Soil reinforcement by a root system and its effects on sediment yield in response to concentrated flow in the loess plateau
Peng Li, Zhanbin Li
.
DOI: 10.4236/as.2011.22013   PDF    HTML     9,674 Downloads   14,551 Views   Citations

Abstract

The importance of roots in soil conservation has long been underestimated due to a lack of sys-tematic studies conducted to evaluate root dis-tribution patterns and their effects on soil ero-sion. Current knowledge regarding root mor-phology and its impact on soil erosion by water is limited; therefore, detailed analysis of the role that root systems play in controlling soil ero-sion is needed. In this study, stratified runoff scouring at different soil depths in the field was conducted in a grassland area. The results in-dicated that both root biomass and soil wa-ter-stable aggregates decreased as soil depth increased at all three sites, while there was al-most no change in soil bulk density at 1.3g/cm3. Sediment yields under different runoff dis-charge at different sites showed similar trends, and the sediment yield increased as the soil depth increased at all three sites. Further analysis revealed that close relationships ex-isted between root biomass and the amount of water-stable aggregates and soil organic matter content, and that these factors greatly influ-enced soil erosion. Based on the data generated by the experiment, equations describing the relationship between sediment production at different soil depths and root biomass were determined.

Share and Cite:

Li, P. and Li, Z. (2011) Soil reinforcement by a root system and its effects on sediment yield in response to concentrated flow in the loess plateau. Agricultural Sciences, 2, 86-93. doi: 10.4236/as.2011.22013.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Zhou Peihua, Wu Chunlong. (1993) Researches on the methods of soil anti-scourability on Loess Plateau. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (in Chinese). 7(1): 29-34
[2] Gyssels G., Poesen J.. (2003) The importance of plant root characteristics in controlling concentrated flow erosion rates. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 28, 371-384
[3] Ghidey F, Alberts EE. (1997) Plant root effects on soil erodibility, splash detachment, soil strength, and aggregate stability. Transactions of the American Soci-ety of Agricultural Engineers, 40(1): 129-135.
[4] Li Yong, Zhu Xian-Mo, Tian Ji-Ying. (1991) Effectiveness of plant roots to increase the anti-scourability of soil on the Loess Plateau. Chinese Science Bulletin, 36(24): 2077-2082.
[5] Morgan RPC. (1995) Soil Erosion and Conservation (second edition). Longman Group: Har-low.
[6] Carroll C., Merton L., Burger P. (2000) Impact of vegetation cover and slope on runoff, erosion, and water quality for field plots on a range of soil and spoil materials on central Queenlands coal mines. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 38: 313~327
[7] Hoffmann L, Ries RE. (1991) Relationship of soil and plant characters to erosion and runoff on pasture and range. Journal of soil and water conservation, 2: 143-147
[8] Loch RJ. (2000) Effects of vegetation cover on runoff and erosion under simulation rain and overland flow on a rehabilitated site on the Meandu Mine, Tarong, Queenlandd. Australian Journal of Soil Re-search, 38: 299-312
[9] Peng Li, Zhanbin Li, Liangyong Zheng. (2002) Advances in researches of the effectiveness for vegetation conserving soil and water. Research of Soil and Water Conservation (in Chinese), 9(1): 76-80
[10] Thornes JB. (1987) The palaeoecology of ero-sion. In Landscapes and Culture, Wagstaff JM (ed.). Basic Blackwell: Oxford; 37-55.
[11] Morgan RPC, Rickson RJ. (1995) Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control: a Bioengi-neering Approach. Chapman & Hall: London.
[12] Jansen RC, Coelho Netto AL. (1999) Root systems distribution and functions in a mountainous tropical rainforest environment. Geomorphic Responses to Vegetation Changes: Problems and Remedial Work. Proceedings of the International Geo-graphical Union, Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 28, 371-384
[13] Green-way DR. (1987) Vegetation and slope stability. In Slope Stability, Anderson MG, Richards KS (eds). John Wiley & Sons: Chichester; 187-230.
[14] Waldron LJ, Dakessian S. (1981) Soil reinforcement by roots: calculation of increased soil shear resistance from root properties. Soil Science 132: 427-435.
[15] Tengbeh GT. (1993) The effect of grass roots on shear strength variations with moisture content. Soil Technology, 6: 387-295.
[16] Abe K, Ziemer RR. (1991) Effect of tree roots on shallow-seated landslides. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report 22(2): 95-108.
[17] Reid BJ, Goss MJ. (1987) Effect of living roots of different plant species on the aggregate stability of two arable soils. Journal of Soil Science, 32: 521-541.
[18] Cresswell HP, Kirkegaard JA. (1995) Sub-soil amelioration by plant roots----the process and evident. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 33:221-239
[19] Hartman R, De Boodt M. (1974) The in-fluence of the moisture content, texture and organic-matter on the aggregation of sandy and loamy soils. Geoderma 11(1): 53-62.
[20] Jiang Dingsheng, Fan Xingke, Li Xin-hua. (1995) Researches on vertical and horizontal patterns of soil anti-scourablity on Loess Plateau. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 9(2): 1-8.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.