Impact of ecological factors on biocrust performance in the stability of loess soils in the Incheh Buron region

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Soil Science, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

2 Department of Biological Agro-Food and Forestry Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy

Abstract

Biocrusts are used as a protective cover to stabilize the soil in dry areas, where the soil is more affected by erosion. In this research, various characteristics of the soil under the biological and physical crust were investigated as indicators of soil performance in the the Incheh Borun region in the study area, from the subsoils of biological (moss, lichen and cyanobacteria) and physical crusts at the depth 0-2 cm were sampled Then, the influence of biological and physical shells on soil properties was analyzed with three replications. A one-way analysis was considered to discover significant contrast among treatments. Compare mean was done with using Duncan’s multiple range test. Notable distinction was reported at p< 0.05 between biocrust and physical crust. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of microbial biomass, soil-based respiration, substrate-induced respiration, microbial metabolic quotient, mineralization quotient and other characteristics that have a direct impact on the functioning of the ecosystem (soil organic carbon, soil organic matter, mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter, wind erosion soil stability) were higher in soil under biocrusts compared with the soil beneath the physical crust. Results showed that biocrusts increase the percentage of nutrients, structure and physical characteristics of soil. The biocrusts improved basal soil respiration, substrate-induced respiration, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of microbial biomass contents. Biocrusts improve the soil's biological characteristics, and have a crucial function on increasing the stability and resistance of the soil to erosion, which is confirmed by the results of the soil grain stability indicators.

Keywords

References

References
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Volume 29, Issue 2
December 2024
Pages 248-261

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