Chapter 19 - Responses of soil moisture to rainfall pulses and land preparation techniques

Abstract

Soil moisture plays an important role in revegetation and ecosystem stability in water-limited regions. The response of soil moisture to rainfall pulse is an important hydrological process, which is strongly influenced by land preparations during the implementation of vegetation restoration. Land preparation techniques are effective measures to prevent water loss and soil erosion in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Slope engineering measurement exhibits different functions of soil and water conservation under the coupling effects of various vegetation types. The differential responses of land preparation techniques with vegetation types combination to rainfall pulses are still not fully understood in the semi-arid regions. In this chapter, typical land preparation techniques (level bench, level ditch, fish-scale pits and adverse grade tableland) in the semi-arid hilly watershed of the Loess Plateau are used to study the soil moisture dynamics during long-term vegetation restoration under these land preparation techniques combined with different vegetation types (Caragana korshinskii, Platycladus orientalis, Pinus tabulaeformis, and Prunus armeniaca). This chapter aims to research the eco-hydrological responses of different land preparation techniques and provides a theoretical framework for evaluating soil conservation measurements during the processes of vegetation restoration. Therefore, it may benefit hillslope land amelioration, erosion control, and water conservation during the processes of vegetation restoration in a semi-arid fragile ecosystem.