Dynamics of soil physical properties and biological soil crust during the vegetation restoration process of abandoned croplands in the Ordos Plateau, China

• Published in: Ying yong sheng tai xue bao Vol. 28; no. 3; p. 829
• Main Authors: Cai, Wen Tao, Li, He Yi, Lai, Li Ming, Zhang, Xiao Long, Guan, Tian Yu, Zhou, Ji Hua, Jiang, Lian He, Zheng, Yuan Run
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 18.03.2017
• Subjects: China; Crops, Agricultural; Ecosystem; Soil; Water; soil physical property; Ordos Plateau; abandoned cropland; shrub encroachment
• ISSN: 1001-9332
• DOI: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201703.031

A series of typical abandoned croplands in the regions of Ruanliang and Yingliang in the Ordos Plateau, China, were selected, and dynamics of the surface litter, biological soil crust and soil bulk density, soil texture, and soil moisture in different soil layers were investigated. The results showed that in the abandoned cropland in Ruanliang, the clay particle content and surface litter of the surface soil layer (0-10 cm) increased during the restoration process, while that of soil bulk density substantially decreased and soil water content slightly increased in the surface soil. In the medium soil layer (10-30 cm), the clay particle content increased and the soil water content slightly decreased. In the deep soil layer (30-50 cm), there was a relatively large variation in the physical properties. In the abandoned cropland in Yingliang, the coverage of litter and the coverage and thickness of the biological soil crust increased during the abandonment process. The surface soil bulk density, soil clay particl