Abstract
Soil-bioengineering is a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to the conventional methods of soil slope stabilization and erosion control. Numerous techniques such as fascines, bush layering, vegetated gabions etc. have been developed to enhance the soil slope stability, arrest soil erosion and improve the aesthetic aspect of a project, using plants as well as inert materials. Nevertheless, a limited control on the properties of the plants and the complex interaction of plant roots with the soil and other materials poses a challenge for the accurate design of soil-bioengineering techniques. The design of bioengineering techniques involves accurate evaluation of the root and root-soil properties. Different methods have been developed for the analysis of root and soil-root system that can aid in a better understanding of the complex phenomenon. The Present study provides a review on different aspects of bioengineering techniques for soil slope stabilization measures, especially, the existing techniques of physical modeling, laboratory scale testing and numerical techniques for evaluating the effect of root system on the strength properties of soil-root matrix. The different failure modes of the soil-root system i.e. adhesion failure, tension failure and progressive failure are briefly discussed. The present review will be useful for the design of bioengineering measures for soil slope stabilization or erosion control.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Coppin NJ, Richards IG (2007) Use of vegetation in civil engineering. Construction Industry Research and Information Association, London
Gray DH, Sotir RB (1995) Biotechnical stabilization of steepened slopes, Transportation research record. Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, pp 23–29
Schiechtl HM, Stern R (1996) Ground bioengineering techniques for slope protection and erosion control. Blackwell Science Ltd., London
Morgan RP, Rickson RJ (2003) Slope stabilization and erosion control: a bioengineering approach. Taylor & Francis, Madras
Phillips C, Marden M (2006) Use of plants for ground bioengineering and erosion sediment control in New Zealand. In: Proceedings of soil water. Too good to lose. Joint annual conference NSW Stormwater Industry Association and the International Erosion Control Association, 27 June, 2006
Schiechtl HM (1980) Bioengineering for land reclamation and conservation. University of Alberta Press, Edmonton
Gray DH, Leiser AT (1982) Biotechnical slope protection and erosion control. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York
Donat M (1995) Bioengineering techniques for stream-bank restoration. A review of central European practices. Watershed restoration program. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and Ministry of Forests, Vancouver
Howell JH, Sandhu SC, Vyas N et al (2006) Introducing bio-engineering to the road network of Himachal Pradesh. J Indian Roads Congr 67(3):84. W07025 (1–11)
Mickovski SB, Hallett PD, Bransby MF et al (2009) Mechanical reinforcement of soil by willow roots: impacts of root properties and root failure mechanism. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73(4):1276–1285
Freer R (1991) Bio-engineering: the use of vegetation in civil engineering. Constr Build Mater 5(1):23–26
Mafian S, Huat BBK, Ghiasi V (2009) Evaluation on root theories and root strength properties in slope stability. Eur J Sci Res 30(4):594–607
Stokes A, Mickovski SB, Thomas BR (2004) Eco-engineering for the long-term protection of unstable slopes in Europe: developing management strategies for use in legislation. Landslides: Eval Stabilization 2:1685–1690
Mickovski SB, Van Beek LPH (2006) A decision support system for the evaluation of eco-engineering strategies for slope protection. Geotech Geol Eng 24(3):483–498
Norris JE, Greenwood JR (2006) Assessing the role of vegetation on soil slopes in urban areas. In: Proceedings of the 10th IAEG International Congress, Nottingham, September, 2006
Albaladejo-Montoro J, Alvarez RJ, Querejeta J et al (2000) Three hydro-seeding revegetation techniques for soil erosion control on anthropic steep slopes. Land Degrad Dev 11(4):315–325
Gao GJ, Yuan JG, Han RH et al (2007) Characteristics of the optimum combination of synthetic soils by plant and soil properties used for rock slope restoration. Ecol Eng 30(4):303–311
Preti F, Giadrossich F (2009) Root reinforcement and slope bioengineering stabilization by Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum L.) Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 13(9):1713
