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| Effect of afforestation on soil moisture characteristics of saline-alkali soil in the Yellow River Delta |
| Wang Liqin, Li Hongli, Dong Zhi, Shen Yunkuo, Zhang Zhipeng |
| Forestry College of Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration,Taishan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, 271018, Tai'an, Shandong, China |
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Abstract order to elucidate the effect of afforestation on soil moisture characteristics of saline-alkali soil in the Yellow River Delta, a combination of field sampling, laboratory measurements and centrifugation method was used to measure the soil moisture characteristics, soil physical properties and their correlation. The results indicated that: 1) The afforestation measures were beneficial for changing the soil structure and reducing the salt content; soil bulk density, capillary porosity, wilting moisture content and salt content on different afforestation lands were lower than contrast wasteland, but the total porosity and capillary porosity were higher than wasteland. In addition to the soil texture, bulk density and porosity are the main factors influencing the curve of soil moisture characteristics, and the salt content is also an important influencing factor. 2) There was a significant correlation between the soil moisture and the potential of soil moisture. The mathematical model θ= AS -B could well simulate the water characteristic curve. The value A and water retending capacities in different afforestation lands ranged from high to low as follows: Populus, Fraxinus chinensis, Zizyphus jujube, wasteland. The water retending capacity in different layers on four afforestation lands ranged from high to low with soil depth representing a downward trend. 3) The correlation analysis indicated that there was a negative significant correlation between the soil bulk density, total porosity and non-capillary porosity, between the capillary porosity and wilting moisture content, but a significantly positive correlation was observed between the water content at the water suction of 30 and 300 kPa, and both were negatively correlated with wilting moisture content. The results provide reference for the forest management and improvement of saline-alkali land in the Yellow River Delta.
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Received: 18 July 2013
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