Variation in soil erodibility under five typical land uses in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau, China

Wang, Hao; Zhang, Guanghui; Li, Ningning; Zhang, Baojun; Yang, Huichao

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2018.11.003

Cited by 77 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…It directly causes soil deterioration and decreases land productivity (Zhou et al, 2016). At present, about more than 25 million km 2 of land worldwide under the threat of soil erosion (Wang et al, 2019). Soil erosion has become an environmental problem that demands urgent attention from governmental management teams and requires reasonable regional control measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of vegetation cover and slope on soil erosion in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau under different rainfall regimes

Sun

Hou

Chen

2021

PeerJ

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Soil erosion is a critical environmental problem of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). The effects of vegetation cover on soil erosion reduction under different rainfall types are not well understood especially in the eastern Chinese Loess Plateau (ECLP). In this study, we monitored runoff and sediment yield at the Fengjiagou water and soil conservation station with five types of vegetation cover (arbor trees (ARC), shrubs (SHC), arable (ABC), natural vegetation (NVC), and artificial grass (APC)) and three slope gradients (10°, 15°, and 20°) in the ECLP. Based on long-term monitoring data, five rainfall types were classified by the maximum 30 min rainfall intensity (I30). We also quantitatively revealed the interactive effects of different types precipitation, vegetation cover and slope gradients on regional soil erosion. The results showed that (1) The RII (13 times) and RIII (eight times) type are the most threatening erosive rainfall in this region. (2) The ARC and SHC type were most beneficial for soil and water conservation in the ECLP; The APC and ABC are not conductive to the prevention of regional soil erosion. (3) Runoff and sediment yields increased with the slope gradient. The farmland is vulnerable to soil erosion when the slope gradient exceeds 10°. The results of this study can improve the understanding of regional soil erosion processes on the ECLP and provide useful information for managing regional water and land resources.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of vegetation cover and slope on soil erosion in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau under different rainfall regimes

Sun

Hou

Chen

2021

PeerJ

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“…With increasing abandonment time, the soil physical and chemical characteristics, the vegetation species and the plant root system in farmland can change significantly. Previous studies have confirmed that farmlands undergo significant increase in soil total porosity, soil organic matter content [19], soil clay content [20], total nitrogen [21] and aggregate stability [2] after a period of abandonment. Once farmland is abandoned, the vegetation recovers into tall herb, shrub, or forest ecosystems [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…This region is representative of the loess hill and the gully region of the Loess Plateau. It has a semi-arid continental climate with a mean annual temperature of 8.8 • C, and mean annual precipitation of 505 mm, over 70% of which occurs from July to September [20]. Soils in this watershed mainly are red Loess (the Early or Mid-Pleistocene Loess) and yellow loess (the Late Plesitocene Loess).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The plant species diversities and the plant communities vary greatly during the succession process [6]. The root system is the fundamental part of vegetation, and its mass density increases with the abandonment time [20]. Also, roots of different plant species, with diverse morphology, traits and distribution in soil layers tend to be vitally important for shaping the soil structure and the development from the soil surface to subsurface [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temporal Variation in Preferential Water Flow during Natural Vegetation Restoration on Abandoned Farmland in the Loess Plateau of China

Wang

Dong

Zhou

et al. 2019

Land

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The restoration of vegetation in abandoned farmlands is an effective approach to control soil erosion on the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, few studies have investigated the effect of natural restoration age on the infiltration patterns and preferential flow in soil layers. This study examined the effect of the temporal variations in the degree of preferential flow and their contribution on the total infiltration in abandoned farmlands restored with different vegetation communities. In total, four sites were investigated, namely site AF3, AF12, AF18 and AF25 of restoration age of 3, 12, 18 and 25 years, respectively. A traditional dye tracer experiment was adopted to visualize the water flow behavior in the four sites. A semi-variance analysis was conducted to interpret the spatial variability of the soil water induced by infiltration. The results showed that both the soil properties and the root systems improved with the increased natural restoration ages combined with the effect of the plant species. The degree of preferential flow from the lowest to the highest occurred in AF3, AF12, AF18 and AF25, which was mainly affected by the development of root systems. Also, the abundant lateral root and steeper slope may have caused the presence of lateral flow in AF18 and AF25. Meanwhile, the spatial variability of the soil water in the infiltration patterns through vertical soil profiles increased from AF3 to AF25. Compared to AF3, the infiltration volume through preferential pathways in AF12, AF18 and AF25 increased by 1.73 times, 1.94 times and 4.09 times, respectively. Therefore, the preferential flow was improved in abandoned farmland in the presence of natural vegetation restoration that can increase water storage in the deep soil layer and reduce surface runoff and erosion.

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“…Given that the Loess plateau is an arid and semi-arid region and the water-carrying capacity is limited, apple production is at an increased risk. In addition, as apple plantations have nearly no understory, they suffer from a much higher rate of soil erosion than woodlands and grasslands Wang et al, 2019). Therefore, simultaneously maintaining the sustainable development and reduction of soil loss of apple plantations in the plateau is a huge challenge.…”

Section: Main Issues and Challenges In The Swc Of This Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

et al. 2020

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China is experiencing conflicts between its large population and scarce arable land, and between a demand for high productivity and the severe soil erosion of arable land. Since 1949, China has committed to soil and water conservation (SWC), for which eight regions and 41 subregions have been developed to improve the environment and increase land productivity. To obtain information from the regional planning and strategies for SWC and to explore whether SWC practices simultaneously contribute to soil conservation, ecosystem functioning, and the livelihoods of local farmers, and to summarize the successful experiences of various SWC paradigms with distinct characteristics and mechanisms of soil erosion, this paper systematically presents seven SWC regions (excluding the Tibetan Plateau region) and 14 typical SWC paradigms, focusing on erosion mechanisms and the key challenges or issues in the seven regions as well as on the core problems, main objectives, key technologies, and the performance of the 14 typical paradigms. In summary, the 14 typical SWC paradigms successfully prevent and control local soil erosion, and have largely enhanced, or at least do not harm, the livelihoods of local farmers. However, there remain many challenges and issues on SWC and socioeconomic development that need to be addressed in the seven SWC regions. China, thus, still has a long way to go in successfully gaining the win-win objective of SWC and human aspects of development.

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Variation in soil erodibility under five typical land uses in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau, China

Cited by 77 publications

References 53 publications

Effects of vegetation cover and slope on soil erosion in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau under different rainfall regimes

Effects of vegetation cover and slope on soil erosion in the Eastern Chinese Loess Plateau under different rainfall regimes

Temporal Variation in Preferential Water Flow during Natural Vegetation Restoration on Abandoned Farmland in the Loess Plateau of China

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

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