Response of soil nutrients to terracing and environmental factors in the Loess Plateau of China

Terracing is a widely adopted agricultural practice in mountainous regions around the world that aims to conserve soil and water resources.Soil nutrients play a crucial role in determining soil quality,particularly in landscapes prone to drought.They are influenced by factors such as land-use type,slope aspect,and altitude.In this study,we sought to examine the impact of terracing on soil nutrients(soil organic content(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),nitrate-nitrogen(NO_(3)^(-)-N),ammonium nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N),total phosphorus(TP),available phosphorus(AP),total potassium(TK),and available potassium(AK))and how they vary with environmental factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau.During the growing season,we collected 540 soil samples from the 0 to 100 cm soil layer across five major land-use types,different slope aspects,and varying altitudes.Additionally,a meta-analysis of literature data further corroborated the effective accumulation of soil nutrients through terracing in the Loess Plateau.Our findings are as follows:(1)Terraced fields,regardless of land-use type,showed a significant improvement in SOC and TN content.(2)Soil nutrient contents within terraced fields were predominantly higher on sunny slopes.(3)Terraces at lower altitudes are characterized by elevated SOC concentrations.(4)A meta-analysis of literature data pertaining to terracing and soil nutrients in this region confirmed the effective accumulation of soil nutri-ents through terracing.The elucidated outcomes of this study offer a profound theoretical underpinning for the accurate planning and management of terraces,the scientific utilization of land resources,and the enhancement of land productivity.

Soil erosion and its causes in high-filling body:A case study of a valley area on the Loess Plateau,China

Large-scale land consolidation projects(LCPs)have been carried out on the Loess Plateau to increase the area of agriculture land.The newly created land is prone to soil erosion under the effects of water and gravity.Taking a typical high-filling body(HFB)formed by LCPs in Yan’an,China as the subject,this study comprehensively investigated the types and causes of soil erosion with multiple methods of field investigation,on-site monitoring and laboratory tests.Results showed that the HFB presented a composite pattern of soil erosion with multiple types mainly including underground erosion,mixed water-gravity erosion,seepage erosion,and scouring erosion.The type of erosion varied spatially in different parts of the HFB depending on the dominant factors,mainly including the groundwater state,rainfall,runoff,gravity action,topography,and soil erodibility.The underground erosion mainly occurred at the positions with higher groundwater level and larger hydraulic gradient,while scouring erosion mainly occurred at the positions with extensive interactions of surface runoff,channel slope gradient and soil properties.And near the leading edge of the top of the slope,a band of mixed watergravity erosion occurred owing to the effects of water and gravity.In addition,nearly saturated soils at the toe of HFB displayed groundwater exfiltration and slope-face slumping.Based on our findings on the causes and variation of soil erosion for the HFB,we proposed the following erosion prevention and control measures to protect the LCPs on the Loess Plateau:to construct drainage ditches and blind ditches to form a complete drainage system,plant alfalfa on the top platform to increase rainfall interception and reduce surface runoff,set seepage ditches and plant deep-rooted plants at the toe of the slope to improve slope toe stability,monitor groundwater level and slope deformation to learn the erosion dynamics and slope stability,and optimize the geometry of HFB such as the slope gradient and slope steps to reduce soil erosion.

Reasonable grazing may balance the conflict between grassland utilization and soil conservation in the semi-arid hilly areas, China

