Vertical and lateral uprooting resistance of Salix matsudana Koidz in a riparian area

Abstract

Root morphological characteristics of Salix matsudana Koidz were studied using a complete excavation method. In-situ vertical and lateral uprooting tests were carried out on plants in a riparian zone to evaluate the soil-reinforcing ability of plant roots and flow resistance. Results show that the maximum uprooting force was positively correlated with stem basal diameter in both vertical and lateral uprooting tests. Resistance to uprooting was also significantly positively correlated with plant height, total number of roots, cross-sectional areas (CSA) of all roots at base and root mass. Unlike vertical uprooting, taproots made a larger contribution to lateral uprooting, which was positively correlated with the uprooting resistance.Keywords: root anchorage, uprooting resistance, Salix matsudana, riparian zone RÉSUMÉLes caractéristiques morphologiques des racines du Salix matsudana Koidz ont été étudiées en procédant à l' excavation complète des arbres. Des tests in situ de déracinement vertical et latéral ont été réalisés sur des arbres situés en zone riparienne afin d' évaluer la capacité des racines des plantes à renforcer le sol et la résistance à l' écoulement. Les résultats démontrent que la force maximale de déracinement était positivement corrélée au diamètre de la souche de l'arbre tant pour les tests de déracinement vertical que latéral. La résistance au déracinement était également corrélée de façon positive et significative à la hauteur de l'arbre, au nombre total de racines, à la section transversale (CSA) de toutes les racines sous la souche et à la masse racinaire. Contrairement au déracinement vertical, les racines pivotantes ont contribué de façon plus importante au déracinement latéral, lequel était corrélé positivement à la résistance au déracinement.

Root Traits and Biomechanical Properties of Three Tropical Pioneer Tree Species for Forest Restoration in Landslide Areas

“…Correlation analyses of pullout resistance and morphological traits reveals a strong positive correlations with root collar diameter, root biomass and taproot length. These findings are consistent with the results of previous studies [56,62,63]. In general, tree roots play a vital role in shallow slope stabilization.…”

Growth Characteristics and Anti-Wind Erosion Ability of Three Tropical Foredune Pioneer Species for Sand Dune Stabilization

“…Regression analysis of uprooting force and growth characteristics shows strong positive correlations with height, root length, and root surface area. These results are congruent with previous studies [53,56,57]. In fact, V. rotundifoli with woody taproot and profuse lateral roots has higher uprooting resistance than I. pes-caprae and S. littoreus with fibrous roots.…”

Characteristics of root pullout resistance of Caragana korshinskii Kom. in the loess area of northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

“…In this study, results indicated that there was a moderate correlation between the maximum root pullout resistance and the height of C. korshinskii (r=0.599). This result was consistent with those of other plant species (Cucchi et al, 2004;Mickovski et al, 2005;Tanaka et al, 2011;Liu et al, 2013). In other words, the larger the plant, the higher its root pullout resistance (Liu et al, 2013).…”

“…This result was consistent with those of other plant species (Cucchi et al, 2004;Mickovski et al, 2005;Tanaka et al, 2011;Liu et al, 2013). In other words, the larger the plant, the higher its root pullout resistance (Liu et al, 2013). In addition, a moderate correlation between the maximum root pullout resistance and plant crown breadth (r=0.668) was obtained.…”