Traditional vegetation techniques for the control of concentrated flow erosion are widely recognized, whereas only a few studies have experimentally investigated the impacts of belowground roots on the erodibility of ...Traditional vegetation techniques for the control of concentrated flow erosion are widely recognized, whereas only a few studies have experimentally investigated the impacts of belowground roots on the erodibility of topsoils in semi-arid areas. To quantify the effects of root architectures on soil erodibility and its relevant structural properties, simulated flow experiments were conducted at six-week intervals from 18 July to 20 October in 2012 in the hilly Loess Plateau. Five treatments were: 1) bare(control), 2) purple alfalfa(Medicago sativa), representing tap roots(T), 3) switchgrass(Panicum virgatum), representing fibrous roots(F), 4) purple alfalfa and switchgrass, representing both tap and fibrous roots(T + F), and 5) natural recovery(N). For each treatment, soil structural properties and root characteristics were measured at an interval of six weeks. Soil anti-scouribility was calculated. Results showed that grass planting slightly reduced soil bulk density, but increased soil aggregate content by 19.1%, 10.6%, 28.5%, and 41.2% in the treatments T, F, T + F, and N, respectively. Soil shear strength(cohesion and angle of internal friction(φ)) significantly increased after the grass was planted. As roots grew, soil cohesion increased by 115.2%–135.5%, while soil disintegration rate decreased by 39.0%–58.1% in the 21 th week compared with the recorded value in the 9th week. Meanwhile, root density and root surface area density increased by 64.0%–104.7% and 75.9%–157.1%, respectively. No significant differences in soil anti-scouribility were observed between the treatments of T and F or of T + F and N, but the treatments of T + F and N performed more effectively than T or F treatment alone in retarding concentrated flow. Soil aggregation and root surface-area density explained the observed soil anti-scouribility during concentrated flow well for the different treatments. This result proved that the restoration of natural vegetation might be the most appropriate strategy in soil reinforcement in the hilly Loess Plateau.展开更多
The influence of different types of roots on the soil is complex and still remains unclear.Four in-situ extrusion tests were conducted on two types of root systems,namely fibrous and tap root system,for three plants,E...The influence of different types of roots on the soil is complex and still remains unclear.Four in-situ extrusion tests were conducted on two types of root systems,namely fibrous and tap root system,for three plants,Eleusine indica,Potentilla anserine,and Artemisia argyi,according to the classification in Botany,and the thrust-displacement curves and failure patterns of different samples were analysed by comparison to fill the aforementioned gap.Results reveal that the roots can reduce the characteristics of soil brittleness and enhance its capability to resist large deformation,and different root types contribute different effects to the strain-hardening behavior of the root-soil mass.The contribution of the fibrous root system to strength is limited,whilst the tap root system substantially enhances strength and stiffness.Results of failure patterns show that fibrous and tap root systems affect soil solidification and surface cracking reduction.However,the effect of the tap root system depends on the composition of lateral and tap roots:long and rich lateral roots are effective for resisting the creation of cracks,but thick tap roots with few and thin lateral roots may lead to several surface cracks.展开更多
Under water and phosphorus (P) coupled stresses, root architecture may be related to P acquisition efficiency of plants. Understanding the relationship between root architecture and P acquisition efficiency may provid...Under water and phosphorus (P) coupled stresses, root architecture may be related to P acquisition efficiency of plants. Understanding the relationship between root architecture and P acquisition efficiency may provide basic information for improving P acquisition efficiency of plants. In the present study, we quantitatively described the effects of root architecture on P acquisition efficiency by computer simulation together with controlled biological experiments so as to determine an ideal root architecture for efficient P acquisition under water and P coupled stresses. Our results indicate that under given soil water conditions, the ideal root architecture for P acquisition efficiency of a tap root plant (as represented by common bean) is an 搖mbrella-shape?root system whose basal roots tend to be shallow in the P-rich topsoil and tap roots tend to be deep for water in the subsoil. Meanwhile, the ideal root architecture for a fibrous root plant (as represented by upland rice) is a beard-shape?root system with the moderately dispersed yet uniformly distributed adventitious and lateral roots so as to keep most roots in the topsoil for P and a few roots in the subsoil for water.展开更多
基金Strategic Priority Research Program-Climate Change:Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA05060300)
文摘Traditional vegetation techniques for the control of concentrated flow erosion are widely recognized, whereas only a few studies have experimentally investigated the impacts of belowground roots on the erodibility of topsoils in semi-arid areas. To quantify the effects of root architectures on soil erodibility and its relevant structural properties, simulated flow experiments were conducted at six-week intervals from 18 July to 20 October in 2012 in the hilly Loess Plateau. Five treatments were: 1) bare(control), 2) purple alfalfa(Medicago sativa), representing tap roots(T), 3) switchgrass(Panicum virgatum), representing fibrous roots(F), 4) purple alfalfa and switchgrass, representing both tap and fibrous roots(T + F), and 5) natural recovery(N). For each treatment, soil structural properties and root characteristics were measured at an interval of six weeks. Soil anti-scouribility was calculated. Results showed that grass planting slightly reduced soil bulk density, but increased soil aggregate content by 19.1%, 10.6%, 28.5%, and 41.2% in the treatments T, F, T + F, and N, respectively. Soil shear strength(cohesion and angle of internal friction(φ)) significantly increased after the grass was planted. As roots grew, soil cohesion increased by 115.2%–135.5%, while soil disintegration rate decreased by 39.0%–58.1% in the 21 th week compared with the recorded value in the 9th week. Meanwhile, root density and root surface area density increased by 64.0%–104.7% and 75.9%–157.1%, respectively. No significant differences in soil anti-scouribility were observed between the treatments of T and F or of T + F and N, but the treatments of T + F and N performed more effectively than T or F treatment alone in retarding concentrated flow. Soil aggregation and root surface-area density explained the observed soil anti-scouribility during concentrated flow well for the different treatments. This result proved that the restoration of natural vegetation might be the most appropriate strategy in soil reinforcement in the hilly Loess Plateau.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA23090402)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41790442,41825018)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(No.2019QZKK0904)。
文摘The influence of different types of roots on the soil is complex and still remains unclear.Four in-situ extrusion tests were conducted on two types of root systems,namely fibrous and tap root system,for three plants,Eleusine indica,Potentilla anserine,and Artemisia argyi,according to the classification in Botany,and the thrust-displacement curves and failure patterns of different samples were analysed by comparison to fill the aforementioned gap.Results reveal that the roots can reduce the characteristics of soil brittleness and enhance its capability to resist large deformation,and different root types contribute different effects to the strain-hardening behavior of the root-soil mass.The contribution of the fibrous root system to strength is limited,whilst the tap root system substantially enhances strength and stiffness.Results of failure patterns show that fibrous and tap root systems affect soil solidification and surface cracking reduction.However,the effect of the tap root system depends on the composition of lateral and tap roots:long and rich lateral roots are effective for resisting the creation of cracks,but thick tap roots with few and thin lateral roots may lead to several surface cracks.
基金This work wassupported by the National Key Basic Research Special Funds of China (Grant No. G1999011700) the National Outstanding Youth Foundation (Grant No. 39925025) the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30070441).
文摘Under water and phosphorus (P) coupled stresses, root architecture may be related to P acquisition efficiency of plants. Understanding the relationship between root architecture and P acquisition efficiency may provide basic information for improving P acquisition efficiency of plants. In the present study, we quantitatively described the effects of root architecture on P acquisition efficiency by computer simulation together with controlled biological experiments so as to determine an ideal root architecture for efficient P acquisition under water and P coupled stresses. Our results indicate that under given soil water conditions, the ideal root architecture for P acquisition efficiency of a tap root plant (as represented by common bean) is an 搖mbrella-shape?root system whose basal roots tend to be shallow in the P-rich topsoil and tap roots tend to be deep for water in the subsoil. Meanwhile, the ideal root architecture for a fibrous root plant (as represented by upland rice) is a beard-shape?root system with the moderately dispersed yet uniformly distributed adventitious and lateral roots so as to keep most roots in the topsoil for P and a few roots in the subsoil for water.