Soil erosion caused by unsustainable grazing is a major driver of grassland ecosystem degradation in many semi-arid hilly areas in China.Thus,grazing exclusion is considered as an effective method for solving this issue in such areas.However,some ecological and economic problems,such as slow grassland rejuvenation and limited economic conditions,have become obstacles for the sustainable utilization of grassland ecosystem.Accordingly,we hypothesized that the conflict between grassland use and soil conservation may be balanced by a reasonable grazing intensity.In this study,a two-year grazing fence experiment with five grazing intensity gradients was conducted in a typical grassland of the Loess Plateau in China to evaluate the responses of vegetation characteristics and soil and water losses to grazing intensity.The five grazing intensity gradients were 2.2,3.0,4.2,6.7,and 16.7 goats/hm2,which were represented by G1-G5,respectively,and no grazing was used as control.The results showed that a reasonable grazing intensity was conducive to the sustainable utilization of grassland resources.Vegetation biomass under G1-G4 grazing intensity significantly increased by 51.9%,42.1%,36.9%,and 36.7%,respectively,compared with control.In addition,vegetation coverage increased by 19.6%under G1 grazing intensity.Species diversity showed a single peak trend with increasing grazing intensity.The Shannon-Wiener diversity index under G1-G4 grazing intensities significantly increased by 22.8%,22.5%,13.3%,and 8.3%,respectively,compared with control.Furthermore,grazing increased the risk of soil erosion.Compared with control,runoff yields under G1-G5 grazing intensities increased by 1.4,2.6,2.8,4.3,and 3.9 times,respectively,and sediment yields under G1-G5 grazing intensities were 3.0,13.0,20.8,34.3,and 37.7 times greater,respectively,than those under control.This result was mainly attributed to a visible decrease in litter biomass after grazing,which decreased by 50.5%,72.6%,79.0%,80.0%,and 76.9%,respectively,under G1-G5 grazing intensities.By weighing the grassland productivity and soil conservation function,we found that both two aims were achieved at a low grazing intensity of less than 3.5 goats/hm2.Therefore,it is recommended that grassland should be moderately utilized with grazing intensity below 3.5 goats/hm2 in semi-arid hilly areas to achieve the dual goals of ecological and economic benefits.The results provide a scientific basis for grassland utilization and health management in semi-arid hilly areas from the perspective of determining reasonable grazing intensity to maintain both grassland production and soil conservation functions.

Effects of Tillage Methods on Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Content in the Loess Plateau

In order to determine whether long-term no-tillage operation in the loess plateau threatens soil fertility and crop yield,a suitable high-yield and efficient tillage technology system was established.In the Changwu loess plateau agri-Gecological experiment station of the Northwest A&F University of Changwu County,Shaanxi Province,the no-tillage experimental field for three consecutive years was selected.In September 2015,no-tillage,tillage,and rotary tillage were carried out before winter wheat was sowed.After the harvest of winter wheat in2016,soil organic carbon,total nitrogen and wheat yield in 0-30 cm soil layers under different tillage methods were analyzed.The results showed that the soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents in the 0-30 cm soil layer decreased along the profile under the three tillage methods.In this study,the soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content in the 0-10 cm soil layer under different tillage methods were no-tillage>rotary tillage>tillage,the actual yield of winter yield in one hectare was tillage>rotary tillage>no-tillage,and there was significant difference in the actual yield of winter wheat only between the no-tillage and tillage.

Spatial variation and soil nitrogen potential hotspots in a mixed land cover catchment on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Soil nitrogen(N) is critical to ecosystem services and environmental quality. Hotspots of soil N in areas with high soil moisture have been widely studied, however, their spatial distribution and their linkage with soil N variation have seldom been examined at a catchment scale in areas with low soil water content. We investigated the spatial variation of soil N and its hotspots in a mixed land cover catchment on the Chinese Loess Plateau and used multiple statistical methods to evaluate the effects of the critical environmental factors on soil N variation and potential hotspots. The results demonstrated that land cover, soil moisture, elevation, plan curvature and flow accumulation were the dominant factors affecting the spatial variation of soil nitrate(NN), while land cover and slope aspect were the most important factors impacting the spatial distribution of soil ammonium(AN) and total nitrogen(TN). In the studied catchment, the forestland, gully land and grassland were found to be the potential hotspots of soil NN, AN and TN accumulation, respectively. We concluded that land cover and slope aspect could be proxies to determine the potential hotspots of soil N at the catchment scale. Overall, land cover was the most important factor that resulted in the spatial variations of soil N. The findings may help us to better understand the environmental factors affecting soil N hotspots and their spatial variation at the catchment scale in terrestrial ecosystems.

Plant Traits and Soil Chemical Variables During a Secondary Vegetation Succession in Abandoned Fields on the Loess Plateau

