Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region

The special above-ground and underground dual structure in the karst area makes the capacity of surface water storage in this area poor. In water-limited ecosystems, soil moisture is the key to the survival of plants. Influenced by rainfall and soil texture, soil moisture variation characteristics o...

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Main Authors: Zehui Wang, Kangning Xiong, Chenxu Wu, Ding Luo, Jie Xiao, Chuhong Shen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/347
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author Zehui Wang
Kangning Xiong
Chenxu Wu
Ding Luo
Jie Xiao
Chuhong Shen
author_facet Zehui Wang
Kangning Xiong
Chenxu Wu
Ding Luo
Jie Xiao
Chuhong Shen
author_sort Zehui Wang
collection DOAJ
description The special above-ground and underground dual structure in the karst area makes the capacity of surface water storage in this area poor. In water-limited ecosystems, soil moisture is the key to the survival of plants. Influenced by rainfall and soil texture, soil moisture variation characteristics of different vegetation types are different in slope land. Many researchers use rainfall simulation experiments to study the influence of soil water movement processes under rainfall patterns, but there are few studies under natural conditions. In this paper, wood trees, peach trees, flue-cured tobacco, and grassland were planted at the buffer zone boundary of Shibing, a World Heritage site, along different elevations in the depression of the research site. Peach trees and flue-cured tobacco were the main cash crops in the area. The soil layers of 0–0.15 m, 0.15–0.30 m, 0.30–0.45 m, 0.45–0.60 m, and 0.60–0.75 m were taken as research objects. Rainfall and soil moisture were monitored every ten minutes to study the variation of soil moisture of vegetation types under different rainfall patterns. Through the analysis of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation types, it was found that soil moisture changes were different in different land types. In general, shallow soil moisture (0~0.30 m) was more active in the wet season (CV > 10%) but tended to be stable in the dry season. The rainy season rainfall had the greatest influence on soil moisture change. The response level of soil moisture to rainfall of all vegetation types was grassland > peach trees > flue-cured tobacco. These results can provide ecological and economic suggestions for karst areas with large population distribution in China, so as to reduce the impact of rock desertification on this area.
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spelling doaj.art-1c584bd115894f76b49dc78bd9e6de6b2023-11-16T21:36:04ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-01-0112234710.3390/land12020347Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst RegionZehui Wang0Kangning Xiong1Chenxu Wu2Ding Luo3Jie Xiao4Chuhong Shen5School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaThe special above-ground and underground dual structure in the karst area makes the capacity of surface water storage in this area poor. In water-limited ecosystems, soil moisture is the key to the survival of plants. Influenced by rainfall and soil texture, soil moisture variation characteristics of different vegetation types are different in slope land. Many researchers use rainfall simulation experiments to study the influence of soil water movement processes under rainfall patterns, but there are few studies under natural conditions. In this paper, wood trees, peach trees, flue-cured tobacco, and grassland were planted at the buffer zone boundary of Shibing, a World Heritage site, along different elevations in the depression of the research site. Peach trees and flue-cured tobacco were the main cash crops in the area. The soil layers of 0–0.15 m, 0.15–0.30 m, 0.30–0.45 m, 0.45–0.60 m, and 0.60–0.75 m were taken as research objects. Rainfall and soil moisture were monitored every ten minutes to study the variation of soil moisture of vegetation types under different rainfall patterns. Through the analysis of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation types, it was found that soil moisture changes were different in different land types. In general, shallow soil moisture (0~0.30 m) was more active in the wet season (CV > 10%) but tended to be stable in the dry season. The rainy season rainfall had the greatest influence on soil moisture change. The response level of soil moisture to rainfall of all vegetation types was grassland > peach trees > flue-cured tobacco. These results can provide ecological and economic suggestions for karst areas with large population distribution in China, so as to reduce the impact of rock desertification on this area.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/347soil moisturesoil water contentagroforestrykarstrocky desertification
spellingShingle Zehui Wang
Kangning Xiong
Chenxu Wu
Ding Luo
Jie Xiao
Chuhong Shen
Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
Land
soil moisture
soil water content
agroforestry
karst
rocky desertification
title Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
title_full Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
title_fullStr Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
title_full_unstemmed Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
title_short Characteristics of Soil Moisture Variation in Agroforestry in Karst Region
title_sort characteristics of soil moisture variation in agroforestry in karst region
topic soil moisture
soil water content
agroforestry
karst
rocky desertification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/347
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