Pullout properties of Hippophae rhamnoides L. roots in the loess area

ABSTRACT

Root pullout properties are significant for strengthening soil and improving slope stability. In order to understand the influence of root morphology and soil properties on pullout properties of plant roots, pullout tests were conducted on Hippophae rhamnoides L. roots. The results showed that with root diameter increasing, displacement at the peak pullout force decreased, peak pullout force and pullout energy increased in power function. With root burial depth increasing, duration of the peak pullout force decreased, displacement at the peak pullout force increased, peak pullout force and pullout energy increased in power function. The displacement at the peak pullout force first decreased and then increased with root burial angle increasing. The peak pullout force first increased and then decreased with soil moisture content increasing. Peak pullout force and pullout energy increased in power function with soil bulk density increasing. Grey correlation analysis showed that root burial depth had the greatest influence on pullout properties, root burial angle had the least influence. The study could improve the understanding of root pullout properties of shrub plants, and serve as a basis for mechanical properties of soil reinforcement by plant roots.

KEYWORDS:

• Soil reinforcement
• soil properties
• root morphology
• root pullout properties

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Xing Ye, Yao Zeng and Xiaoyu Ma for technical support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Some or all data in the study are available from the corresponding author by request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31600582]; Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province [20210302123105]; Shanxi Scholarship Council of China [2020-054].