The impact of varying densities of the Medicago sativa L. canopy and root system on the regulation of sediment and runoff yield in steep spoil heaps

The impact of varying densities of the Medicago sativa L. canopy and root system on the regulation of sediment and runoff yield in steep spoil heaps | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 7 July 2025 V1 Latest version Share on The impact of varying densities of the Medicago sativa L. canopy and root system on the regulation of sediment and runoff yield in steep spoil heaps Authors : sun yang 0000-0002-5139-5992 , Jianming Li 0000-0001-5888-7351 [email protected] , Jinquan Huang , wenfeng Ding , Xiaoxia Tong , Changwei Zhang , Jigen Liu , and Wensheng Xu Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175188486.66782736/v1 152 views 98 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Spoil heaps are vulnerable to intense rainfall, and our understanding of the impact of runoff and sediment on vegetation is limited. Models of spoil heaps with dimensions of 3.46 m × 2.00 m × 0.60 m (with a 30° slope and 10% gravel content) were constructed. Three densities of vegetation coverage( Medicago sativa L. (MS), 20 × 20 cm (MS20, coverage 45%), 15 × 15 cm (MS15, coverage 67%), and 10 × 10 cm (MS10, coverage 84%)) were established, with the bare slope (BS) as the control. A rain simulator was used to investigate how vegetation densities in two treatments (intact grass (IG) or only roots (OR)) influenced sediment and runoff yields under rainfall intensities of 0.8, 1.2, and 1.8 mm min -1 . First, in the IG treatment, runoff and sediment production were reduced by 37.52% to 83.12% and 76.94% to 98.51%, respectively, when rainfall intensity was ≤ 1.2 mm min -1 . However, 45% grass coverage resulted in 7.87% and 9.86% increases in runoff and sediment, respectively, at a rainfall intensity of 1.8 mm min -1 . Therefore, vegetation coverage of at least 60% is recommended for spoil heap vegetation recovery. Second, in the OR treatment, runoff and sediment production increased from 6.75% to 55.82% and 2.03% to 84.67%, respectively, when rainfall intensity was ≥ 1.2 mm min -1 . Thus, vegetation types with abundant above-ground canopy should be selected for spoil heap recovery. Third, intact grass reduced spoil heap erosion by increasing the critical shear stress from 6.33% to 25.25%, whereas the OR treatment increased erosion by decreasing critical shear stress from 3.47% to 24.94%. The root system contributed 2.33 to 7.97 times more sediment yield than the canopy. Rainfall intensity was the primary factor contributing to a reduction in runoff and sediment (a 53% to 65% contribution), followed by vegetation components and vegetation density. Supplementary Material File (manuscript.docx) Download 6.43 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 07 July 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords contribution rate reduction benefits sediment and runoff yield spoil heaps vegetation density and components Authors Affiliations sun yang 0000-0002-5139-5992 Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Jianming Li 0000-0001-5888-7351 [email protected] Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Jinquan Huang Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author wenfeng Ding Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Xiaoxia Tong Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Changwei Zhang Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Jigen Liu Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Wensheng Xu Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 152 views 98 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation sun yang, Jianming Li, Jinquan Huang, et al. The impact of varying densities of the Medicago sativa L. canopy and root system on the regulation of sediment and runoff yield in steep spoil heaps. Authorea . 07 July 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175188486.66782736/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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