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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2018, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (7): 24-30.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20180703

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Effects of Pruning and Mulching on Soil Desiccation Remediation in Rain-Fed Jujube Plantation in the Semi-Arid Loess Hilly Gull Region

Wang Xing1, Gao Zhiyong2, Wang Youke1,3, Nie Zhenyi4, Jin Shanshan3, Dong Jianguo3   

  1. 1. Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Education Yangling 712100;
    2. Department of Water Conservancy, Yangling Vocational & Technological College Yangling 712100;
    3. College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F unversity Yangling 712100;
    4. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F Unversity Yangling 712100
  • Received:2016-12-13 Revised:2018-06-13 Online:2018-07-25 Published:2018-08-11

Abstract: [Objective] Soil desiccation is a normal phenomenon in plantation forests in the Loess Plateau of China, which affects the growth and cultivation of plants. This study was conducted to analyze the impacts on soil water of different pruning and mulching treatments in jujube plantation in order to explore remediation technologies for soil desiccation in this region.[Method] The study sites was located in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, and the jujube trees were grown under rain-fed conditions. Soil moisture under 10 types of land surface management practices(4 different pruning intensities:traditional, slight, moderate and heavy pruning; 3 mulching treatments using straw, gravel and plastic film; traditional pruning + no mulching; heavy pruning + plastic film mulching; and farmland) were measured with CNC100 neutron gauges in 2012-2015.[Result] The soil desiccation in 15-year-old jujube plantation reached 560 cm in depth and annual water consumption was 19.7 mm more than the farmland. The degree of soil moisture improvement was increased with the increase of pruning intensity. The soil water storage within the top 300 cm soil layer of jujube plantations under straw, plastic film and gravel mulching treatments was 31.8-43.1, 69.9-71.4, and 84.0-92.7 mm respectively higher than that of no mulching jujube plantation. The combination of heavy pruning and plastic film mulching improved the soil moisture in growth periods and reduced the soil water loss in dormancy periods effectively, and under thus treatment soil moisture within 0-300 cm depth could recover to the same level as farmland in rainy years.[Conclusion] Practices combining pruning with mulching were more effective in conserving water in jujube plantation, thus, more helpful in preventing and mitigating the desiccation of deep soil in plantations in the semi-arid regions.

Key words: artificial jujube plantation, soil desiccation, Loess Hilly Gull Region, soil moisture, semi-arid area

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