Variation in shear strength of soil-root system under five typical land use types on the Loess Plateau of China

Abstract

Shear strength of soil-root system (SRSS) is one of the most useful dynamic properties for evaluating soil erodibility and structural stability. The adjustment of land use may strongly affect SRSS by altering soil properties and plant root system. Few studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of land use on SRSS in semi-arid region. This study was performed to quantify the variation in SRSS with five typical land use types (cropland, orchard, grassland, shrub land and woodland) and identify the related dominant contributing factors on the Loess Plateau where land use has changed greatly in the past several decades. In-situ shear tests with large shear box (25 × 25 × 10 cm) were conducted to measure shear stress-displacement curves. The strain energy calibrated to 15 % soil water content (SEc), peak shear stress (PSS) and the displacement of peak shear stress (DPS) calculated from the curves were used to reflect SRSS. The results showed that woodland had the maximum SEc (124.4 J m−2) and PSS (1048.6 kPa), whereas cropland had the minimum SEc (65.6 J m−2) and DPS (7.2 mm). Woodland, especially coniferous species and its mixed forest, might be the most suitable land use type for vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau to enhance soil erodibility or structural stability. The variation in SRSS with land use was closely related to the changes in soil properties and root traits. PSS increased with penetration resistance, while it decreased with soil water content. DPS was positive correlated to root biomass and morphological traits. SEc was mainly affected by the direct and indirect effects of root surface area density, penetration resistance, soil organic matter content and aggregate stability. The results are helpful for understanding the mechanical mechanism of vegetation restored soils to mitigate erosion and optimizing land use type in semi-arid region.