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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3): 209-218.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2026.00013

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Effect of coppicing in artificial shrub plantations on understory vegetation and soil multifunctionality in the Horqin Sandy Land

Ru Meng1(), Wentao Mi1, Yuan Zhao1, Wei Li1, Weibo Ren1(), Xiangchen Li2, Jinqi Zhang2   

  1. 1.School of Ecology and Environment / Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and the Candidate State Key Laboratory of Ministry of Science and Technology,Inner Mongolia University,Hohhot 010021,China
    2.Inner Mongolia Chifeng Forest Ecosystem Positioning Observation Research Station,Chifeng Forestry Science Research Institute,Chifeng 024005,Inner Mongolia,China
  • Received:2025-12-24 Revised:2026-03-03 Online:2026-05-20 Published:2026-06-11
  • Contact: Weibo Ren

Abstract:

Coppicing, as an important measure for the rejuvenation and renewal of shrub forests, not only effectively curbs the aging of shrub forests but also serves as an effective approach for the ecological restoration and quality improvement of degraded shrub forests. This study took the three-year-old artificially planted Caragana korshinskii shrubland grassland in Wengniute Banner as the research object. By analyzing the changes in vegetation community structure, soil nutrients, and microbial communities in the Caragana korshinskii shrubland under the treatments of coppicing and no coppicing, and integrating these results with soil multifunctionality, we examined the effects of coppicing on soil multifunctionality in sandy land. The results showed that: (1) The coppicing measure significantly increased aboveground biomass of the plant community. (2) After coppicing, the soil available potassium content increased significantly in deeper layers, soil organic carbon increased significantly in surface layers, and soil pH decreased significantly in surface layers. (3) There was no significant difference in the diversity index of soil bacterial and fungal communities before and after coppicing. (4) The coppicing measure significantly enhanced soil multifunctionality. In conclusion, the coppicing measure effectively promotes plant growth in sandy lands and shows measurable benefits for soil improvement, suggesting that it can be an effective management practice for sandy-land ecosystems.

Key words: sandy land, coppicing, soil nutrients, soil multifunctionality

CLC Number: