Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effect of grassland degradation on soil aggregate size distribution and stability in Inner Mongolia of China

Author(s):

Guogang Zhang ^{1, 2}*^a, Xiaodan Li ³*^a, Yumei Kang ⁴, Guodong Han ⁵, Hongmei ⁵, Katsutoshi Sakurai ⁴

Recieved Date: 2013-01-14, Accepted Date: 2013-04-28

Abstract:

Grassland degradation is commonly associated with changes in soil structure, yet variability in soil structure has rarely been studied in grassland ecosystems. Soil aggregation is a key indicator of soil structure and is correlated with erodibility and water infiltration capacity. The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of grassland degradation on soil aggregate properties in Inner Mongolia, China. R_0.25, MWD, WSAP and D were determined to characterize the size distribution of soil aggregates and their stability. Grassland degradation resulted in the breakdown of soil aggregates and decreased soil aggregate stability. R_0.25, MWD, WSAP and D tended to decrease with progressing grassland degradation. A negative and high correlation existed between soil bulk density and the evaluation indexes (R_0.25, MWD, WSAP and D) of soil aggregate stability. There was also a strong positive correlation between soil organic carbon content and the evaluation indexes. Our findings are in agreement with the notion that soil bulk density and soil organic carbon are the primary factors influencing the size and stability of aggregates.

Keywords:

Grassland degradation, soil aggregate, water stable aggregate, soil organic carbon

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Category: Environment
Pages: 1358-1362

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :