Participatory soil and water conservation planning using an erosion mapping tool in the central highlands of Kenya

Despite several approaches that aimed at mobilising East African farmers to embrace soil and water conservation (SWC) activities, farmers hardly responded since they were seldom involved in the planning of SWC activities. Two tools that employ farmers' participation were developed and applied at Gikuuri catchment in Kenya. The first tool involved farmers to map soil erosion using their own indicators and determine the soil erosion status at catchment scale. This formed the basis upon which they undertook to plan for SWC measures at catchment scale. Farmers also predicted crop yield losses based on the soil erosion status. Farmers widely approved the soil erosion status map since their own indicators and perceptions were used. The second tool provided cash flow trends for a variety of SWC activities and farmer situations. Farmers can use land with a high, moderate or low erosion status and often have rather different socio‐economic settings. The net benefits over 5 yr for bench terraces, fanya juu terraces and grass strips were illustrated to assist farmers in making informed decisions on SWC adoption. The two tools increased awareness on the need for collective actions among farmers and showed fields that cause run‐on on downslope fields. The improved awareness of erosion problems and the related financial consequences increased farmers' willingness to share the investment costs for cut‐off drains. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同雨强和覆盖度条件下崩积体侵蚀泥沙颗粒特征

崩积体坡面侵蚀泥沙颗粒的变化特征及过程研究是揭示崩岗崩积体侵蚀机理的关键。基于崩岗崩积体土质疏松、粗颗粒含量高、极易被侵蚀的特性,通过室内人工模拟降雨试验,研究30°坡度条件下,不同覆盖度(0,25%,50%,75%,100%)和雨强(60,90,120 mm h-1)组合坡面侵蚀泥沙颗粒特征。结果表明:降雨过程中,坡面径流优先搬运的是粒径较小的泥沙颗粒;侵蚀泥沙中粗颗粒(砾石和粗砂)泥沙含量随着覆盖度的增加呈先减小后增大趋势;侵蚀泥沙颗粒的平均重量直径(MWD)与覆盖度之间呈极显著相关;当覆盖度达到50%时,坡面粗颗粒泥沙的减少效果最明显,75%覆盖度坡面较容易发生崩塌。以上结果表明,侵蚀泥沙颗粒的大小与坡面秸秆覆盖度的高低密切相关,50%左右的秸秆覆盖度可以达到较好的减沙效果。     

Evaluation of two soil conditioners for limiting post‐fire erosion as part of a soil conservation strategy

Soil conservation is a major concern for catchments affected by forest fires. The lack of vegetation cover and the development of soil water repellency increase the risk of topsoil erosion. This paper evaluates two soil conditioners (a wetting agent and a polyvinyl acetate) for limiting overland flow and erosion in inter‐rill areas. Unburned and burned soil samples were treated with one or both soil conditioners. The effects of these treatments on run‐off, water retention, erosion and plant growth were assessed using laboratory rainfall simulations. Polyvinyl acetate had little impact on water retention but was effective in reducing soil loss. The surfactant had little impact on water run‐off or soil loss but substantially improved water retention and plant biomass production. Application of soil conditioners on post‐fire areas could be a valuable technique in a soil conservation strategy. To maximize their benefits, soil conditioners could be applied with seeding using hydroseeding techniques and be limited to particular areas, such as paths and roadsides. Laboratory results indicate that field testing should also be carried out.     

毛乌素沙地人为干扰苔藓结皮的土壤水分和风蚀效应

[目的]为了探讨在毛乌素沙地人为干扰生物结皮的必要性与可行性,并为该区生物结皮的高效利用提供实验依据。[方法]在毛乌素沙地东南缘设置裸沙、苔藓结皮、干扰苔藓结皮、沙蒿、沙蒿+苔藓结皮以及沙蒿+干扰苔藓结皮6个处理小区,通过动态监测各小区土壤水分及风蚀变化过程,分析人为干扰苔藓结皮对土壤水分及风蚀过程的影响。[结果](1)沙地苔藓结皮能够显著提高浅层土壤含水量,降低深层土壤含水量。(2)人为干扰苔藓结皮会引起浅层土壤含水量的降低和降雨入渗深度的增加。(3)与裸沙对照相比,几种处理的减蚀效率大小顺序为:沙蒿+苔藓结皮(97.01%)沙蒿+干扰苔藓结皮(90.87%)苔藓结皮(89.63%)干扰苔藓结皮(69.50%)沙蒿(64.62%)。[结论]植被覆盖度较高时,对苔藓结皮进行适当破坏,能够在不加剧土壤风蚀的前提下,一定程度上改善土壤水分状况。而在无植被或低植被覆盖的地块,要禁止对苔藓结皮的干扰破坏。     

