Change of Tillage Layer Thickness of Farmland in Anhui Province of Eastern China

Tillage layer thickness (TLT) of farmland could be regarded as one of physical indexes in assessing soil productivity and quality. In recent years, tillage layer shallowing was found in China in various regions, mainly due to the adoption of non-tillage or rotary tillage practices, but only little rough and non-quantitative information is available so far on the issue. This research took Anhui, a typical agricultural province in Eastern China as an example and compared the TLTs of 87 typical profiles on provincial scale and 210 on county scale from 1980s to 2010s. The results showed that TLTs of 3.7% and 17.2% of samples in 1980s and 2010s respectively were larger than 20 cm. From 1980s to 2010s the mean TLT increased from 16.3 to 17.4 cm on the provincial scale and from 15.0 to 15.5 cm on the county scale respectively. In the middle and southern regions the mean TLTs increased by 0.4-0.7 cm on the provincial scale and 0.3-3.2 cm on the county scale respectively, but decreased by 2.0 cm in northern region on the county scale. The mean TLT increased by 0.8 cm for paddy-field and 1.4 cm for dry-land on the provincial scale. TLT was influenced comprehensively by the factors of soil texture, the depth of rotary tillage and the farming positivity of the farmers. Generally, TLT of farmland with coarse soil texture was higher than that of farmland with fine soil texture, in 1980s TLT in region of poor-economic condition usually was deeper than in region of good-economic condition, and the adoption of rotary tillage led widely TLTs of farmlands to about 15 cm in 2010s.

Patterns and drivers of seasonal water sources for artificial sand-fixing plants in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land,Northwest China

Understanding plant water-use patterns is important for improving water-use efficiency and for sustainable vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions. However, seasonal variations in water sources and their control by different sand-fixing plants in water-limited desert ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, stable isotopic ratios of hydrogen(δ^(2)H) and oxygen(δ^(18)O) in precipitation, soil water, groundwater, and xylem water were determined to document seasonal changes in water uptake by three representative plant species(Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv., Amygdalus pedunculata Pall., and Salix psammophila) in the northeastern Mu Us sandy land, Northwest China. Based on the depth distribution and temporal variation of measured gravimetric soil water content(SWC), the soil water profile of the three species stands was divided into active(0.01 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.08 g g^(-1), 20%< coefficient of variation(CV) < 45%), stable(0.02 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.05 g g^(-1), CV < 20%), and moist(0.08 g g^(-1)< SWC < 0.20 g g^(-1), CV >45%) layers. Annually, P. sylvestris, A. pedunculata, and S. psammophila obtained most water from deep(59.2%±9.7%, moist layer and groundwater),intermediate(57.4%±9.8%, stable and moist layers), and shallow(54.4%±10.5%, active and stable layers) sources, respectively. Seasonally, the three plant species absorbed more than 60% of their total water uptake from the moist layer and groundwater in the early(June) dry season;then, they switched to the active and stable layers in the rainy season(July–September) for water resources(50.1%–62.5%). In the late(October–November) dry season, P. sylvestris(54.5%–66.2%) and A. pedunculata(52.9%–63.6%) mainly used water from stable and moist layers, whereas S. psammophila(52.6%–70.7%) still extracted water predominantly from active and stable layers. Variations in the soil water profile induced by seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and groundwater levels and discrepancies in plant phenology, root distribution, and water demand are the main factors affecting the seasonal water-use patterns of artificial sand-fixing plants. Our study addresses the issue of plant water uptake with knowledge of proportional source-water use and reveals important implications for future vegetation restoration and water management in the Mu Us sandy land and similar desert regions around the world.