Microcatchment water harvesting for growing Tamarix ramosissima in the semiarid loess region of China

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2005-08, Vol.214 (1), p.111-117
• Main Authors: Li, Xiao-Yan, Liu, Lian-You, Gao, Shang-Yu, Shi, Pei-Jun, Zou, Xue-Yong, Zhang, Chun-Lai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; China; forest trees; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microcatchment water harvesting; microcatchments; rain; runoff; runoff irrigation; Semiarid region; semiarid zones; slope; soil water storage; surface area; Synecology; Tamarix ramosissima; Terrestrial ecosystems; tree growth; water harvesting; water requirement; watersheds
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2005.03.068

Revegetation is a pressing issue for eco-environmental improvement in the semiarid loess region of China; however, the establishment of vegetation is quite difficult due to inadequate availability of moisture. A field study was conducted to explore the possibility of using microcatchment water harvesting to growing Tamarix ramosissima during the period between 2001 and 2003. The experiment involved four different size microcatchments (5, 15, 30 and 50 m 2) and the control (0 m 2) with six replications to supply runoff water for one tree. Microcatchment water harvesting treatments significantly improved the growth of the T. ramosissima because more water was made available to the tree. Runoff volume increased with increasing catchment size, following a positive linear function; and runoff percentage decreased with increasing catchment size, following a negative exponential function. Considering catchment/planted area ratio and soil moisture storage characteristics, catchment/planted area ratios of 38.2 and 19.1 may be most appropriate for growing T. ramosissima using microcatchment water harvesting in the study area.