Deposition of sand over a cyanobacterial soil crust increases nitrogen bioavailability in a semi-arid woodland

The movement of sand by erosion is a common feature of drylands during droughts and periods of sparse vascular plant cover. We examined the effects of sand deposition on the bioavailability of N in cyanobacterial-dominant soil crusts during and after a severe drought. Crusts were sampled from two depths on stony and stone-free surfaces with and without sandy deposits. All sites supported an extensive cover (up to 51%) of N-fixing cyanobacteria and cyanolichens. During drought, sand-covered crusts had up to three-times more mineral N (NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻) and twice the mineralisable N, at both depths, than sand-free samples. Mineralisable N was always greater in the surface soil layer both during and after drought. During the drought, two common N-fixing cyanobacteria (Scytonema cf. hofman-bangii, Stigonema ocellatum) were significantly more abundant on uncovered than sand-covered surfaces. Increased N bioavailability likely results from autolysis and subsequent breakdown of N-enriched cyanobacterial cell material mediated by changes in the soil surface microenvironment. Our work suggests that landscape-level processes of sand deposition have a marked effect on soil nutrient pools by enhancing the accumulation of plant-available N on cyanobacterial crusted surfaces. Inappropriate land management or the loss of cyanobacterial soil crusts during drought would compromise the long-term bioavailability of soil N.     

Effect of rock fragment cover on interrill soil erosion from bare soils in Western Andalusia, Spain

It is known that rock fragments on the surface of soils can enhance infiltration and protect the soil against rainfall erosion. However, the effect of rock fragments in natural forest soils is less well understood. In this article, we studied the influence of rock fragment cover on run‐off, infiltration and interrill soil erosion under simulated rainfall on natural bare soils in a Spanish dehesa (managed holm oak woodland). We studied 60 plots with different rock fragment cover ranging from 3% to 85% under three simulated rainfall intensities (50, 100 and 150 mm/h). Surface run‐off appeared later and sediment yield values were smaller in soils with greater rock fragment cover. Rock fragment cover also increased infiltration rates. The final infiltration rates were 54–98% at a rainfall intensity of 50 mm/h, 31–88% at 100 mm/h and 20–80% at 150 mm/h. The interrill soil loss rates were decreased by rock fragment cover and increased with rainfall intensity. The soil loss rate was always small (0.02–1 Mg ha/h) when rock fragment cover was 75% or more. Rock fragment cover was related to soil loss rate by an exponential function.     

Effectiveness of palm and simulated geotextiles in reducing run-off and inter-rill erosion on medium and steep slopes

Palm‐leaf geotextiles could be an effective and cheap soil conservation method with enormous global potential. However, there are very few data on the effectiveness of palm geotextiles in reducing soil erosion by water. This study investigates the effectiveness of two types of palm geotextiles and the effect of geotextile mesh size on infiltration, run‐off and inter‐rill erosion rate and soil surface roughness on a medium and steep slope. A well‐defined protocol was developed to conduct laboratory experiments. Rainfall was simulated for 90 min with an intensity (I) of 45 and 67 mm h^?1 on an inter‐rill erosion plot, filled with an erodible sandy loam and having slope gradients (S) of 15 and 45%. Two palm‐leaf geotextiles (Borassus aethiopum and Brazilian Buriti Palm) and three simulated geotextiles (polyethylene tarpaulin) with different mesh sizes (1 × 1, 5 × 5 and 12 × 12 cm) were tested on a simulated fine tilth. Calculated k values from the Horton infiltration equation ranged from 0.025 to 0.145 and decreased linearly on both slopes with geotextile cover. Geotextiles are more effective in reducing the run‐off coefficient on a medium slope (15%) compared with that on a steep slope (45%), ranging from 76.4 to 17.9%. Mean b values from the mulch cover equation equalled 0.024 for a 15% slope and 0.045 for a 45% slope, indicating a higher effectiveness of geotextiles in reducing total inter‐rill soil loss on gentler slopes compared with commonly used mulches. Erosion‐induced soil surface roughness at the end of each experiment increased linearly with geotextile cover percentage and this increase was not significantly different between the two slope gradients.     

