The impact of flood spreading and Prosopis juliflora on a loamy sand soil

Abstract

Loamy sand soils cannot hold considerable amounts of water and nutrients. A flood-spreading project generates fine particles, often stored in sediment. In addition, established plants have interactive effects on beneath-canopy. This research investigated the effects of flood spreading and Prosopis juliflora on soil characteristics. Fourteen years after the flood-spreading project was initiated, quality of soil was compared between FS and control sites, and the accumulation of nutrients in soil beneath the P. juliflora was compared to soil from between trees with t test. For soils, we analyzed texture, water infiltration, organic carbon, pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, cation exchange capacity, calcium carbonate equilibrium, and soil microbial respiration, and for plants, we measured the below-ground root. Few variations were found in the soil characteristics as a result of flood-spreading establishment. The results indicated that fine fractions of soil in FS site were greater than that in control (p < 0.05). It was obvious that flood spreading and P. juliflora could alter soil infiltration rate. The soil infiltration rate of the under P. juliflora had the highest value (3.05 ± 0.22 cm h−1), and in flood-spreading site without P. juliflora had the lowest value (2.48 ± 0.20 cm h−1). FS had a significant improvement in soil nutrient concentration and soil microbial respiration. This research suggests that flood spreading in coarse texture soils provided a beneficial approach to remediation of sandy soil characteristics. In addition, P. juliflora had a significant effect on developing soil fertility under plant canopy.