Effect of Land Use Type on Soil Moisture Dynamics in the Sloping Lands of the Black Soil (Mollisols) Region of Northeast China

Zhi Zhang, Yanling Zhang, Mark Henderson, Guibin Wang, Mingyang Chen, Yu Fu, Zeyu Dou, Wanying Zhou, Weiwei Huang and Binhui Liu ()
Additional contact information
Zhi Zhang: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Yanling Zhang: Soil and Water Conservation Monitoring Center of Songliao Basin, Songliao Water Resources Commission, Changchun 130021, China
Mark Henderson: Mills College, Northeastern University, Oakland, CA 94613, USA
Guibin Wang: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Mingyang Chen: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Yu Fu: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Zeyu Dou: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Wanying Zhou: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Weiwei Huang: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Binhui Liu: College of Forestry, The Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: This study investigates the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of soil moisture on slopes of China’s northeastern black soil region, focusing on the effects of terrain adjustment and vegetation. Soil moisture dynamics in the 0–60 cm soil layer were measured at 10 cm intervals using the TRIME-PICO64 TDR ® device on slopes with similar gradients representing three land use types: transverse ridge tillage (TRT) farmland, terraced fields (TFs) farmland, and pure forest woodland (WL). The results indicate significant variations in soil moisture content and water storage across different land use types in the order of TF > TRT > WL. The study further identified that soil bulk density, porosity, and water-holding indicators were in the order of WL > TF > TRT, inconsistent with the soil moisture results, indicating that soil quality cannot be the sole reason for the differences in moisture. The moisture differences between farmland types (TRT and TF) and WL are substantial, especially during the rainy season. In the rainy season (0–60 cm) and the dry season (30–60 cm), significant differences in moisture content are observed ( p < 0.05). Significant differences in moisture content between farmland types are found at 0–40 cm during the rainy season and at 0–10 cm during the dry season. In the rainy season, soil moisture for TRT and TFs first decreases from 26.76% and 30.85% to 22.44% and 25.38%, then slightly increases to 27.01% and 27.07% along the slope. Meanwhile, WL displays the opposite pattern on upper, relatively steep slopes, with soil moisture increasing from 16.66% to 17.81%, and exhibits a pattern of change similar to TRT and TFs on lower, gentler slopes. TFs consistently show higher soil moisture and water storage at all slope positions than TRT and WL. TFs improve soil quality, reduce erosion and sedimentation, and shift the lowest soil moisture content to a lower slope position. During the dry season, soil moisture differences between slope positions for TRT and WL were small. In general, terracing can effectively modulate moisture distribution along slopes, increasing moisture by an average of 0.26~12.43%, while afforestation, despite improving soil quality, leads to an 18.14~31.13% reduction in soil moisture content, with the impact being particularly significant during the rainy season. These findings provide important insights for optimizing land use and ecological construction, including keeping the balance between soil and water conservation, especially for sub-humid slope terrain areas.

Keywords: soil moisture; topography; soil properties; terrace agriculture; spatial-temporal variability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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