Land‐use effects on the distribution of soil organic carbon within particle‐size fractions of volcanic soils in the Transmexican Volcanic Belt (Mexico)

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of land‐use and forest cover depletion on the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) within particle‐size fractions in a volcanic soil. Emphasis was given to the thermal properties of soils. Six representative sites in Mexico were selected in an area dominated by Andosols: a grassland site, four forested sites with different levels of degradation and an agricultural site. Soils were fractionated using ultrasonic energy until complete dispersion was achieved. The particle‐size fractions were coarse sand, fine sand, silt, clay and particulate organic matter from the coarse sand sized fraction (POM‐CS) and fine sand (POM‐FS). Soil organic carbon decreased by 70% after forest conversion to cropland and long‐term cultivation; forest cover loss resulted in a decrease in SOC of up to 60%. The grassland soil contained 45% more SOC than the cropland one. Soil organic carbon was mainly associated with the silt‐size fraction; the most sensitive fractions to land‐use change and forest cover depletion were POM followed by SOC associated with the silt and clay‐sized fractions. Particulate organic matter can be used as an early indicator of SOC loss. The C lost from the clay and silt‐sized fractions was thermally labile; therefore, the SOC stored in the more degraded forest soils was more recalcitrant (thermally resistant). Only the transformation of forest to agricultural land produced a similar loss of thermally stable C associated with the silt‐sized fraction.     

植被对南方红壤丘陵区土壤侵蚀的影响研究

本文以南方红壤区为研究对象,以传统径流小区观测为主要手段,共布设8个径流小区,每个径流小区设置不同的植被类型和植被盖度。本试验观测了36场次降雨条件下降雨量、径流量和泥沙量资料,分析了植被类型和植被盖度对减流减沙的作用规律,结果表明:①在减流作用中,乔灌木林混交林纯林;②林分结构越复杂,减沙效果越显著;③植被类型对减流减沙具有整体效果,而植被盖度更突出在影响其变化幅度上。     

Cropping systems and bed width effects on runoff,erosion and soil properties in a rainfed Vertisol

The effects of two bed widths (1 and 2 m) and four rainfed cotton‐based cropping systems on soil properties, runoff and erosion were evaluated in a Vertisol (1 per cent slope; 21 g per 100 g sand, 12 g per 100 g silt, 67 g per 100 g clay) in subtropical central Queensland, Australia. The cropping systems were: early cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) sown between August and October; wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sown in May, sprayed out and followed by early cotton; wheat allowed to mature, harvested and followed by late cotton sown between October and December; and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) followed by cotton. Land preparation was by minimum tillage and traffic was restricted to the furrows between the beds. Rainfall runoff and soil erosion were monitored with water‐height recorders, flumes and troughs. Soil structure was evaluated as air‐filled porosity of oven‐dried soil in the 0–0.15, 0.15–0.30, 0.30–0.45 and 0.45–0.60 m depths. Soil chemical properties measured in the 0–0.15 m depth were organic carbon, pH (in 0.01 M CaCl₂), electrical conductivity (EC_1:5) of a 1 : 5 soil : water suspension and exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and Na. In comparison with 1 m beds, 2 m beds resulted in lower runoff and soil erosion, lower exchangeable Na, exchangeable sodium percentage and higher EC_1:5/exchangeable Na, higher rate of soil organic matter decrease and better soil structure in the 0–0.15 m depth. Runoff and erosion were reduced, and cotton lint yields increased either by cropping systems sown early to intercept most of the seasonal rainfall or by those which produced a high level of ground cover. Soil physical and chemical properties were best, and runoff and erosion lowest with 2 m beds and cropping systems producing a high level of ground cover. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Participatory soil and water conservation planning using a financial analysis tool in the West Usambara highlands of Tanzania