Species dynamics in terms of both plant biological traits, ecological strategies and species richness as well as soil chemical variables during a secondary succession in abandoned fields on the Loess Plateau along a temporal sere from 3 a to 149 a were studied. The results indicated that (I) Soil total C and N increased while soil pH, total K and Na decreased with years since abandonment. No noticeable trend was found in the case of soil P along the successional sere. On the other hand, total CaO of the surface layer (0 - 10 cm) decreased, but that of the two deeper layer, (20 - 30 cm, 40 - 50 cm) increased with years since abandonment. Soil C, N, K and P decreased, while Na, CaO and soil pH increased with increasing soil depth. (2) Species richness peaked at both mid-stage of the successional sere and the intermediate portion of soil chemical variables gradient. (3) An ideal dominant species in the early successional stage were annuals with stable seed pool, CR-life strategy, S-regeneration strategy, and strong competitive ability on relatively poor soil, while perennials capable of intensive lateral spread and colonal ability, requiring high nutrient supply, and having Clife strategy would be the dominant species in the subsequent stages. Plant traits, such as perennial-life history, C-, CR-, SC-, SR-, S- and R-life strategies, W-, S-, Bs- VBs- and V-regeneration strategies, were over- represented throughout the whole sere among the other species. (4) Some traits, such as C-, SC-life strategies, ability of clonality, perennial-life history, well-developed lateral spread ability, V- and VBs-regeneration strategies, seed animal. dispersal mode, flowering time of autumn, fruit types of legumen and nut, were more or less correlated with increased soil total C, N and K, while S-, SR-, R-, CR-life strategies, annual-, biannual-life history, non-clonal ability, S-regeneration strategy, poor lateral spread ability, and fruit types of utricle, capsule were associated with increased soil total Na, CaO and pH. The results suggested that steppes should be the dominant native vegetation coinciding with the large-scaled eco-climatic conditions on the Loess Plateau.

Ecological stoichiometric comparison of plant-litter-soil system in mixed-species and monoculture plantations of Robinia pseudoacacia,Amygdalus davidiana,and Armeniaca sibirica in the Loess Hilly Region of China

We examined how afforestation patterns impact carbon(C),nitrogen(N),and phosphorus(P)stoichiometry in the plant-litter-soil system.Plant leaf,branch,stem,and root,litter,and soil samples were collected from mixedspecies plantations of Robinia pseudoacacia with Amygdalus davidiana(RPAD),R.pseudoacacia with Armeniaca sibirica(RPAS),and monocultures of R.pseudoacacia(RP),A.davidiana(AD),and A.sibirica(AS)in the Loess Hilly Region.The results showed that in mixed-species plantations,R.pseudoacacia had lower leaf N and P concentrations than in monocultures,while both A.davidiana and A.sibirica had higher leaf N and P concentrations.Soil P limited tree growth in both afforestation models.Mixing R.pseudoacacia with A.davidiana or A.sibirica reduced N-limitation during litter decomposition.Average soil total N and P concentrations were higher in RPAS than in RPAD,and both were higher than the corresponding monocultures.The average soil C:N ratio was the smallest in RPAS,while the average soil C:P ratio was larger in RPAS than in RP.A positive correlation between N and P concentrations,and between C:N and C:P ratios,was found in litter and all plant organs of mono-and mixedstands.Alternatively,for N concentration and C:N ratio,the correlations between plant(i.e.,leaf,branch,root)and litter and between plant and soil were inverse between plantation types.RPAD has an increased litter decomposition rate to release N and P,while RPAS has a faster rate of soil N mineralization.RPAD was the best plantation(mixed)to improve biogeochemical cycling,as soil nutrient restrictions,particularly for P-limitation,on trees growth were alleviated.This study thus provides insights into suitable tree selection and management by revealing C:N:P stoichiometry in the plant-litter-soil system under different afforestation patterns.

Effects of nitrogen addition on the soil detachment in the typical grasslands of the Loess Plateau

Nitrogen deposition will alleviate the nitrogen limitation in terrestrial ecosystems and greatly affect vegetation growth,thereby soil erosion.It is important to clarify the effects of nitrogen addition to the plant roots and soil properties on the soil erosion process.A nitrogen addition experiment was conducted in the grassland dominated by Bothriochloa ischaemum(Linn.)Keng(BI),which has received 0,2.5,5,and 10 g N m^(-2) yr^(-1)(N_(0),N_(2.5),N_(5)and N_(10),respectively)for three consecutive years.Then,a total of 150 undisturbed soil samples were collected(including bare soil control)and subjected to flowing water to test their soil detachment capacities under six shear stress levels(10.2 Pa to 29.9 Pa).Three-year nitrogen addition increased the soil bulk density,soil cohesion and nitrate nitrogen while decreasing the saturated hydraulic conductivity,soil water-stable aggregates,soil organic carbon,total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen.The root mass density and root diameter decreased with nitrogen addition.And the root length,surface area and volume density of the N_(0) and N_(5) treatments were larger than those of the other treatments,while the plant roots were significantly inhibited by N_(10).Additionally,the soil detachment capacity(D_(c))and rill erodibility(K_(r))of the N_(0) and N_(5) treatments were significantly less than those of the N_(2.5) and N_(10)treatments,of which the Dc(0.020 kg m^(-2) s^(-1))of the N_(0) treatment was 69.0%,24.3%and 66.8%less than that of the N_(2.5),N_(5) and N_(10) treatments,respectively.The Kr of the N_(0) treatment was 0.0012 s m^(-1),which was 72.1%,25.0%and 70.0%less than that of the others.This study implies that an increase in nitrogen addition likely exacerbates soil erosion in the early(approximately 2.5 g N m^(-2) yr^(-1))and late phases(more than 10 g N m^(-2) yr^(-1)).However,when the nitrogen addition rate is approximately 5 g m^(-2) yr^(-1),soil erosion may be inhibited because of the responses of the plant roots and soil to nitrogen addition.

Effects of long-term cultivation practices and nitrogen fertilization rates on carbon stock in a calcareous soil on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Soil organic carbon （SOC） and soil inorganic carbon （SIC） are important C pools in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, however, variations of SOC and SIC stocks under different cultivation practices and nitrogen （N） fertilization rates are not clear in this area. A long-term field experiment started in June 2003 was conducted to investigate the SOC and SIC stocks in a calcareous soil of the Chinese Loess Plateau under four cultivation practices, i.e., fallow （FA）, conventional cultivation （CC）, straw mulch （SM）, and plastic film-mulched ridge and straw-mulched furrow （RF）, in combination with three N fertilization rates, i.e., 0 （NO）, 120 （N120）, and 240 （N240） kg N/hm2. Results indicate that the crop straw addition treatments （SM and RF） increased the contents of soil microbial biomass C （SMBC） and SOC, and the SOC stock increased by 10.1%-13.3% at the upper 20 cm soil depth in comparison to the 8-year fallow （FA） treatment. Meanwhile, SIC stock significantly increased by 19% at the entire tested soil depth range （0-100 cm） under all crop cultivation practices in comparison to that of soil exposed to the long-term fallow treatment, particularly at the upper 60 cm soil depth. Furthermore, moderate N fertilizer application （120 kg N/hm2） increased SOC stock at the upper 40 cm soil depth, whereas SIC stock decreased as the N fertilization rate increased. We conclude that the combined application of crop organic residues and moderate N fertilization rate could facilitate the sequestrations of SOC and SIC in the calcareous soil.

Regulation of vegetation pattern on the hydrodynamic processes of erosion on hillslope in Loess Plateau,China

As vegetation are closely related to soil erosion,hydrodynamic parameter changes under various vegetation pattern conditions can be used as an important basis for the research of the soil erosion mechanism.Through upstream water inflow experiments conducted on a loess hillslope,how the vegetation pattern influences the hydrodynamic processes of sediment transport was analyzed.The results show that the placement of a grass strip on the lower upslope can effectively reduce runoff erosion by 69%,relying on the efficiency of regulated hydrodynamic process.The effective location of grass strip for hillslope alleviating erosion is on the lower part of the upslope,mainly due to the grass strip measure used to regulate the hydrodynamic system.As a result,the underlying surface runoff resistance is increased by 5 times,runoff shear stress is decreased by more than 90%,and runoff power decreased by over 92%.The measure greatly separates the scouring energy of surface runoff that acts on the slope soil.Therefore,the use of grass strips effectively decreases the energy of runoff flowing along the slope,eliminating soil erosion to a great extent and thereby achieving a better regulation of hydrodynamic processe.

