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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2017, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (11): 3544-3552.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201711.028

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Spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture of mountain apple orchards with rainwater collection and infiltration (RWCI) system in the Loess Plateau, China

SONG Xiao-lin1,3, ZHAO Xi-ning2,3,4, GAO Xiao-dong2,3, WU Pu-te1,2,3*, MA Wen3,4, YAO Jie5, JIANG Xiao-li5, ZHANG Wei3,4   

  1. 1 College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
    2 Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
    3 Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China IWSA, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
    4 College of Water Conservancy and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
    5 Baota District Fruit Bureau, Yan’an 716000, Shaanxi, China
  • Online:2017-11-18 Published:2017-11-18
  • Contact: *mail:gizwpt@vip.sina.com
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41401315, 41571506, 51579212), the Key Development Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KFZD-SW-306), the National Key Research and Development Plan (2016YFC0400204), and the Integrative Science-Technology Innovation Engineering Project of Shaanxi (2015KTCL02-25, 2016KTZDNY-01-03)

Abstract: Water scarcity is a critical factor influencing rain-fed agricultural production on the Loess Plateau, and the exploitation of rainwater is an effective avenue to alleviate water scarcity in this area. This study was conducted to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture in the 0-300 cm under a 21-year-old apple orchard with the rainwater collection and infiltration (RWCI) system by using a time domain reflectometer (TDR) probe on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that there was a low soil moisture zone in the 40-80 cm under the CK, and the RWCI system significantly increased soil moisture in this depth interval. Over this depth, the annual average soil moisture under RWCI40, RWCI60 and RWCI80 was 39.2%, 47.2% and 29.1% higher than that of bare slope (BS) and 75.3%, 85.4% and 62.7% higher than that of CK, respectively. The maximum infiltration depth of water under RWCI40, RWCI60 and RWCI80 was 80 cm, 120 cm and 180 cm, respectively, and the soil moisture in the 0-60, 0-100 and 0-120 cm was more affected by RWCI40, RWCI60 and RWCI80, respectively. Over the whole growth period of apple tree, the maximum value of soil moisture content in the 0-300 cm existed in the RWCI80 treatment, followed by the RWCI40 and RWCI60 treatments. Overall, the RWCI system is an effective meaning of transforming rainwater to available water resources and realizing efficient use of agricultural water on the Loess Plateau.