Despite decades of soil and water conservation (SWC) efforts in Tanzania, the adoption of the recommended SWC measures by farmers is minimal. In the past, SWC plans did not incorporate farmers' knowledge, and the economics of SWC was not given much attention at the planning stage. This research evaluated the applicability of two tools for participatory soil erosion mapping using farmers' indicators of soil erosion and financial analysis of SWC measures at the planning stage. The two tools were evaluated in Kwalei catchment in the West Usambara highlands, Tanzania. The participatory soil erosion‐mapping tool uses farmers' indicators of soil erosion to identify, classify and map soil erosion at the catchment level. The financial analysis tool involves farmers in a stepwise analysis of the costs and benefits of SWC measures before the implementation. The erosion‐mapping tool increased farmers' awareness on the severity of soil erosion problems, and they realised the need for SWC plans at both field and catchment scales. With the financial analysis tool farmers participated in the cost and benefits analysis and were able to select SWC options that were feasible under their socio‐economic situation. The two tools were able to demonstrate that farmers' participation in SWC planning increases the acceptance of SWC measures because they solve problems that are perceived by themselves. The financial analysis tool demonstrated how farmers could make selection of SWC measures that are feasible under their biophysical and economic condition if they are informed about the costs and benefits. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2种沙障内积砂粒径特征及其空间格局观测研究

土壤粒径分布是研究其沙化的重要物理指标之一,通过研究沙障方格内不同方位砂粒粒径特征对其微地貌蚀积状况进行分析,确定粒度特征对地貌形态的指示作用,为选取适宜沙障类型提供技术保障。在腾格里沙漠西缘流动沙丘布设的植物纤维网和土工编织袋沙障内不同区域取样并利用马尔文激光粒度仪测定砂粒径,对比分析障内与障间不同区域沙物质粒配组成、粒配曲线等参数特征。结果表明:土工编织袋沙障内截留砂粒作用强于纤维网沙障,即前者阻沙效果更优于后者。2种沙障内部方格砂粒含量在西方位比其余方位多18%~23%,表明在西方位为弱风蚀或强堆积。土工编织袋沙障方格中东和南方位砂粒含量比其余方位少8%~26%,即东方和南方位为风蚀区。土工编织袋沙障中部砂粒含量沿主风向逐渐提高,表示沙障内砂粒沉积增多;而纤维网沙障方格中变化不明显。在纤维网沙障区砂粒组分沿主风向逐渐减少,粒度组分与自然沙丘状态差异不显著(P<0.05),指示其沙障阻沙作用较弱。土工编织袋沙障砂粒组分集中在中南部,且跃移质组分分选性中部相比南北部较差,表明其砂粒组分在沙障内主风向下风区沉积较多。处于中线两侧纤维网沙障西侧比土工编织袋沙障东侧细砂和中砂含量高24%以上,而粗砂和极粗砂含量低近43%。     

Is conservation tillage suitable for organic farming? A review

Conservation tillage covers a range of tillage practices, mostly non‐inversion, which aim to conserve soil moisture and reduce soil erosion by leaving more than one‐third of the soil surface covered by crop residues. Organic farmers are encouraged to adopt conservation tillage to preserve soil quality and fertility and to prevent soil degradation – mainly erosion and compaction. The potential advantages of conservation tillage in organic farming are reduced erosion, greater macroporosity in the soil surface due to larger number of earthworms, more microbial activity and carbon storage, less run‐off and leaching of nutrients, reduced fuel use and faster tillage. The disadvantages of conservation tillage in organic farming are greater pressure from grass weeds, less suitable than ploughing for poorly drained, unstable soils or high rainfall areas, restricted N availability and restricted crop choice. The success of conservation tillage in organic farming hinges on the choice of crop rotation to ensure weed and disease control and nitrogen availability. Rotation of tillage depth according to crop type, in conjunction with compaction control measures is also required. A high standard of management is required, tailored to local soil and site conditions. Innovative approaches for the application of conservation tillage, such as perennial mulches, mechanical control of cover crops, rotational tillage and controlled traffic, require further practical assessment.     

Better land husbandry in Honduras: towards the new paradigm in conserving soil,water and productivity

Land shortages are forcing more smallholder farmers to cultivate tropical steeplands. Resulting accelerated soil erosion is being countered by the promotion of soil conservation (SC) technologies, such as cross‐slope barriers, which aim to reduce soil loss and preserve land productivity. However, farmer adoption rates tend to be low. This is often attributed to the farmers' conservatism or lack of education. Research in Honduras's steeplands demonstrates that farmers value SC, provided that it promotes agricultural production. Field research from 1995–98, involving farmed test plots on slopes greater than 35 per cent (19 degrees), demonstrates that at least one typical SC technology—live barriers of Vetiveria zizanioides (vetiver grass)—has little or no impact on maize yield. This means that farmers see little benefit from their investment in the SC method. They find that erratic rainfall, pests and diseases and a lack of economic resources are far greater threats to their livelihoods than soil erosion. Consequently, SC has a low priority. Keeping soil in place avoids major off‐farm disbenefits. However, the SC technique tested here made no discernible difference to slope foot sediment yields during the life of this study. In sum, a new approach is needed. Promoting ‘Better Land Husbandry’ strategies, which seek to combine farmers' concerns about productivity with conservationists' concerns about reducing soil erosion—often via cover‐management—seem to be the best way forward. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Farmers' knowledge and perceptions of soil erosion and conservation measures in the Central Highlands,Kenya

