Impacts of revegetation management modes on soil properties and vegetation ecological restoration in degraded sandy grassland in farming-pastoral ecotone

Fu Biao, Qi Yanbing, Chang Qingrui

Abstract


Focusing on the impact of various vegetation management modes on sandy grassland’s soil property and vegetation ecological restoration of farming-pastoral ecotone, field surveys and lab analysis were conducted to study the correlation between the characteristics of soil properties and vegetation ecological restoration under four different vegetation management modes, i.e., unenclosed natural restoration, enclosed natural restoration, unenclosed artificial restoration and enclosed artificial restoration, which have a restoration history of 15 years in the southern edge of the degraded sandy land area of Mu Us Desert in Leilongwan Town, Hengshan County, Shaanxi Province. After 15 years of vegetation restoration, these four vegetation management modes all proved to be useful for improving the vegetation ecological restoration and the soil quality of the degraded sandy grassland not only by enhancing the aboveground vegetation height, coverage and biomass but also increasing the content of soil clay, organic matter, CEC, total nitrogen, available nutrient while reducing soil bulk density. The vegetation ecological restoration effect and soil quality under enclosed or artificial restoration management are better than those of unenclosed or natural restoration management; and the most satisfactory vegetation ecological restoration effects and soil quality can be achieved under the integration of enclosed and artificial restoration management. Severely degraded sandy grassland, during the vegetation restoration, would form an interactional coordinating relationship with the vegetation and soil properties. Vegetation properties as height, coverage and biomass have significant positive correlations with organic matter, CEC, total nitrogen and available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contained in soil. Only the adoption of the strict enclosure system, implementation of aggressive artificial vegetation restoration measures and the realization of the regurgitation-feeding policy of industry towards husbandry can guarantee the gradual restoration of degraded sandy grassland in farming-pastoral ecotone, so that it can continue to play the role of ecological protective screen.

DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20150801.004

Citation: Fu B, Qi Y B, Chang Q R. Impacts of revegetation management modes on soil properties and vegetation ecological restoration in degraded sandy grassland in farming-pastoral ecotone. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2015; 8(1): 26－34.

Keywords


vegetable ecological restoration, degraded sandy grassland, revegetation management modes, farming-pastoral ecotone, soil property, enclosed restoration system

Full Text:

PDF

References


Xue X, Wang T, Wu W, Sun Q W, Zhao C Y. Desertification development and its causes of agro-pastoral mixed region of north China. Journal of Desert Research, 2005; 25(3): 320–328. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Chen S Q, Cui X Y, Zhou G S, Li L H. Study on the CO2-release rate of soil respiration and litter decomposition in Stipa gradies steppe in Xilin river basin, Inner Mongolia. Acta Botanica Sinica, 1999; 41(6): 645–650.

Wang H, Wang H, Huang R, Ma W W. Effects of different exclosure management on soil and plant characteristics of sandy grassland. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2012; 21(6): 15–22.

Wang W, Guo J X. Contribution of CO2 emission from soil respiration and from litter decomposition in lymus chinensis community in northeast Songnen grassland. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2002; 22(5): 655–660.

Shan G L, Xu Z, Ning F, JiaoY. Influence of seasonal exclosure on plant and soil characteristics in typical steppe. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2009; 18(2): 3–10.

Su Y Z, Zhao H L, Wen H Y. Cultivation and enclosure effects on soil physicochemical properties of degraded sandy grassland. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2002; 16(4): 5–8.

Yang M H, Cao M M, Zhu Z M. Soil physical and chemical properties in the process of desertification on the southeastern edge of Mu Us sandy land. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2010; 30(2): 169–174. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Zhao H L, Zhou R L, Zhao X Y, Zhang T H, Wang J. Desertification mechanisms and process of soil chemical and physical properties in Hunlunbeir sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2012; 21(2): 1–7.

Cao C Y, Zhu L H, Fu Y, Chen J M, Cui Z B, Gao E L. Changes of soil biological activity in desertification process of Horqin sandy grassland. Chinese Journal of Ecoligy, 2007; 26(5): 622–627. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Liu S L, Wang T, Qu J J. Soil characteristics changes in desertification processes in Hunshandake sandy land, northern China. Journal of Desert Research, 2008; 28(4): 611–617.

