Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (8): 1268-1279.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.08.07

• Land and Water Resources • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of different farmland shelterbelts on soil water and nutrient storage in the Hetao Irrigation District

JI Mingxin1(),FENG Tianjiao1,2(),XIAO Huijie1,XIN Zhiming3,LI Junran4,WANG Dong1   

  1. 1. School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Jixian National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Jixian 042200, Shanxi, China
    3. Inner Mongolia Dengkou Desert Ecosystem National Observation Research Station, Dengkou 015200, Inner Mongolia, China
    4. Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
  • Received:2023-01-28 Revised:2023-04-05 Online:2023-08-15 Published:2023-08-24

Abstract:

As an effective agricultural management method for improving ecological and environmental benefits, the farmland shelterbelt system is crucial in improving soil physical and chemical properties, the ecological environment, and crop yield. This study clarifies the effects of this system on ecosystem functions and provides a guide for the ecological restoration of fragile ecosystems. In the Hetao Irrigation District, three typical farmland shelterbelts (four-, five-, and eight-line patterns) were selected to measure soil properties at a 0-100 cm depth and vegetation properties of shelterbelts and farmland at different distances (0.3 H, 0.7 H, 1 H, 2 H, 3 H, and 4 H) from the shelterbelts during the growing seasons from 2019 to 2021. Soil moisture storage (SMS) and soil nutrient storage [soil carbon storage (SCS), soil nitrogen storage (SNS), and soil phosphorus storage (SPS)] were measured. The results showed that (1) the soil bulk density and clay content of different shelterbelts differed significantly in the horizontal direction, while the soil properties differed significantly in the vertical direction. (2) The shelterbelts had enhanced water retention and nutrient supply functions, and the soil water and nutrient reserves of the four-line pattern were higher than those of the five- and eight-line patterns (SMS = 237.44 mm; SCS = 544.93 g·m-2; SNS = 953.72 g·m-2; SPS = 859.04 g·m-2). (3) The average tree height and DBH of the four-row shelterbelt were 30.06 m and 0.41 m, respectively. Additionally, the four-row shelterbelt had the maximum crop yield of 15.75 t·hm-2. (4) Redundancy analysis showed that a close relationship existed between environmental factors and ecosystem functions in the different shelterbelts, soil characteristics were closely related to soil water and nutrient reserves, and vegetation attributes were negatively correlated with SNS and SPS. In conclusion, the four-line pattern demonstrated the strongest capacity for water and nutrient supply. The results of this study provide a sufficient theoretical basis for shelterbelt construction and ecological restoration in ecologically fragile areas.

Key words: farmland shelterbelt, soil properties, vegetation attribute, ecosystem function, farmland management