Variability in soil moisture under five land use types in Karst hillslope territory

Hillslope soil moisture content in a typical Karst territory of Huanjiang County,Guangxi Autonomous Region was observed and gauged from four layers(0～5cm, 5～10cm, 10～15cm and 15～20cm) under five different land use types. Results show that in Karst Areas, soil moisture content is very much influenced by precipitation,with conspicuous moisture difference between rainy and drought seasons. Shrubbery has the capacity to enhance soil water conservation by a factor of a litter. At the incipient stage of eco-restoration,soil moisture under chestnut and pigeon pea is very much alike,being similar to that of bare soil. When under creeping vegetation,slope soil moisture condition improves at a factor equal to that of grassland. Comparison of soil moisture content in the different layers under the five land use types for three different seasons—rainy season,rain-drought transition season and drought season show superiority of shrubbery over the other vegetations in their capacity to conserve and distribute water in the soil layers. Therefore, in the Karst mountain area of Huanjiang County, it is possible to improve soil moisture condition by rational land use,especially through ecological restoration.