Abstract
To evaluate if hedgerows could improve the soil physicochemical properties and enhance the soil anti-scouring and anti-shearing capabilities, the effects of Herba Andrographitis hedgerows on soil erodibility and fractal features on sloping cropland in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area were investigated. Results showed that: (1) the clay particle accumulation around the hedgerows was significantly affected by the hedgerows; (2) the fractal dimension of soil particles was positively correlated with both silt and clay contents and had a negative linear correlation with sand content; (3) fine-grained content significantly influenced fractal dimension of the soil particles; (4) soil erodibility K was significantly and positively correlated with the sand content (correlation coefficient r = 0.870), but significantly and negatively correlated with the silt content (r = −0.538), clay content (r = −0.739), organic carbon content (r = −0.603), the aggregation degree (r = −0.486), and soil fractal dimension (r = −0.538); and (5) the contents of organic matter and clay particles in the soil were found to be the effective indicators for soil erodibility at the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. The hedgerows may improve soil fractal features and decrease soil erodibility. The effective distance between hedgerows on a slope of 10° was less than 6 m.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (40971166) and National Key Technology R&D Program in the 12th Five-Year Plan of China (2011BAD31B03). We also thank the Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, the Ministry of Education, the College of Resources and Environment, and Southwest University for their help in this study.
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Chen, J., He, B., Wang, X. et al. The effects of Herba Andrographitis hedgerows on soil erodibility and fractal features on sloping cropland in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 7063–7070 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1704-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1704-z