Changes in soil properties after afforestation in Horqin Sandy Land,North China

We studied the changes in soil properties after afforestation on desertification-affected sandy soils to estimate how much time would be required for soils to recover enough for use in sustainable food production. We surveyed soils near and within 3-, 9-, and 19year- old plantations of poplar (Poplus simonii) in the central part of Naiman County, eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Changes in the soil properties following afforestation included an accumulation of fine particles (clay + silt) and soil organic carbon (SOC) in the surface horizons. The contents of fine particles and SOC increased slowly in the first 9-year period and then rapidly between 10 and 19 years, being higher at concave than convex sites. Soil parameters such as available moisture level, amounts of available N and available P, and CEC that control soil fertility showed a similar trend to that of the contents of fine particles and SOC. The contents of fine particles and SOC were higher at the windward edge than in the center of the 19-year-old poplar plantation, suggesting that the accumulation of fine particles was caused by the decrease in wind velocity due to the presence of vegetation. The increase in the SOC content may be caused by the increased carbon input to soils from the vegetation and by the deposition of fine particles with a higher C concentration than that of native sandy soils. Soil fertility, represented by the amounts of available N in the upper 20 cm layer of the soil, recovered after 19 years under poplars, and was similar to that of adjacent fertile cropland. However, the amount of available N under plantations younger than 10 years was lower than that in cropland soils, suggesting that a period of between 10 and 20 years is required for soils to recover from desertified conditions and be utilized for intensive crop farming once again.