Eleven years after shrub revegetation in semiarid eroded soils. Influence in soil properties

Abstract Soil system is the key part of the Earth system that control the hydrological cycle, the biological cycle and the geochemical cycles, and improved management of abandoned agricultural soils can improve soil carbon, nutrient, water, and biota. Therefore it is essential to restore degraded abandoned lands. We analyzed the status of a soil 5 and 11 years after shrub revegetation using two species ( Atriplex halimus and Retama sphaerocarpa ) and spontaneous vegetation in a sloping semiarid area of gypsiferous soils in central Spain under Mediterranean climate. The evolution of soil structural characteristics (silt loam Gypsic Haploxerept) throughout this period and corresponding changes in water availability were studied. Five years were not time enough to notice changes in soil parameters. However, 11 years more revealed major changes, macroporosity (pores > 60 μm) decreased dramatically (from 20.5 to 9.4%); mesoporosity (60 to 10 μm) increased and microporosity ( A. halimus . In this sloping area, the litter generated by shrubs did not provide greater SOM at the site where it occurred, but few meters below, where it was deposited by water erosion. Comparisons between downslope and upper slope soils yielded significant differences An increase in SOM (from 1.99 to 2.75%); N (from 0.133% to 0.196%); CND (counting number drop) (from 16 to 34) and a decrease of bulk density (from 1.32 to 1.27 g cm − 3 ) respectively.