A lack of appreciation of Kenyan farmers' knowledge and their perceptions of soil erosion and soil conservation measures was the reason for low adoption of recommended technologies. This research was carried out to identify the criteria that farmers used to distinguish farm‐types and to use these types to evaluate different knowledge levels and perceptions of soil erosion and existing soil and water conservation (SWC) measures in the Central Highlands of Kenya. Community meetings and semi‐structured household surveys were carried out in a small catchment, with 120 households. Results partly support the idea of using farmer‐developed criteria to distinguish among land managers with reference to a farm‐type classification. Criteria distinguishing three classes of land managers (good, moderate and poor) were significant with regard to the following land husbandry practices: use of hybrid or recycled seed and use of organic and/or inorganic fertilizers. Farmers were aware of on‐going soil erosion and of several erosion control measures. Whereas a majority of farmers preferred grass‐strips as a SWC measures, they did not recognize agroforestry as a form of SWC measure. Farmers perceived that SWC measures could successfully increase crop yields and soil‐water retention, and increase land value. In general, farmers did not perceive that SWC measures successfully prevented erosion phenomena, given the evidence of on‐site erosion indicators. They attributed the continued erosion to high rainfall, steep slopes, lack of maintenance and poorly designed SWC measures. They did not consider poor soil‐cover, up‐down tillage and tall trees to be the causes of erosion. Farmers faced several constraints in adopting SWC measures: lack of labour, tools, capital and know‐how to construct the measures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同坡度下掺沙对黑土坡面径流侵蚀特征的影响

黑土区野外考察发现,当地农民通过土壤掺沙的方法改良土壤质地,以提高作物产量。鉴于此,基于人工模拟降雨试验,探究东北典型坡度(3°,5°和7°)条件下掺沙比例(0,10%,20%和30%)对黑土坡面径流侵蚀特征的影响,以期为东北农业生产和土壤侵蚀防治提供科学依据。结果表明:掺沙比例对坡面径流特征的影响较坡度更加明显;随着坡度的增加,掺沙比例对径流特征的影响增大。随着掺沙比例的增加,平均径流流速从5.2～5.3 cm/s减小到2.7～3.4 cm/s,产流率和径流量逐渐减小,掺沙30%时达到最小值。产沙率随掺沙比例和坡度的增大呈先增加再减小的变化。侵蚀量随掺沙比例增大变化显著,呈先增加后减小的变化,在掺沙10%和20%时较大。可见,土壤掺沙(20%)在减小坡面径流量的同时,亦能增加坡面土壤侵蚀量。从水土保持角度分析,掺沙处理不利于防治黑土坡面土壤流失,但是综合考虑其生态经济效益,适度掺沙能够作为一种黑土区坡耕地农业技术措施。     

Impacts of rainstorms on soil erosion and organic matter for different cover crop systems in the western coast agricultural region of Syria

More and more cultivated coastal territories of Syria are being affected by increasing land degradation processes, specifically, by soil erosion due to non‐sustainable soil management. The use of cover crops can be considered an ideal solution to reduce the negative impacts of extreme rainfall events on soil erosion. However, there is no enough information about the main cultivated areas of Syria due to the current conflicts and the very few types of research conducted there. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to assess soil erosion (soil loss and sediment concentration) and hydrological response (run‐off and infiltration) considering the impact of different types of cropping systems on soil organic matter. To achieve this goal, using erosion plots, five grouped natural rainfall events and soil samples were collected, and infiltration measurements were performed between November 2012 and April 2013 (rainy season) on three different cropping systems (wheat, vetch, bean and control) with different sloping gradients (8% and 20%) in Tartous governorate (W Syria). Our results showed a cumulative rainfall amount from 68.8 to 201 mm during the study period. The highest sediment yield was generated in the control and wheat plots, registering 0.468 and 0.368 kg m^?2, respectively, with an inclination of 8%. For an inclination of 20%, the control and wheat plots registered 1.145 and 0.967 kg m^?2, respectively. In comparison with the control plots, there was a decrease in the total eroded organic matter, which ranged from 0.0579 (control) to 0.0289 (bean) kg m^?2 year^?1 in the plots with 20% inclination, and from 0.0233 (control) to 0.0069 (bean) kg m^?2 year^?1 with 8% inclination. To sum up, bean and vetch play an effective role to mitigate soil erosion, delay run‐off and reduce sediment yield. The output of this research provides first insights into the impact of different land uses on soil loss. Also, it could help rural inhabitants and farmers to correctly manage their soils against soil erosion processes.     

