img

Wechat

Adv search

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2021, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 212-220.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2020.00131

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of tillage on distribution and stability of soil aggregates in Horqin Sandy Land

Liyue Cao1(), Yulin Li2(), Jin Zhan2,3, Lina Shi2   

  1. 1.College of Geography and Environmental Science,Northwest Normal University,Lanzhou 730000,China
    2.Naiman Desertification Research Station,Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
    3.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
  • Received:2020-12-23 Revised:2020-12-30 Online:2021-03-20 Published:2021-03-26
  • Contact: Yulin Li

Abstract:

In order to find out the effects of tillage on the composition and stability of soil water-stable aggregates, this study analyzed distribution of aggregates with different particle sizes of corn fields with different tillage period and the sandy grassland nearby in the 0-40 cm soil layer by wet sieving method in Horqin area. The content of soil aggregates of >0.25 mm (W0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), fractal dimension (D) and soil erosibility factor (K) were studied to explain the distribution and stability characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different tillage period and soil depth. The results showed that: (1) tillage exerted remarkable effects on the content of soil water-stable aggregates, the content of macro-aggregates presented an "N" type trend with the increase of tillage period, which was consistent in different soil layers. (2) W0.25, MWD and GMD of soil aggregates in 15-20 years were higher than the others, while the D and K were opposite, the stability of the upper layer aggregates was better than that of the lower one. (3) Correlation analysis showed that soil aggregates content of >1 mm was significantly positively correlated with W0.25, MWD and GMD (P<0.01), but was negatively correlated with the aggregates content of 0.5-0.25 mm, <0.25 mm, D and KP<0.01). In summary, tillage activities enhanced the stability of soil aggregates in Horqin area, 15-20 years of tillage has strong anti-erodibility, and tillage of more than 20 years may lead to land degradation, conservation tillage should be considered to achieve sustainable and healthy development of soil. The water-stable aggregates content of >1 mm can be used as an important parameter to evaluate the soil quality in this area.

Key words: water-stable aggregate, tillage period, particle size distribution, soil aggregate stability

CLC Number: