Arid Zone Research ›› 2022, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 1842-1851.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2022.06.14

• Land and Water Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of long-term enclosure on soil aggregate stability and erodibility in Bayinbuluk alpine grassland

YU Guangling1(),LI Kaihui2,ZHOU Jianqin1,3(),LI Keyi1,CONG Mengfei1,HU Yang1,WANG Xuyang1,JIA Hongtao1,3   

  1. 1. College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
    2. Bayinbuluk Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bayinbuluk 841314, Xinjiang, China
    3. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2021-12-15 Revised:2022-09-03 Online:2022-11-15 Published:2023-01-17
  • Contact: Jianqin ZHOU E-mail:1624914762@qq.com;machine1229@163.com

Abstract:

To evaluate the effects of long-term enclosure measures on the stability and erodibility of soil aggregates, the grassland (alpine meadow, alpine meadow steppe, and alpine steppe) with long-term enclosure (fenced in 1984) and free grazing were selected as the research objects. The composition, mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), and soil erodibility (K value) of water-stable aggregates in 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm soil layers were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) The minimum MWD value appeared in the 0-5 cm soil layer of the alpine meadow under free grazing treatment (1.75 mm). No significant difference was observed in the MWD and GMD of 20-30 cm soil layer under the enclosure and free grazing in an alpine meadow and alpine meadow steppe (P > 0.05), while the difference in alpine steppe was significant (P < 0.05). (2) The K value of 10-20 cm soil under free grazing was 0.136, so the anti-erosion ability was the weakest in all treatments. (3) The redundant analysis found that the changes in total potassium, total phosphorus, and pH were the most important factors affecting soil K value, and soil organic carbon was the most important factoraffecting MWD. (4) The 0-10 cm soil layer of Bayinbuluk alpine grassland was dominated by >2 mm macroaggregates. The long-term enclosure caused stronger stability of soil aggregates in the 0-10 cm soil layer. Moreover, grassland type, enclosure, and soil layer significantly affect the stability and erodibility of soil aggregates. This indicates that long-term enclosure could improve the soil aggregates’ water stability and erosion resistance.

Key words: long-term enclosure, alpine grassland, soil aggregate stability, soil erodibility, Bayinbuluk