Soil Substrate Characteristics for Planting Hole Greening Technology for High, Steep, Rocky Slope Vegetation in Semi-Arid Areas

Xiaodong Chen, Tongqian Zhao (), Xiaojun Nie (), Xiaoming Guo and Pengbo Li
Additional contact information
Xiaodong Chen: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
Tongqian Zhao: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
Xiaojun Nie: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
Xiaoming Guo: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
Pengbo Li: School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Soil substrate plays a central role in the vegetation restoration of high and steep slopes, especially in semi-arid regions. This study aims to develop an optimal soil substrate that can provide a favorable environment for the vegetation growth of the high and steep rocky slopes in semi-arid areas. Within the framework of planting hole greening technology, we developed a synthetic substrate comprising base soil, peat, water-retaining and agglomerating agents, biochar, and controlled-release compound fertilizer. We conducted pot experiments to assess the impact of compound additions on soil properties and Parthenocissus himalayana growth. Field tests on exposed, high, and steep rocky slopes in a semi-arid region validated the optimal ratio of substrate components. The results showed that the base soil-to-peat ratio significantly influenced soil density, moisture, pH, organic matter, nitrogen content, and vegetation growth (Ps < 0.05). The controlled-release compound fertilizer significantly affected soil electrical conductivity and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content (Ps < 0.05). Meanwhile, the water-retaining agent, biochar, and agglomerating agent had inconsequential effects on soil characteristics and plant growth. The optimal substrate composition included a 7:3 ratio of base soil to peat, 1.5 g/L of water retainer, 10 mg/L of agglomerating agent, 5 g/L of biochar, and 5 g/L of controlled-release compound fertilizer. The field verification showed that the developed optimal substrate possessed desirable pore structure, moisture, and nutrients, resulting in excellent growth of Parthenocissus himalayana. This optimal soil substrate could be suitable for establishing vegetation on high, steep, rocky slopes in semi-arid areas using planting hole greening technology.

Keywords: semi-arid areas; high steep rocky slopes; synthetic soil substrate; vegetation; planting hole greening technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/287/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/287/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:287-:d:1345810

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().