The effects of land-use change on soil moisture in deep soil profile at Changwu loess tableland
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DOI:10.7606/j.issn.1000-7601.2016.04.03
Key Words: soil moisture  land-use change  apple orchard  deep profile  the Loess plateau
Author NameAffiliation
XIANG Wei College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China 
LIN Xue-qing College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China 
ZHANG Zhi-qiang College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China 
LI Zhi College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on Loess Plateau, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China 
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Abstract:
      10 m soil profiles were sampled fromthree representative land-use types (farmland, apple orchard about 10 years old and 20 years old) at six sites on the Changwu loess tableland. In this study, soil water content wasmeasured and a quantified analysiswas conducted to evaluate the effect of farmland that had been converted to apple orchard for 10 years and for 20 years. Results showed that there was an increasing trend in soil water contentwith the increase ofdepth in farmlands and apple orchards about 10 years old, but the trend was remarkably different inapple orchard about 20 years old. In 6~10 m layer, soil water contents in three land-use types weresimilarlystable withdepthincrease. The average soil water content in 0~6 m, 6~10 m and 0~10 m layers in three land-use types were 17.8%, 17.5% and 15.8% (farmland), 20.4%, 20.6% and 14.8% (10 years old orchard), and 18.8%, 18.7% and 15.4% (20 years old orchard), respectively. Compared with farmlands, the average soil water contents at 0~6 m, 6~10 m and 0~0 m layers in apple orchard about 20 years oldwere decreased by 11%, 27% and 18%, respectively. The average soil water storage at 6~10 m layerin farmlands was 1 063 mm, but the conversion to apple orchardsfor 20 years reduced soil water storage by 291 mm. Land-use change had a significant impact on deep soil water, which probably reducedthe deep percolationofwater and further affected groundwater recharge. Conversion of farmland to grasslands and forests is one of the main types of land-use changes on the Loess Plateau, which may further alter regional hydrologic cycle.