Greenwood JR, Norris JE, Wint J (2004) Assessing the contribution of vegetation to slope stability. Proc ICE-Geotech Eng 157(4):199–207
Gray DH, Sotir RB (1996) Biotechnical and soil bioengineering slope stabilization: a practical guide for erosion control. Wiley, New York
Price DG (2008) Engineering geology: principles and practice. Springer, New York
Simon K, Steinemann A (2000) Soil bioengineering: challenges for planning and engineering. J Urban Plan Dev 126(2):89–102
Van Kraayenoord CWS, Hathaway RL (1986) Plant materials handbook for soil conservation. Volume 1: principles and practices. Water and soil miscellaneous publication (93)
Schiechtl HM, Stern R (1997) Water bioengineering techniques: for watercourse, bank and shoreline protection. Blackwell Science, Oxford
Georgi NJ, Stathakopoulos I (2006) Bioengineering techniques for soil erosion protection and slope stabilization. Neapolis University Pafos, Cyprus
Choudhury PK, Das A, Goswami DN et al (2008) Bio-engineering approach with jute geotextile for slope stabilization. In: Geosynthetics in civil and environmental engineering. Springer, Berlin, pp 863–867
Wu TH (2013) Root reinforcement of soil: review of analytical models, test results, and applications to design. Can Geotech J 50(3):259–274
Veylon G, Ghestem M, Stokes A et al (2015) Quantification of mechanical and hydric components of soil reinforcement by plant roots. Can Geotech J 52(11):1839–1849
Burroughs ER, Thomas BR (1977) Declining root strength in Douglas-fir after felling as a factor in slope stability. USDA For. Serv Res INT-190
Wu TH, McKinnell WP, Swanston DN (1979) Strength of tree roots and landslides on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Can Geotech J 16(1):19–33
Wu TH (1984) Effect of vegetation on slope stability, Transportation Research Record (965). Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, p 3764
Wu TH (1984) Soil movements on permafrost slopes near Fairbanks, Alaska. Can Geotech J 21(4):699–709
Sidle RC, Pearce AJ, O’Loughlin CL (1985) Hillslope stability and land use. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC
Sidle RC (1992) A theoretical model of the effects of timber harvesting on slope stability. Water Resour Res 28(7):1897–1910
Wu W, Sidle RC (1995) A distributed slope stability model for steep forested basins. Water Resour Res 31(8):2097–2110
Abernethy B, Rutherfurd ID (2001) The distribution and strength of riparian tree roots in relation to riverbank reinforcement. Hydrol Process 15(1):63–79
Greenwood JR, Morgan RP, Coppin NJ et al (2001) Bioengineering: a field trial at Longham Wood Cutting. CIRIA, London
Bransby MF, Davies MCR, Mickovski SB et al (2006) Stabilisation of slopes by vegetation reinforcement. In: Physical modelling in geotechnics, two volume set. Proceedings of the sixth international conference on physical modelling in geotechnics. 6th ICPMG’06, 4–6 August 2006. CRC Press, Hong Kong
Stokes A, Ghani MA, Salin F et al (2007) Root morphology and strain distribution during tree failure on mountain slopes. In: Eco-and ground bio-engineering: the use of vegetation to improve slope stability. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 165–173
Wu TH (2007) Root reinforcement: analyses and experiments. In: Eco-and ground bio-engineering: the use of vegetation to improve slope stability. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 21–30
Mickovski SB et al (2008) Slope stability and erosion control: ecotechnological solutions. Springer, Dordrecht
Tang J, Pilesjö P, Miller PA et al (2014) Incorporating topographic indices into dynamic ecosystem modelling using LPJ-GUESS. Ecohydrology 7(4):1147–1162
Tang J, Miller PA, Crill PM et al (2015) Investigating the influence of two different flow routing algorithms on soil–water–vegetation interactions using the dynamic ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS. Ecohydrology 8(4):570–583
Temgoua AGT, Kokutse NK, Kavazović Z (2016) Influence of forest stands and root morphologies on hillslope stability. Ecol Eng 95:622–634
Hoskins CG, Rice P (1992) Vegetation and embankment dams. In: Proceedings BDS conference, Stirling, pp 329–338
Dupuy L, Fourcaud T, Stokes A (2005) A numerical investigation into factors affecting the anchorage of roots in tension. Eur J Soil Sci 56(3):319–327
Reubens B, Poesen J, Danjon F et al (2007) The role of fine and coarse roots in shallow slope stability and soil erosion control with a focus on root system architecture: a review. Trees 21(4):385–402
Genet M, Kokutse N, Stokes A et al (2008) Root reinforcement in plantations of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don: effect of tree age and stand structure on slope stability. For Ecol Manag 256(8):1517–1526
