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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2018, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (8): 21-29.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2017371

• Orignal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of artificial lakes on moisture, electrical conductivity and pH of adjacent soil on degraded grassland

AN Chan1, QIAO Jian-xia1, SHANG Jian-ying1, 2, LI Jin-sheng1, ZHAO Tian-ci1, TANG Shi-ming1, SHAO Xin-qing1, 3, HUANG Ding1, 3, WANG Kun1, 3, LIU Ke-si1, 3, *   

  1. 1.Institute of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
    2.College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
    3.National Grassland Scientific Observation Station of Grassland Ecosystem in Hebei, Guyuan 076550, China
  • Received:2017-09-05 Revised:2017-10-27 Online:2018-08-20 Published:2018-08-20

Abstract: As an important component of wetland ecosystems, lakes are able to help protect and buffer these ecosystems. In this study, continuously grazed degraded grassland close to an artificial lake in the Bashang area was selected to determine the response of soil physico-chemical properties to the lake in order to identify a potential theoretical basis for the improvement of degraded grassland. The responses of soil physico-chemical properties to the lake differed with distance from the lake and soil depth. Soil moisture decreased significantly with increasing distance from the lake. Soil moisture in the 0-10 cm layer decreased up to 50% (2014), 48% (2015) and 58% (2016), respectively, at 600 m compared to 10 m distance from the lake. Soil pH increased significantly with increased distance from the lake while soil electrical conductivity (EC) initially increased, to a maximum at 100 m, and then decreased. Soil moisture and pH were significantly correlated with distance from the lake, r=0.72 and r=0.44, respectively. Over the duration of the study soil EC decreased in the topsoil (0-10 cm) but increased significantly in lower soil layers, especially 20-40 cm depth indicating that salt had moved down the soil profile since the lake was established. Soil pH in the top soil showed a significant decreasing trend. In summary, the artificial lake had a positive effect on soil physico-chemical properties of degraded grassland.

Key words: degraded grassland, artificial lake, soil moisture, soil pH, soil electronic conductivity