Sediment sources and their impacts on a check dam-controlled watershed, Loess Plateau, China

Soil erosion is a major issue in Loess Plateau,China,and quantitative analyses of sediment sources are crucial for soil erosion control.In this study,a combination of flood couplet analysis and composite fingerprint identification was used for historical reconstructions of soil erosion in sediment source areas in Loess Plateau.Each flood couplet was constructed based on sediment 137Cs activity,and past soil erosion was calculated using soil bulk density and storage capacity curves.The contribution rates of the sediment sources were calculated using the fingerprinting method,and the amount of erosion in the sediment source areas was estimated.The best fingerprint combination(Cr,Ni,V,and TOC)enabled a 97.2%recognition of sediment sources from 29 flood events(1956–1990)in the Loess Plateau.The contribution rates of gullies,farmland,grassland,and shrubland were 44.89%,26.38%,10.49%,and 18.24%,respectively.These four land use types contributed 1,227,751,512,and 279 tons of sediments,respectively.Re-vegetation decreased soil erosion(1966–1983),whereas deforestation increased soil erosion(1956–1965 and 1984–1990).Rational soil and water conservation measures on slopes and check dam construction in gullies are therefore suggested to mitigate erosion.

Variability of Soil Moisture and Its Relationship with Surface Albedo and Soil Thermal Parameters over the Loess Plateau

Data from July 2006 to June 2008 observed at SACOL （Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University, 35.946°N, 104.137°E, elev. 1961 m）, a semi-arid site in Northwest China, are used to study seasonal variability of soil moisture, along with surface albedo and other soil thermal parameters, such as heat capacity, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, and their relationships to soil moisture content. The results indicate that surface albedo decreases with increases in soil moisture content, showing a typical exponential relation between the surface albedo and the soil moisture. The heat capacity, the soil thermal diffusivity, and soil thermal conductivity show large variations between Julian day 90-212 and 450-578. The soil thermal conductivity is found to increase as a power function of soil moisture. Soil heat capacity and soil thermal diffusivity increase with increases in soil moisture. The SACOL observed soil moisture are also used to validate the AMSR-E/AQUA retrieved soil moisture and there is good agreement between them. The analysis of the relationship between satellite retrieved soil moisture and precipitation suggests that the variability of soil moisture depends on the variation of precipitation over the Loess Plateau.

Soil surface roughness change and its effect on runoff and erosion on the Loess Plateau of China

As an important parameter in the soil erosion model, soil surface roughness（SSR） is used to quantitatively describe the micro-relief on agricultural land. SSR has been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically; however, no studies have focused on understanding SSR on the Loess Plateau of China. This study investigated changes in SSR for three different tillage practices on the Loess Plateau of China and the effects of SSR on runoff and erosion yield during simulated rainfall. The tillage practices used were zero tillage（ZT）, shallow hoeing（SH） and contour ploughing（CP）. Two rainfall intensities were applied, and three stages of water erosion processes（splash erosion（I）, sheet erosion（II） and rill erosion（III）） were analyzed for each rainfall intensity. The chain method was used to measure changes in SSR both initially and after each stage of rainfall. A splash board was used to measure the splash erosion at stage I. Runoff and sediment data were collected continuously at 2-min intervals during rainfall erosion stages II and III. We found that SSR of the tilled surfaces ranged from 1.0% to 21.9% under the three tillage practices, and the order of the initial SSR for the three treatments was ZT〈SH〈CP. For the ZT treatment, SSR increased slightly from stage I to III, whereas for the SH and CP treatments, SSR decreased by 44.5% and 61.5% after the three water erosion stages, respectively, and the greatest reduction in SSR occurred in stage I. Regression analysis showed that the changes in SSR with increasing cumulative rainfall could be described by a power function（R2〉0.49） for the ZT, SH and CP treatments. The runoff initiation time was longer in the SH and CP treatments than in the ZT treatment. There were no significant differences in the total runoff yields among the ZT, SH and CP treatments. Sediment loss was significantly smaller（P〈0.05） in the SH and CP treatments than in the ZT treatment.

Effect of Vegetation Changes on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau

Vegetation is one of the key factors affecting soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. The effects of vegetation destruction and vegetation restoration on soil erosion were quantified using data from long-term field runoff plots established on the eastern slope of the Ziwuling secondary forest region, China and a field survey. The results showed that before the secondary vegetation restoration period (before about 1866-1872), soil erosion in the Ziwuling region of the Loess Plateau was similar to the current erosion conditions in neighboring regions, where the soil erosion rate now is 8000 to 10000 t km-2 year-1. After the secondary vegetation restoration, soil erosion was very low; influences of rainfall and slope gradient on soil erosion were small; the vegetation effect on soil erosion was predominant; shallow gully and gully erosion ceased; and sediment deposition occurred in shallow gully and gully channels. In modern times when human activities destroyed secondary forests, soil erosion increased markedly, and erosion rates in the deforested lands reached 10000 to 24000 t km-2 year-1, which was 797 to 1682 times greater than those in the forested land prior to deforestation. Rainfall intensity and landform greatly affected the soil erosion process after deforestation. These results showed that accelerated erosion caused by vegetation destruction played a key role in soil degradation and eco-environmental deterioration in deforested regions.

