Publication date: November 2013
Source:Geoderma, Volumes 209–210
Author(s): Shao-Shan An , Frédéric Darboux , Man Cheng
Soil aggregate stability influences several aspects of soil physical behavior, such as water infiltration and soil erosion (Amézketa, 1999). We investigated the soil aggregate stability characteristics in the framework of the ‘Grain for Green’ vegetation rehabilitation project at the Loess Plateau (China) by using the Le Bissonnais (1996) and the modified Yoder (1936) methods. Both non-grazed grassland and afforestation revegetations were considered. The size distribution mode was always > The mean weighted diameter (MWD) that was determined by the Le Bissonnais' method was different among the tests and land uses. For the FW test, all the plant communities were significantly different from that of the recently abandoned grazing on grassland at the 0–20 and 20–40Artemisia sacrorum community, the maximum MWD was approximately 3 In the Loess Plateau, revegetations by non-grazed grassland and afforestation are efficient means of increasing aggregate stability and decreasing soil erodibility. The aggregate stability under non-grazed grasslands is higher than that under afforestation. The effect of revegetation is persistent, which makes it a suitable long-term management practice. Compared with the modified Yoder's method, the FW test of the Le Bissonnais' method is better at determining aggregate stability differences among land uses and is recommended for future studies.
Source:Geoderma, Volumes 209–210
Author(s): Shao-Shan An , Frédéric Darboux , Man Cheng