The Impact of Land Use Types on the Soil Erosion Resistance in the Arid Valley Region of Southwest China

Abstract

Changes in land use can alter the physicochemical properties of soil, thereby leading to variations in soil erosion resistance. In the past few decades, land use has changed very rapidly in the arid valley region in the Anning River Basin of Southwest China, but the impact of these changes on soil erosion resistance is still not yet clear. Thus, five typical land use types in this region, namely woodland, cropland, orchard land, abandoned land, and grassland, have been selected to explore the impact of land use types on soil erosion resistance, including factors such as the mean weight diameter (MWD), dispersion rate (DR), clay ratio (CR), soil organic carbon cementing agent index (SCAI), soil structure stability index (SSSI), K-factor, and comprehensive soil erosion resistance (CSER). The results showed that the land use type had a significant effect on soil erosion resistance, but the intensity of its influence varied across each soil erosion resistance index. Generally, woodland, abandoned land, and grassland demonstrated higher erosion resistance compared to cropland and orchard land. Additionally, surface soil exhibited stronger erosion resistance compared to subsoil, with the impact of land use types primarily concentrated in the surface soil layers. Moreover, soil organic matter content (SOM) emerged as the primary factor influencing soil erosion resistance. The research results can provide valuable guidance for regional land-use planning, aiming to reduce soil erosion and enhance the ecosystem’s service capacity, and can provide a theoretical basis for trade-offs between ecosystem services and food security.

Keywords

• soil erosion resistance
• K-factor
• land use types
• soil properties
• arid valley