IMPACT OF WATER ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS IN DRY-HOT VALLEY OF JINSHA RIVER ON SOIL DESERTIFICATION

Based on the field investigation and the analysis of soil moisture curve, it is clearly shown that there is a positive relationship between vegetation coverage rate and soil moisture capacity and soil depth in dry hot valley of the Jinsha River, and also there is a desertification process with seasonality. It is suggested that the basic factor of desertification in the area is water deficiency (seasonal drought and low soil water capacity) and the direct dynamic of desertification is soil erosion. Some effective countermeasures are presented, of which water saving planting and irrigation techniques should be firstly applied in the studied area.

Impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure in dry-hot valley of the Jinsha River,southwestern China

To understand the impacts of reforestation on woody species composition,species diversity and community structure,seven plantation forests in dryhot valley of the Jinsha River in Southwest China were investigated,with adjacent wastelands,natural shrub grassland and a natural forest as references.Species importance value,species richness,species heterogeneity and Sorenson similarity index between plantations and the natural forest were analyzed.Results indicated that compared to wastelands and natural shrub grassland,reforestation improved species diversity and community structure,and more forest woody species found suitable habitats in plantations.Species diversity in understory of plantations and Sorenson similarity index were significantly negatively correlated with stem density in mature plantations(26-31 years old).Higher species diversity and Sorenson similarity index existed in mature sparse plantations due to lower stem density and more tree species planted initially.In contrast,reference natural forest,with species heterogeneity of 2.28 for shrub layer,showed the highest species diversity.It would take a long time for species composition and diversity to recover through reforestation in a dry-hot valley.Therefore,it was essential to protect remnant natural forests strictly and reforest with suitable management such as lower stem density and increasing genetic diversity of trees planted.

Land Suitability Evaluation of Zanthoxylum schinifolium in Dry and Hot Valley of Jinsha River: A Case Study of Jiaopingdu Town of Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County,Yunnan Province

According to the recent practice in Laopingzi Village,Jiaopingdu Town,Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County(Luquan County hereinafter)in dry and hot valley of Jinsha River,the development of Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb.et Zucc planting industry can help farmers gradually get rid of poverty and achieve a virtuous cycle of ecological environment.It is a sustainable poverty alleviation way.Based on the three aspects of soil properties,climatic conditions,and topographical conditions influencing the growth of Z.schinifolium,this paper selected eight evaluation factors to establish a suitability evaluation system for Z.schinifolium,used the analytic hierarchy process to determine the indicator,and determined the weight of the evaluation indicators.Besides,it calculated the comprehensive suitability index of land suitability of Z.schinifolium and evaluated the suitability of Z.schinifolium land in Jiaopingdu Town of Luquan County.The results showed that the suitable area for the cultivation of Z.schinifolium in Jiaopingdu Town reached 7270.78 ha,accounting for 88.69%of the study area;the area of unsuitable land was 922.07 ha,accounting for 11.31%of the study area.Among the suitable land areas,the high suitability area reached562.99 ha,accounting for 7.79%;the moderate suitability area was 2206.76 ha,accounting for 28.61%;the low suitability area was4599.03 ha,accounting for 63.6%.Based on the results of suitability evaluation,it came up with pertinent recommendations for the development of Z.schinifolium industry in Jiaopingdu Town.

Impacts of native vegetation on the hydraulic properties of the concentrated flows in bank gullies

To quantify the impacts of native vegetation on the spatial and temporal variations in hydraulic properties of bank gully concentrated flows,a series of in situ flume experiments in the bank gully were performed at the Yuanmou Gully Erosion and Collapse Experimental Station in the dry-hot valley region of the Jinsha River,Southwest China.This experiment involved upstream catchment areas withone-and two-year native grass(Heteropogon contortus)and bare land drained to bare gully headcuts,i.e.,Gullies 1,2 and 3.In Gully 4,Heteropogon contortus and Agave sisalana were planted in the upstream catchment area and gully bed,respectively.Among these experiments,the sediment concentration in runoff in Gully 3 was the highest and that in Gully 2 was the lowest,clearly indicating that the sediment concentration in runoff obviously decreased and the deposition of sediment obviously increased as the vegetation cover increased.The concentrated flows were turbulent in response to the flow discharge.The concentrated flows in the gully zones with native grass and bare land were sub-and supercritical,respectively.The flow rate and shear stress in Gully 3 upstream catchment area were highest among the four upstream catchment areas,while the flow rate and shear stress in the gully bed of Gully 4 were lowest among the four gully beds,indicating that native grass notably decreased the bank gully flow rate and shear stress.The Darcy–Weisbach friction factor(resistance f)and flow energy consumption in the gully bed of Gully 4 were notably higher than those in the other three gully beds,clearly indicating that native grass increased the bank gully surface resistance and flow energy consumption.The Reynolds number(Re),flow rate,shear stress,resistance f,and flow energy consumption in the gully beds and upstream areas increased over time,while the sediment concentration in runoff and Froude number(Fr)decreased.Overall,increasing vegetation cover in upstream catchment areas and downstream gully beds of the bank gully is essential for gully erosion mitigation.