Pollen N (2007) Temporal and spatial variability in root reinforcement of streambanks: accounting for soil shear strength and moisture. Catena 69(3):197–205
Mao Z, Saint-André L, Genet M et al (2012) Engineering ecological protection against landslides in diverse mountain forests: choosing cohesion models. Ecol Eng 45:55–69
Mao Z, Jourdan C, Bonis ML et al (2013) Modelling root demography in heterogeneous mountain forests and applications for slope stability analysis. Plant Soil 363(1–2):357–382
Riestenberg MM (1987) Anchoring of thin colluvium on hillslopes by roots of sugar maple and white ash, dissertation, University of Cincinnati
Genet M, Stokes A, Salin F et al (2005) The influence of cellulose content on tensile strength in tree roots. Plant Soil 278(1):1–9
Greenway DR (1987) Vegetation and slope stability. In: Anderson MG, Richards KS (eds) Slope stability. Wiley, Chichester, pp 187–230
Simon A, Collison AJ (2002) Quantifying the mechanical and hydrologic effects of riparian vegetation on streambank stability. Earth Surf Process Landf 27(5):527–546
Pollen-Bankhead N, Simon A (2010) Hydrologic and hydraulic effects of riparian root networks on streambank stability: is mechanical root-reinforcement the whole story? Geomorphology 116(3):353–362
Nilaweera NS (1994) Influence of hardwood roots on soil shear strength and slope stability in Southern Thailand. Ph. D. Dissertation, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok
Norris JE, Greenwood JR (2000) In situ shear and pull out testing to demonstrate the enhanced shear strength of root reinforced soil. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Landslides, Cardiff, pp/ 1123–1128
Norris JE, Greenwood JR (2003) In-situ shear box and root pull-out apparatus for measuring the reinforcing effects of vegetation. In: Myrvoll F (ed) Field measurements in geomechanics, Oslo. Swets and Zeitlinger, Lisse, pp 593–597
Vogt KA, Persson H (1991) Root methods. In: Techniques and approaches in forest tree ecophysiology. 477–502
Schmid I, Kazda M (2002) Root distribution of Norway spruce in monospecific and mixed stands on different soils. For Ecol Manag 159(1):37–47
Bischetti GB, Chiaradia EA, Simonato T et al (2005) Root strength and root area ratio of forest species in Lombardy (Northern Italy). Plant Soil 278(1):11–22
Tosi M (2007) Root tensile strength relationships and their slope stability implications of three shrub species in the Northern Apennines (Italy). Geomorphology 87(4):268–283
Böhm W (2012) Methods of studying root systems, vol 33. Springer, Berlin
Laclau JP, Arnaud M, Bouillet JP et al (2001) Spatial distribution of Eucalyptus roots in a deep sandy soil in the Congo: relationships with the ability of the stand to take up water and nutrients. Tree Physiol 21(2):129–136
Waldron LJ, Dakessian S (1982) Effect of grass, legume, and tree roots on soil shearing resistance. Soil Sci Soc Am J 46:894–899
Abe K, Ziemer RR (1991) Effect of tree roots on a shear zone: modeling reinforced shear stress. Can J For Res 21:1012–1019
Operstein V, Frydman S (2000) The influence of vegetation on soil strength. Proc Inst Civ Eng-Ground Improv 4(2):81–89
Huat BBK, Ali FH, Maail S (2005) The effect of natural fiber on the shear strength of soil. Am J Appl Sci 9–13
Ali FH, Osman N (2007) Soil-roots composite: correlation between shear strength and some plant properties. Electron J Geotech Eng 12
Graf F, Frei M, Böll A (2009) Effects of vegetation on the angle of internal friction of a moraine. For Snow Landsc Res 82(1):61–77
Mickovski SB, Bransby MF, Bengough AG et al (2010) Resistance of simple plant root systems to uplift loads. Can Geotech J 47(1):78–95
Gray DH, Ohashi H (1983) Mechanics of fiber reinforcement in sand. J Geotech Eng 109:335–353
Wu TH, McOmber RM, Erb RT et al (1988) Study of soil-root interaction. J Geotech Eng 114:1351–1375
Shewbridge SE, Sitar N (1989) Deformation characteristics of reinforced soil in direct shear. J Geotech Eng 115:1134–1147
Shewbridge SE, Sitar N (1996) Formation of shear zones in reinforced sand. J Geotech Eng 122:873–885
Stauffer SD, Holtz RD (1995) Stress-strain and strength behavior of staple fiber and continuous filament-reinforced sand. Transp Res Rec 1474:82–95
Consoli NC, Montardo JP, Prietto PDM et al (2002) Engineering behavior of a sand reinforced with plastic waste. J Geotech Geoenviron 128(6):462–472
Yetimoglu T, Salbas O (2003) A study on shear strength of sands reinforced with randomly distributed discrete fibers. Geotext Geomembr 21(2):103–110
Commandeur PR, Pyles MR (1991) Modulus of elasticity and tensile strength of Douglas-fir roots. Can J For Res 21(1):48–52
