Institute of Soil and Water Conservation

From acquisition to recycling: Vegetation restoration reshapes microbial nitrogen-cycling strategies in a semi-arid sandy land

Reestablishing nitrogen (N) cycling is critical for stabilizing ecosystems in semi-arid sandy lands, yet the microbial mechanisms driving functional reorganization during vegetation restoration remain unclear. This study investigated the coupling of soil physicochemical propertie...

From iron to sugar: How aerated drip irrigation increases soluble sugar content in citrus fruit through soil microbial communities

Root-zone hypoxia is common in citrus orchards on red soils and limits sugar accumulation in fruit. Aerated drip irrigation (ADI) may improve the soil redox environment, but whether it regulates fruit soluble sugar through microbially driven iron transformation is unclear. A fiel...

PP cotton-wrapped subsurface drip irrigation can increase potato yield and sustainability in arid regions

Although subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is widely used for shallow-rooted crops in arid regions, it still suffers from exogenous clogging, and effective, systematic physical protection measures are lacking. Therefore, a 3 × 4 two-factor factorial field experiment was conducted...

Optimizing calcium hydroxide addition during wheat straw ammoniation enhances straw decomposition and nitrogen release, improving summer maize yield

Context and objective In winter wheat–summer maize rotations, wheat straw decomposition overlaps with early maize growth, and slow decomposition may reduce the benefits of straw incorporation and constrain yield formation. Ammoniation improves straw decomposability, but quantitat...

Thermodynamic Drivers of Rapid Transition From Drought to Flood in Siberia, Russia

Abstract Siberia is a warming hotspot under the impact of climate change, and faces growing threats from hydroclimatic extremes. The rapid transition from drought to extreme wet conditions (hereafter RTDFs) could exacerbate compound hazards, as intense rainfall on drought‐weakene...

Biochar-based mediation of urease-producing bacteria for enhanced sandy soil stabilization and plant growth adaptability

Wind erosion is a major driver of sandy soil degradation in arid and semi-arid regions. Improving soil structural stability while maintaining conditions favorable for vegetation establishment remains a key challenge for sandy-land management and revegetation. In this study, poorl...

Organic fertilizer substitution delays leaf senescence and improves source–sink balance in winter wheat under different precipitation types

Abstract BACKGROUND To elucidate the regulatory effects of organic fertilizer substitution on leaf senescence and source–sink relationships in dryland winter wheat under different precipitation types, a long‐term fertilization experiment was conducted in Heyang County, Shaanxi Pr...

Bond between alkali-activated repair mortars and OPC concrete substrate: Strength calculation, failure mode statistics and mechanisms

To assess the feasibility of using alkali-activated mortar as a repair material for existing damaged concrete, the interfacial bonding properties between alkali-activated slag/fly ash repair mortar and substrate concrete are systematically studied, focusing on the effects of slag...

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Coupling Coordination Between Urbanization and Water Resources in the Minnan Delta Region, China

Despite growing attention to inland water-stressed basins, few investigations have explicitly linked urbanization water resource coupling assessments to the SDG 6 and SDG 11 targets in water-scarce coastal urban agglomerations. Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development...

Comprehensive Benggang control promotes the recovery of soil organic carbon fractions and carbon sequestration potential

Benggang is a severe collapsing-gully erosion landform in the granite-derived red-soil region of southern China. Although comprehensive Benggang control integrating engineering measures, vegetation restoration, and management has improved the erosion environment and promoted vege...

Multiscale mechanical characteristics and slope protection effects of herbaceous roots in the loess region of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract Background The Xining Basin, located at the confluence of the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the western Loess Plateau, where extensive loess deposits are found, is densely inhabited. Major transport corridors, encompassing the Qinghai–Tibet Railway and the Lanzh...

Integrated crop residue return, film mulching, and irrigation enhance climate resilience of maize production and soil carbon storage in cold regions

Climate change is expected to intensify changes in soil freeze–thaw processes, thereby affecting water availability and agricultural productivity. However, the mechanistic links among climate-induced changes in seasonal freeze–thaw conditions, maize productivity, and soil organic...

Why Does a Shallow Land Model Underestimate the Dryland Drying Trends?

Abstract Most land surface models (LSMs) and macroscale hydrological models with shallow soil profiles underestimate observed terrestrial water storage (TWS) declines across global drylands. Here, we incorporated a recently developed global data set of depth to bedrock with spati...

Influence Mechanisms of Spatial Optimization of the “Terraced Fields‐Gully Land Reclamation Project ( GLRP )” Cascades on Erosion‐Transportation Processes in Watershed in the Loess Hilly‐Gully Region of China

ABSTRACT Terraced fields and the Gully Land Reclamation Project (GLRP) are important soil and water conservation measures, widely constructed in China's Loess Plateau and other ecologically fragile areas in the world. However, under large‐scale governance scenarios, the impacts o...