Soil Hydrological Properties’ Response to Long-Term Grazing on a Desert Steppe in Inner Mongolia

Lei Lei, Jiahua Zheng, Shaoyu Li, Lishan Yang, Wenqiong Wang, Feng Zhang and Bin Zhang ()
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Lei Lei: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Jiahua Zheng: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Shaoyu Li: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Lishan Yang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Wenqiong Wang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Feng Zhang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Bin Zhang: Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Forage Cultivation, Processing and High Efficient Utilization of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Soil hydrological properties play an important role in maintaining ecosystem functions. It is critical to understand how those properties respond to human disturbance especially in semi-arid areas. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different long-term grazing intensities (no grazing, light grazing, moderate grazing, and heavy grazing) on eight parameters that related to soil hydrological properties in different soil depths based on a grazing platform that was established in 2004 on a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia. The relationships among different parameters and between hydrological and chemical properties were also analyzed. The results show that grazing intensity, soil depth, and their interaction all have significant effects on soil moisture content, saturation capacity, field capacity, and bulk density. At different soil depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm), soil bulk density was negatively correlated with saturation capacity, capillary capacity, and non-capillary porosity but positively correlated with field capacity. Furthermore, we found that field capacity and soil moisture content were positively correlated but non-capillary soil porosity was negatively correlated with most soil nutrients. Our results indicate that overgrazing has detrimental effects on soil hydrological properties which may further negatively affect soil nutrient content. Light grazing may be an optimal grazing intensity on this semi-arid steppe with respect to soil hydrological properties.

Keywords: bulk density; soil porosity; soil depth; soil chemical properties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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