Effects of root traits on soil detachment capacity driven by farmland abandonment

Abstract

Vegetation restoration significantly affected root traits during farmland abandonment, thereby considerably altering the soil detachment process. However, few studies have investigated the effects of root traits on soil detachment capacity under different ages of farmland abandonment. To examine the effects of root trait changes caused by vegetation restoration on soil detachment capacity by overland flow (Dc) and soil resistance to erosion under different ages of farmland abandonment, flow scouring tests under five shear stress levels (2.80–12.95 Pa) were conducted on 125 undisturbed soil samples collected using an indoor variable slope flume. The results showed that, compared to slope farmland, the root traits of abandoned farmland (5, 12, 24, and 36 years) increased considerably, and the Dc and erodibility decreased by 51.3–93.9 % and 61.8–94.1 %, respectively. The critical shear stress of abandoned farmland gradually increased with the age of farmland abandonment, but remained less than that of slope farmland. Among hydraulic parameters, stream power was the optimal index for predicting Dc, while among root morphological traits, root surface area density (RSAD) was the best indicator for predicting Dc. The median soil particle size (D50) and cohesion are important factors that affect soil detachment. According to the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model, Dc can be predicted using the RSAD and soil cohesion (R2 = 0.95, NSE = 0.95). In addition, a new model was established to estimate the soil detachment capacity based on D50 (R2 = 0.97, NSE = 0.97). In the present study, the performance of the model was improved compared with that of previous studies.