents at 0–400 cm depth and plant biomass were compared among different vegetation types, soil transects and planting years. The results showed that at the 250–400 cm depth, the soil water storage of the four- and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures was much lower than in the two-year-old alfalfa pasture and in the cornfield. Moreover, the degree of soil water storage deficit of the four- and seven-year-old alfalfa pastures was much higher than in the other fields. Soil compaction of alfalfa pastures increased with increasing planting age and reached a peak value in the seven-year-old alfalfa pasture. The highest above-ground biomass was observed in the four-year-old alpine alfalfa pasture. Thus, the best cultivation period for alfalfa pastures was four years from the perspective of higher yield and lower soil water consumption in pastoral sub-alpine areas. This study provided a basis for sustainable alfalfa pasture cultivation, timely harvest, rotation and water management measures to be implemented in alpine grazing lands.

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Potential of artificial grasslands in crop rotation for improving farmland soil quality

et al. 2019

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In the long‐term improper agricultural activities can result in soil compaction, which is accompanied by a series of problems. Artificial grasslands with high economic benefits and environmental efficiencies are suitable for cultivation in semiarid areas. It is necessary to explore whether artificial grasslands could be used as crop rotation to improve compacted farmland. In this study, five typical artificial grasslands (Miscanthus sinensis, Medicago sativa, Panicum virgatum, Trifolium repens, and Bromus inermis) and bare farmland were selected to compare relevant indicators of soil physical properties (SPP), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water storage (SWS), and aboveground biomass via field observations. B. inermis and T. repens with high depth‐averaged SOC (10.14 and 9.81 g kg−1, respectively) had significant effects on the improvement of SPP, but such effects were limited by their low biomass yield (2,208.9 and 1,831.3 kg ha−1, respectively). In contrast, P. virgatum improved SPP and increased SOC while maintaining higher biomass yield (25028.5 kg ha−1) and SWS (1,534.79 mm). In conclusion, artificial grasslands with high environmental efficiencies improved soil quality and could be considered as feasible and suitable rotation species to increase land productivity and promote sustainable agricultural management. Furthermore, P. virgatum with higher biomass yield and SWS might be a feasible and suitable choice on the basis of its potential to improve soil quality in semiarid regions.

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Soil water storage compensation potential of herbaceous energy crops in semi-arid region

Cited by 20 publications

References 38 publications

Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration

Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration

Soil Water Depletion in Planted Alfalfa Pastures in an Alpine Pastoral Area

Potential of artificial grasslands in crop rotation for improving farmland soil quality

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