Effects of soybean urease induced carbonate precipitation on the seed emergence and seedling growth of Caragana korshinskii Kom and its application in wind erosion control

Revegetation is widely acknowledged as one of the most common and effective strategies for wind erosion control. However, efficient measures need to be taken to protect plant seedlings from wind erosion during the early growth. Enzyme induced carbonate precipitation using soybean urease (SICP) has emerged as an effective technique for wind erosion control. This study aims to investigate the effect of SICP on seed emergence and seedling growth of Caragana korshinskii Kom and its application in wind erosion control.

Twelve plexiglas test chambers were constructed to investigate the effects of four concentrations of SICP treatment (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mol/L) on the seed emergence and seedling growth behavior of Caragana korshinskii Kom and wind erosion resistance of vegetated desert sand.

The seed emergence percentage of T-0.1, T-0.2 and T-0.3 decreased by 17.5%, 45%, and 71.25% compared to that of T-0 due to the increased soil hardness. T-0.1 with relatively low soil hardness and chloride content shows no significant difference in seedling growth properties from T-0. The seedling height, vegetation coverage, and root length density decreased with increasing concentration in T-0.2 and T-0.3. The soil mass loss of T-0.1 is 63.2%, 3% and 39% lower than that of T-0, T-0.2 and T-0.3.

SICP-treatment can provide substantial improvements in wind erosion resistance for desert sand during early plant growth. Cementation solution with 0.1 mol/L is recommended as it would not significantly inhibit the seedling growth and can provide sufficient benefits in soil erosion resistance.