Tang C, Shi B, Gao W et al (2007) Strength and mechanical behavoir of short polypropylene fiber reinforced and cement stabilized clayey soil. Geotext Geomembr 25:194–202
Wu TH (1976) Investigation of landslides on prince of Wales Island. Ohio State University, Alaska
Waldron LJ (1977) The shear resistance of root-permeated homogeneous and stratified soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 41(5):843–849
Pollen N, Simon A (2005) Estimating the mechanical effects of riparian vegetation on stream bank stability using a fiber bundle model. Water Resour Res 41(7):W07025. 1–11
De Baets S, Poesen J, Reubens B et al (2008) Root tensile strength and root distribution of typical Mediterranean plant species and their contribution to soil shear strength. Plant Soil 305(1–2):207–226
Preti F, Dani A, Laio F (2010) Root profile assessment by means of hydrological, pedological and above-ground vegetation information for bio-engineering purposes. Ecol Eng 36(3):305–316
Schwarz M, Preti F, Giadrossich F et al (2010) Quantifying the role of vegetation in slope stability: a case study in Tuscany (Italy). Ecol Eng 36(3):285–291
Broms BB (1964) Lateral resistance of piles in cohesive soils. J Soil Mech Found Div 90(2):27–64
Broms BB (1964) Lateral resistance of piles in cohesionless soils. J Soil Mech Found Div 90(3):123–158
Viggiani C (1981) Ultimate lateral load on piles used to stabilize landslides. In: Proceedings of the 10th international conference on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, vol 3, pp 555–560
Poulos HG (1995) Design of reinforcing piles to increase slope stability. Can Geotech J 32(5):808–818
Steele DP, MacNeil D, Barker D et al (2004) The use of live willow poles for stabilising highway slopes, TRL REPORT TRL 619. TRL Limited, Crowthorne
Hidalgo RC, Kun F, Herrmann HJ (2001) Bursts in a fiber bundle model with continuous damage. Phys Rev E 64(6):066122
El-Khouly MA (1995) Analysis of soil-root interaction. Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, Columbus
Frydman S, Operstein V (2001) Numerical simulation of direct shear of root reinforced soil. Proc Inst Civ Eng-Ground Improv 5(1):41–48
Drucker DC, Gibson RE, Henkel DJ (1957) Soil mechanics and work hardening theories of plasticity, Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers 122. ASCE, New York
DiMaggio FL, Sandler IS (1971) Material model for granular soils. J Eng Mech 97:935–950
Brinkgreve RBJ, Vermeer PA (1999) Plaxis: finite element code for soil and rock analyses: version 7: [user’s guide]. Balkema, Rotterdam
Dawson EM, Roth WH, Drescher A (1999) Slope stability analysis by strength reduction. Geotechnique 49(6):835–840
Krahn J (2003) The 2001 RM Hardy lecture: the limits of limit equilibrium analyses. Can Geotech J 40(3):643–660
Indraratna B, Salim W, Rujikiatkamjorn C (2011) Advanced rail geotechnology: ballasted track. CRC Press, London
Ennos AR (1989) The mechanics of anchorage in seedlings of sunflower, Helianthus annuus L. New Phytol 113(2):185–192
Niklas KJ, Molina-Freaner F, Tinoco-Ojanguren C et al (2002) The biomechanics of Pachycereus pringlei root systems. Am J Bot 89(1):12–21
Dupuy L, Fourcaud T, Stokes A (2005) A numerical investigation into the influence of soil type and root architecture on tree anchorage. Plant Soil 278(1):119–134
Chok Y, Kaggwa G, Jaksa M et al (2004) Modelling the effects of vegetation on stability of slopes. In: Proceedings of 9th Australia New Zealand conference on geomechanics, Auckland, pp 391–397
Dunbabin VM, Postma JA, Schnepf A et al (2013) Modelling root–soil interactions using three–dimensional models of root growth, architecture and function. Plant Soil 372(1–2):93–124
Barker DH (1986) Enhancement of slope stability by vegetation. Ground Eng 19(3):11–15
Greenwood JR (2006) SLIP4EX–A program for routine slope stability analysis to include the effects of vegetation, reinforcement and hydrological changes. Geotech Geol Eng 24(3):449–465
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Punetha, P., Samanta, M., Sarkar, S. (2019). Bioengineering as an Effective and Ecofriendly Soil Slope Stabilization Method: A Review. In: Pradhan, S., Vishal, V., Singh, T. (eds) Landslides: Theory, Practice and Modelling. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol 50. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77377-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77377-3_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77376-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77377-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)