Cao C Y, Shao J F, Jiang D M, Cui Z B. Effects of fence enclosure on soil nutrients and biological activities in highly degraded grasslands. Journal of Northeastern University: Natural Science, 2011; 32(3): 427–430. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Su Y Z, Zhao H L. Influences of grazing and exclosure on carbon sequestration in degraded sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia, north China. Chinese Journal of Environmental Science, 2003; 24(4): 23–28. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Cao Z L, Zheng C L, Zhao T N, Sun B P. Influences of seed source effect of enclosed grassland on seed bank around sandy grassland. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2006; 20(3): 197–200.

Qi Y B, Chang Q R, Hui Y H. Fractal features of soil particles in desertification reversing process by artificial vegetation. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 2007; 44(3): 566–570.

Qi Y B, Chang Q R, Liu M Y, Liu J, Chen T. Characteristics of desertified soil in desertification reversing process by artificial vegetation. Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas, 201; 29(3):180–185,198.

Liu F C, Li H L, Dong Z, Zhang H. Advances in research on enclosure effects on vegetation restoration and soil physicochemical property of degraded grassland. Science of Soil and Water Conservation, 2012; 10(5): 116–122.

Qi Y B, Chang Q R, Jia K L, Liu M Y, Liu J, Chen T. Temporal-spatial variability of desertification in an agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern Shaanxi Province, China. Catena, 2012; 88: 37–45.

Lu R K. Soil and agro-chemical analytical methods. China Agricultural Science and Technology Press, Beijing, 2000. (in Chinese)

Wen H Y, Zhao H L, Fu H. Effects of years for reclamation and enclosure years on soil properties of degraded sandy grassland. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2005; 14(1): 31–37.

Liu Z K, Wang S P, Chen Z Z, Wang Y F, Han J G. Properties of soil nutrients and plant community after rest grazing in Inner Mongolia steppe, China. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2006; 26(6): 2048–2056.

Schwenke G D. Soil stripping and replace for the rehabilitation of bauxite-mined land at Weipa II. Soil organic matter dynamics in mine soil chronosequences. Australia Journal of Soil Research, 2007; 43: 345–369.

Lindstrom M J. Management consideration for returning CRP lands to crop production. Journal of Soil Water Conservation, 2005; 60: 420–425.

Wang Z H, Daun C H, Yuan L, Rao J, Zhou Z Z, Li J, et al. Assessment of the restoration of a degraded semi-humid evergreen broadleaf forest ecosystem by combined single-indicator and comprehensive model method. Ecological Engineering, 2010; 36(6): 757–767.

Wu J, Brookes P C. The proportional mineralisation of microbial biomass and organic matter caused by air-drying and rewetting of a grassland soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2005; 37: 507–515.

Loch R J. Effects of vegetation cover on runoff and erosion under simulated rain and overland flow on a rehabilitated site on the Meandu Mine, Tarong, Queensland. Australia Journal of Soil Research, 2006; 44: 299–312.

Yang Y, Hasi E, Sun B P. Effects of vegetation restoration in different types on soil nutrients in southern edge of Mu Us sandy land. Soil and Fertilizer, 2012; 13(8): 1708–1712. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Jiao F, Wen Z M, An S S. Changes in soil properties across a chronosequence of vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau of China. Catena, 2011; 86: 110–116.

Chang Q R, An S S, Liu J, Wen Z G. Study on the characteristic of land desertification in the agriculture and animal husbandry interlace zone of northern Shaanxi. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 2003; 40(4): 518–523.

Sun D Y, Wang H, Ma Z W, Yang J L. Soil water variation of fencing sandy land in arid desert area. Journal of Northwest Forestry University, 2007; 22(2): 49–53. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Li X R, Kong D S, Tan H J, Wang X P. Changes in soil and vegetation following stabilization of dune in southeastern fringe of the Tengger desert, China. Plant and Soil, 2007; 300: 221–231.




Copyright (c)



2023-2026 Copyright IJABE Editing and Publishing Office