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Journal of Arid Land  2013, Vol. 5 Issue (1): 42-50    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-013-0140-8
Research Articles     
Soil exchangeable base cations along a chronosequence of Caragana microphylla plantation in a semi-arid sandy land, China
YuGe ZHANG1,2, ZhuWen XU2, DeMing JIANG2, Yong JIANG2
1 College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, China;
2 State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
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Abstract  As a pioneer leguminous shrub species for vegetation re-establishment, Caragana microphylla is widely distributed in the semi-fixed and fixed sandy lands of the Horqin region, North China. C. microphylla planta-tions modify organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus dynamics, bulk density and water-holding capacity, and biological activities in soils, but little is known with regard to soil exchange properties. Variation in soil ex-changeable base cations was examined under C. microphylla plantations with an age sequence of 0, 5, 10, and 22 years in the Horqin Sandy Land, and at the depth of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm, respectively. C. microphylla has been planted on the non-vegetated sand dunes with similar physical-chemical soil properties. The results showed that exchangeable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were significantly increased, and Ca saturation tended to decrease, while Mg and K saturations were increased with the plantation years. No difference was observed for exchangeable sodium (Na) neither with plantation years nor at soil depths. Of all the base cations and soil layers, exchangeable K at the depth of 0–10 cm accumulated most quickly, and it increased by 1.76, 3.16, and 4.25 times, respectively after C. microphylla was planted for 5, 10, and 22 years. Exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K, and CEC were significantly (P<0.001) and positively correlated with SOC, total N, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). Soil pH and SOC are regarded as the main factors influencing the variation in ex-changeable cations, and the preferential absorption of cations by plants and different leaching rates of base cations that modify cation saturations under C. microphylla plantation. It is concluded that as a nitrogen-fixation species, C. microphylla plantation is beneficial to increasing exchangeable base cations and CEC in soils, and therefore can improve soil fertility and create favorable microenvironments for plants and creatures in the semi-arid sandy land ecosystems.

Key wordsSalawusu River Valley      Pleniglacial      paleoclimatic indices      CaCO3      grain-size     
Received: 15 April 2012      Published: 06 March 2013
Fund:  

The National Key Basic Research Program of China (2011CB403204) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (31000200).

Corresponding Authors:
Cite this article:

YuGe ZHANG, ZhuWen XU, DeMing JIANG, Yong JIANG. Soil exchangeable base cations along a chronosequence of Caragana microphylla plantation in a semi-arid sandy land, China. Journal of Arid Land, 2013, 5(1): 42-50.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-013-0140-8     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2013/V5/I1/42

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