Effectiveness of tropical grass species as sediment filters in the riparian zone of Lake Victoria

The effectiveness of tropical grass species in strips of different length in trapping sediment from cropland was assessed, and the influence of filter length was determined. The assessment was made under natural rainfall which induced sheet and rill erosion in run‐off plots and then using simulated run‐off which caused concentrated erosion. The evaluated grasses were elephant grass, lemon grass, paspalum and sugarcane. Run‐off plots were on a 10% slope in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Filter lengths were 2.5, 5 and 10 m against a 10‐m‐long sediment source area planted with maize on a clay loam soil. The results show that sediment trapping effectiveness (TE) increases nonlinearly with increasing filter length for all grasses. Under natural rainfall, more than 70% of sediment was trapped in the first 5 m, and lengthening the strip to 10 m only resulted in a marginal increase in TE. With concentrated run‐off, more than 70% of sediment was trapped in the first 5 m and lengthening the strip to 10 m resulted in a significant increase in TE. Paspalum and lemon grass performed significantly better than other grasses (P < 0.05), owing to their spreading growth pattern over the soil surface. Paspalum also has the highest root density in the upper 0.3‐m layer of the soil followed by lemon grass, hence offering the greatest resistance to erosion from concentrated flow. The results demonstrate that tropical grass filter strips provide a viable means for reducing the sediment flux from cropland.     

黄土丘陵沟壑区退耕地植被恢复中生物土壤结皮特征

以黄土丘陵沟壑区安塞县墩滩山的退耕地为研究对象,分析了退耕地植被自然恢复过程中生物土壤结皮的特点及其对土壤水分、土壤有机质和土壤侵蚀的影响。结果表明:(1)生物土壤结皮的盖度随着退耕年限的增长不断增大,结皮的厚度也渐渐增加,且稳定在0.1~0.3 cm之间;(2)有结皮样地0—40 cm土层的土壤含水量一般比对照样地的土壤含水量要低,有结皮样地和对照土壤含水量都随土层深度逐渐升高,但升高幅度逐渐变小;(3)有生物结皮的样地土壤表层0—10 cm有机质含量比对照样地有机质含量大;10—20 cm土层有生物结皮的样地比对照样地有机质含量也高,但是差异不如0—10 cm土层明显;(4)随着退耕年限的增长,土壤侵蚀量逐渐减少,与退耕初期相比,退耕10 a以上样地土壤侵蚀量可减少30%~80%。说明在退耕地植被恢复的过程中,生物结皮改善了土壤表层性质,增强了土壤抗侵蚀能力。     

毛乌素沙地三种植被下苔藓结皮的土壤理化效应

分析了沙蒿、沙柳、樟子松三种植被下有苔藓结皮、无苔藓结皮（对照）样地0—2,2—5,5—10 cm剖面土壤的理化指标,探讨毛乌素沙地苔藓结皮对土壤理化性状的影响及其与植被类型的关系。结果表明:（1）三种植被下苔藓结皮均能够明显提高土壤稳定性,增加细砂粒（0.02～0.2 mm）含量、降低粗砂粒（0.2～2 mm）含量。（2）沙柳及沙蒿植被下苔藓结皮均能够显著提高各层土壤的有机质、全氮、速效钾、全磷含量（P>0.05）,降低全钾、速效磷含量;樟子松下苔藓结皮0—2 cm剖面的理化效应同沙柳、沙蒿类似,但2—5,5—10 cm剖面内,有机质含量显著降低（P>0.05）,全氮、全钾、全磷、速效磷含量则无显著变化（P<0.05）。（3）荒漠生态恢复过程中,苔藓结皮对土壤理化性状的改善作用主要集中在表层土壤,改善程度同植被类型的关系密切。