Arid Zone Research ›› 2021, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (6): 1674-1682.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2021.06.19

• Plant and Plant Physiology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Litter storage and its water-holding capacity of Populus plantations in Lhasa River Valley

LIU Lin1,2,3(),XIONG Donghong1,2(),ZHANG Baojun1,2,YUAN Yong1,2,3,ZHANG Wenduo1,2,3   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Earth Surface Processes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
    2. Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
    3. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2020-11-24 Revised:2021-04-14 Online:2021-11-15 Published:2021-11-29
  • Contact: Donghong XIONG E-mail:lliu@imde.ac.cn;dhxiong@imde.ac.cn

Abstract:

Litter is an important functional layer with hydrological benefits for forests. It can effectively perform ecosystem functions, such as increasing surface roughness, capturing precipitation, and improving soil structure, thus promoting water retention function in the soil. Total litter amount and water-holding capabilities of Populus plantations in Lhasa River Valley are important for exploring water conservation capacity of Tibetan plateau plantations. Five different stand ages (12 a, 15 a, 19 a, 27 a, and 32 a) of Populus plantations were investigated in the Lhasa River Valley area. Total litter storage capacity was determined using harvesting methods. Water-holding performance indicators, such as maximum water-holding capacity, maximum water-holding rate, modified interception amount, and modified interception rate, were measured using the immersion method. We found the following results: (1) Total litter storage capacity, maximum water-holding capacity, and modified interception amount of the five stand ages all showed 27 a>15 a>32 a>19 a>12 a, which ranged from 8.32 to 26.12 t·hm-2, 24.03 to 60.89 t·hm-2 and 19.85 to 49.15 t·hm-2, respectively. The litter of 27 a had the best water-holding capacity. We found total litter storage capacity and stand characteristics were the main factors affecting maximum water-holding capacity and effective interception. (2) Maximum water-holding rate and modified interception rate of litters exhibited 12 a>19 a>15 a>27 a>32 a, ranging from 228.37% to 288.67% and 188.18% to 238.48%, respectively. The maximum water-holding rate and modified interception rate were not significantly influenced by stand age, but mainly influenced by tree type. Our results provide a scientific basis for ecological engineering and its ecological benefits for evaluation in the Lhasa River Valley area.

Key words: stand age, Populus plantations, litters, water-holding capacity, Lhasa River Valley