Changes in soil properties and erodibility of gully heads induced by vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, China

Soil erosion on the Loess Plateau of China is effectively controlled due to the implementation of several ecological restoration projects that improve soil properties and reduce soil erodibility. However, few studies have examined the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility of gully head in the gully regions of the Loess Plateau. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of vegetation restoration on soil properties and erodibility in this region. Specifically, a control site in a slope cropland and 9 sites in 3 restored land-use types （5 sites in grassland, 3 in woodland and 1 in shrubland） in the Nanxiaohegou watershed of a typical gully region on the Loess Plateau were selected, and soil and root samples were collected to assess soil properties and root characteristics. Soil erodibility factor was calculated by the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator method. Our results revealed that vegetation restoration increased soil sand content, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic matter content and mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregate but decreased soil silt and clay contents and soil disintegration rate. A significant difference in soil erodibility was observed among different vegetation restoration patterns or land-use types. Compared with cropland, soil erodibility decreased in the restored lands by 3.99% to 21.43%. The restoration patterns of Cleistogenes caespitosa K. and Artemisia sacrorum L. in the grassland showed the lowest soil erodibility and can be considered as the optimal vegetation restoration pattern for improving soil anti-erodibility of the gully heads. Additionally, the negative linear change in soil erodibility for grassland with restoration time was faster than those of woodland and shrubland. Soil erodibility was significantly correlated with soil particle size distribution, soil disintegration rate, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, water-stable aggregate stability, organic matter content and root characteristics （including root average diameter, root length density, root surface density and root biomass density）, but it showed no association with soil bulk density and soil total porosity. These findings indicate that although vegetation destruction is a short-term process, returning the soil erodibility of cropland to the level of grassland, woodland and shrubland is a long-term process （8-50 years）.

Soil erosion and management on the Loess Plateau

The Loess Plateau is well known to the world for its intense soil erosion. The root cause for river sedimentation of Yellow River (Huanghe) and its resultant “hanging river” in certain section is soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau. The Loess Plateau has a long cultivation history, hence population growth, vegetation degeneration and plugging constitute the chief reason for serious soil and water loss on Loess Plateau. This paper analyses several successful cases and failures in soil conservation, presents practical soil conservation technique and related benefit analysis, and discusses some effective methods adopted in China in soil erosion control, research directions and future perspectives on Loess Plateau.

Soil moisture of different vegetation types on the Loess Plateau

Water stored in deep loess soil is one of the most important resources regulating vegetation growth in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau, but planted shrub and forest often disrupt the natural water cycle and in turn influence plant growth. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of main vegetation types on soil moisture and its inter-annual change. Soil moisture in 0-10 m depth of six vegetation types, i.e., crop, grass, planted shrub of caragana, planted forests of arborvitae, pine and the mixture of pine and arborvitae were measured in 2001,2005 and 2006. Soil moisture in about 0-3 m of cropland and about 0-2 m of other vegetation types varied inter-annually dependent on annual precipitation, but was stable inter-annually below these depths. In 0-2 m, soil moisture of cropland was significantly greater than those of all other vegetation types, and there were no si nificant differences among other vegetation types. In 2-10 m, there was no significant mois- ture difference between cropland and grassland, but the soil moistures under both of them were significantly higher than those of planted shrub and forests. The planted shrub and forests had depleted soil moisture below 2 m to or near permanent wilting point, and there were no significant moisture differences among forest types. The soil moisture of caragana shrub was significantly lower than those of forests, but the absolute difference was very small. The results of this study implicated that the planted shrub and forests had depleted deep soil moisture to the lowest limits to which they could extract and they lived mainly on present year precipitation for transpiration.

