• Effect of coir geotextile and geocell on ephemeral gully erosion in the Mollisol region of Northeast China

    分类: 农、林、牧、渔 >> 土壤学 提交时间: 2024-04-15 合作期刊: 《干旱区科学》

    摘要: The unique geomorphological features and farming methods in the Mollisol region of Northeast China increase water catchment flow and aggravate the erosion of ephemeral gully (EG). Vegetation suffers from rain erosion and damage during the growth stage, which brings serious problems to the restoration of grass in the early stage. Therefore, effects of coir geotextile and geocell on EG erosion under four confluence intensities were researched in this study. Results of the simulated water discharge erosion test showed that when the confluence strength was less than 30 L/min, geocell and coir geotextile had a good effect on controlling EG erosion, and sediment yield of geocell and coir geotextile was reduced by 25.95%–37.82% and 73.73%–88.96%, respectively. However, when confluence intensity increased to 40 L/min, protective effect of coir geotextile decreased, and sediment yield rate increased sharply by 189.03%. When confluence intensity increased to 50 L/min, the protective effect of coir geotextile was lost. On the other hand, geocell showed that the greater the flow rate, the better the protective effect. In addition, with the increase in confluence intensity, erosion pattern of coir geotextile developed from sheet erosion to intermittent fall and then to completion of main rill, and the protective effect was gradually weakened. In contrast, the protective effect of EG under geocell was gradually enhanced from the continuous rill to the intermittent rill and finally to the intermittent fall. This study shows that coir geotextile and geocell can prevent EG erosion, and the effect of geocell is better than that of coir geotextile on the surface of EG.

  • Nutrient coordination mechanism of tiger nut induced by rhizosphere soil nutrient variation in an arid area, China

    分类: 生物学 >> 植物学 提交时间: 2023-10-17 合作期刊: 《干旱区科学》

    摘要: Tiger nut is a bioenergy crop planted in arid areas of northern China to supply oil and adjust the planting structure. However, in the western region of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, less water resources have resulted in a scarcity of available farmland, which has posed a huge obstacle to planting tiger nut. Cultivation of tiger nut on marginal land can effectively solve this problem. To fully unlock the production potential of tiger nut on marginal land, it is crucial for managers to have comprehensive information on the adaptive mechanism and nutrient requirement of tiger nut in different growth periods. This study aims to explore these key information from the perspective of nutrient coordination strategy of tiger nut in different growth periods and their relationship with rhizosphere soil nutrients. Three fertilization treatments including no fertilization (N:P (nitrogen:phosphorous)=0:0), traditional fertilization (N:P=15:15), and additional N fertilizer (N:P=60:15)) were implemented on marginal land in the Dengkou County. Plant and soil samples were collected in three growth periods, including stolon tillering period, tuber expanding period, and tuber mature period. Under no fertilization, there was a significant correlation between N and P contents of tiger nut roots and tubers and the same nutrients in the rhizosphere soil (P<0.05). Carbon (C), N, and P contents of roots were significantly higher than those of leaves (P<0.05), and the C:N ratio of all organs was higher than those under other treatments before tuber maturity (P<0.05). Under traditional fertilization, there was a significant impact on the P content of tiger nut tubers (P<0.05). Under additional N fertilizer, the accumulation rate of N and P was faster in stolons than in tubers (P<0.05) with lower N:P ratio in stolons during the tuber expansion period (P<0.05), but higher N:P ratio in tubers (P<0.05). The limited availability of nutrients in the rhizosphere soil prompts tiger nut to increase the C:N ratio, improving N utilization efficiency, and maintaining N:P ratio in tubers. Elevated N levels in the rhizosphere soil decrease the C:N ratio of tiger nut organs and N:P ratio in stolons, promoting rapid stolon growth and shoot production. Supplementary P is necessary during tuber expansion, while a higher proportion of N in fertilizers is crucial for the aboveground biomass production of tiger nut.

  • Degradation leads to dramatic decrease in topsoil but not subsoil root biomass in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, China

    分类: 地球科学 >> 地理学 提交时间: 2020-11-25 合作期刊: 《干旱区科学》

    摘要: Understanding the effects of degradation on belowground biomass (BGB) is essential for assessment of carbon budget of the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau, China. This ecosystem has been undergoing serious degradation owing to climate change and anthropogenic activities. This study examined the response of the vertical distribution of plant BGB to degradation and explored the underlying mechanisms in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. A field survey was conducted in an alpine meadow with seven sequential degrees of degradation in the Zoige Plateau on the Tibetan Plateau during the peak growing season of 2018. We measured aboveground biomass (AGB), BGB, soil water content (SWC), soil bulk density (SBD), soil compaction (SCOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total phosphorus (STP), soil available nitrogen (SAN), and soil available phosphorus (STP) in the 0–30 cm soil layers. Our results show that degradation dramatically decreased the BGB in the 0–10 cm soil layer (BGB0–10) but slightly increased the subsoil BGB. The main reason may be that the physical-chemical properties of surface soil were more sensitive to degradation than those of subsoil, as indicated by the remarked positive associations of the trade-off value of BGB0–10 with SWC, SCOM, SOC, STN, SAN, and STP, as well as the negative correlation between the trade-off value of BGB0–10 and SBD in the soil layer of 0–10 cm. In addition, an increase in the proportion of forbs with increasing degradation degree directly affected the BGB vertical distribution. The findings suggest that the decrease in the trade-off value of BGB0–10 in response to degradation might be an adaptive strategy for the degradation-induced drought and infertile soil conditions. This study can provide theoretical support for assessing the effects of degradation on the carbon budget and sustainable development in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau as well as other similar ecosystems in the world.

  • Spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River during the period 2002-2011 based on the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) data

    分类: 地球科学 >> 地理学 提交时间: 2017-11-07 合作期刊: 《干旱区科学》

    摘要: Detecting near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in high-altitude cold regions is important for understanding the Earth's surface system, but such studies are rare. In this study we detected the spatial-temporal variations in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles in the source region of the Yellow River during the period 2002-2011 based on data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System