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Soil Erosion Resistance-enlarging Potential by Plant Roots as Determined in a Simulated Flume Experiment

  • SOIL EROSION
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Abstract

It has been suggested in previous studies that plant roots enlarged soil resistance to concentrated flow erosion mainly through physical (root net-link and root-soil bonding) and biochemical effects. The objective of this study is to further assess soil resistance-enlarging potential of this twofold effect of roots, especially for different textured soils. Two textured soils (silt loam and silt clay) and four kinds of soil samples (1. bared parent soils, representing samples with no root effect, 2. bared tillage soils, representing samples with biochemical effect alone, 3. root-texture cotton thread-permeated soils, representing samples with root net-link effect alone and 4. Purple alfalfa root-permeated soils, representing samples with root total effect.) were prepared and tested in flume experiments. The results showed that soil resistance to concentrated flow increased and sediment yields decreased in different degrees due to different root effects. Root physical effect increased soil resistance to a larger extent compared with root biochemical effect (the relative contribution values of root physical effect were 85% and 89% in silt loam and silt clay soil, respectively). In root physical effect, root soil bonding appeared to act as the main form, particularly in silt clay.

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Funding

This research was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 41907059, 42067018), Doctoral research foundation of Yulin University (18GK07, 20GK18). We also express our gratitude to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their constructive comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration in Shaanbei Mining Area, Yulin University, 719000, Yulin, Shaanxi, China

    Zheng Zhang, Qiang Li & Weijie Yu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling, Shaanxi, China

    Hui Sun

Authors
  1. Zheng Zhang
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  2. Qiang Li
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  3. Weijie Yu
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  4. Hui Sun
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Contributions

Conceptualization, Zheng Zhang and Qiang Li; Data curation, Hui Sun; Formal analysis, Zheng Zhang; Funding acquisition, weijie Yu; Investigation, Zheng Zhang and Hui Sun; Methodology, Qiang Li and weijie Yu; Supervision, Hui Sun; Writing—original draft, Zheng Zhang and Qiang Li; Writing—review & editing, weijie Yu.

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Correspondence to Zheng Zhang.

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Zhang, Z., Li, Q., Yu, W. et al. Soil Erosion Resistance-enlarging Potential by Plant Roots as Determined in a Simulated Flume Experiment. Eurasian Soil Sc. 55, 1490–1497 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229322100179

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229322100179

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