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Arid Land Geography ›› 2023, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5): 753-762.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2022.373

• Biology and Pedology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Deep soil desiccation and root distribution of belted Caragana korshinskii forest in loess hilly region

YU Xiaoyan1(),WANG Xing1,LYU Wen2,3(),GAO Yuankang1,WANG Yongqiang1,WANG Yanchao1   

  1. 1. School of Agricultural, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    2. School of Ecological Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    3. Key Laboratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystems in Northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2022-07-24 Revised:2022-11-18 Online:2023-05-25 Published:2023-06-05

Abstract:

To explore the deep water status and root distribution of artificial rainfed planting Caragana korshinskii forest in southern Ningxia of China, the 20-year rainfed strip planting C. korshinskii forest was chosen as the research object, a similar farmland for control was selected, and a 0-1000-cm depth of soil moisture, vertical distribution of root, and correlation were analyzed. Soil moisture and root systems were investigated in the center of the C. korshinskii and farmland. The soil drying method was used to determine the soil moisture content, and the root-drill sampling method was used to investigate the root system. The results showed the following: (1) Deep soil desiccation was determined in 0-1000 cm soil layers for the 20-year C. korshinskii forest. Soil water content for the interband and intra-band of C. korshinskii forest was lower than farmland. Compared with the interband soil water, the intra-band soil moisture content was reduced by 1.46% in the 0-1000 cm soil layer. (2) In the range of 300-1000 cm soil layer, the 20-year artificial C. korshinskii appeared in different water deficiency states and soil desiccation. Soil moisture availability for the interband and intra-band were 0.21 and 0.02 and the soil water supply coefficient were 0.49 and 0.33, respectively. (3) C. korshinskii roots mainly distributed in the 0-80 cm soil layer, accounting for 46.33% and 45.56% of the total root weight for interband and intra-band dried roots, respectively. The root surface area density accounted for 66.58% (interband) and 63.51% (intra-band) of the total root surface area density, and root length density accounted for 59.54% (interband) and 58.45% (intra-band) of the total root length density. This study has positive significance for in-depth understanding of root systems, water content, and sustainable management of artificial vegetation in semiarid loess areas.

Key words: Caragana korshinskii forest, soil moisture availability, soil drying degree, root distribution