Changes in aggregate-associated organic carbon and nitrogen after 27 years of fertilization in a dryland alfalfa grassland on the Loess Plateau of China

Changes in the distribution of soil aggregate sizes and concentrations of aggregate-associated organic carbon （OC） and nitrogen （N） in response to the fertilization of grasslands are not well understood. Understanding these changes is essential to the sustainable development of artificial grasslands. For understanding these changes, we collected soil samples at 0-20 and 20-40 cm depths from a semi-arid artificial alfalfa grassland after 27 years of applications of phosphorus （P） and nitrogen＋phosphorus＋manure （NPM） fertilizers on the Loess Pla- teau of China. The distribution of aggregate sizes and the concentrations and stocks of OC and N in total soils were determined. The results showed that NPM treatment significantly increased the proportions of 〉2.0 mm and 2.0-0.25 mm size fractions, the mean geometric diameter （MGD） and the mean weight diameter （MWD） in the 0-20 cm layer. Phosphorous fertilizer significantly increased the proportion of 〉2.0 mm size fractions, the MGD and the MWD in the 0-20 cm layer. Long-term application of fertilization （P and NPM） resulted in the accumulation of OC and N in soil aggregates. The largest changes in aggregate-associated OC and N in the 0-20 cm layer were found at the NPM treatment, whereas the largest changes in the 20-40 cm layer were found at the P treatment. The results suggest that long-term fertilization in the grassland leads to the accumulation of OC and N in the coarse size fractions and the redistribution of OC and N from fine size fractions to coarse size fractions.

Fractal features of soil profiles under different land use patterns on the Loess Plateau, China

Fractal theory is becoming an increasingly useful tool to describe soil structure dynamics for a better understanding of the performance of soil systems. Changes in land use patterns significantly affect soil physical, chemical and biological properties. However, limited information is available on the fractal characteristics of deep soil layers under different land use patterns. In this study, the fractal dimensions of particle size distribution（PSD） and micro-aggregates in the 0–500 cm soil profile and soil anti-erodibility in the 0–10 cm soil profile for 10 typical land use patterns were investigated in the Zhifanggou Watershed on the Loess Plateau, China. The 10 typical land use patterns were： slope cropland, two terraced croplands, check-dam cropland, woodland, two shrublands, orchard, artificial and natural grasslands. The results showed that the fractal dimensions of PSD and micro-aggregates were all significantly influenced by soil depths, land use patterns and their interaction. The plantations of shrubland, woodland and natural grassland increased the amount of larger micro-aggregates, and decreased the fractal dimensions of micro-aggregates in the 0–40 cm soil profile. And they also improved the aggregate state and aggregate degree and decreased dispersion rate in the 0–10 cm soil profile. The results indicated that fractal theory can be used to characterize soil structure under different land use patterns and fractal dimensions of micro-aggregates were more effective in this regard. The natural grassland may be the best choice for improving soil structure in the study area.

Soil hydraulic conductivity as affected by vegetation restoration age on the Loess Plateau,China

The Loess Plateau of China has experienced extensive vegetation restoration in the past several decades, which leads to great changes in soil properties such as soil bulk, porosity, and organic matter with the vegetation restoration age. And these soil properties have great effect on the soil infiltration and soil hydraulic conductivity. However, the potential changes in soil hydraulic conductivity caused by vegetation restoration age have not been well understood. This study was conducted to investigate the changes in soil hydraulic conductivity under five grasslands with different vegetation restoration ages （3, 10, 18, 28 and 37 years） compared to a slope farmland, and further to identify the factors responsible for these changes on the Loess Plateau of China. At each site, accumulative infiltration amount and soil hydraulic conductivity were determined using a disc permeameter with a water supply pressure of -20 mm. Soil properties were measured for analyzing their potential factors influencing soil hydraulic conductivity. The results showed that the soil bulk had no significant changes over the initial 20 years of restoration （P〉0.05）; the total porosity, capillary porosity and field capacity decreased significantly in the grass land with 28 and 37 restoration ages compared to the slope farmland; accumulative infiltration amount and soil hydraulic conductivity were significantly enhanced after 18 years of vegetation restoration. However, accumulative infiltration amount and soil hydraulic conductivity fluctuated over the initial 10 years of restoration. The increase in soil hydraulic conductivity with vegetation restoration was closely related to the changes in soil texture and structure. Soil sand and clay contents were the most influential factors on soil hydraulic conductivity, followed by bulk density, soil porosity, root density and crust thickness. The Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that the soil hydraulic conductivity was affected by multiply factors. These results are helpful to understand the changes in hydrological and erosion processes response to vegetation succession on the Loess Plateau.