J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(1):42-55 | DOI: 10.17221/95/2025-JFS

Biomechanical optimisation strategy for selecting native shrubs and herbaceous plants with superior soil and water conservation properties in combating land degradation in central-western Inner MongoliaOriginal Paper

Rile Ge, Wei Zhao, Hui Zhi, Yahui Lu, Shuaixin Wei
College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China

To enhance the biomechanical database of plant root systems for soil reinforcement and erosion control in arid and semi-arid regions, and to provide a scientific basis for selecting superior native shrub and herb species in forestry and grassland measures for desertification control in central and western Inner Mongolia, this study investigated the root-soil interfacial friction characteristics of five typical native plant species – Caragana korshinskii and Hippophae rhamnoides, the semi-shrub Hedysarum mongolicum, and the perennial herbs Medicago sativa and Astragalus adsurgens – in two widely distributed non-zonal soils: loessial soil and aeolian sandy soil. Single-root pull-out tests were conducted on indoor-prepared root-soil composite samples to examine their responses to varying soil moisture levels. The results showed that within a soil moisture range of 4.6% to 20.6%, the single-root pull-out resistance and shear strength of all five species in both soil types followed a quadratic model Y = ax2 + bx + c (with all multiple correlation coefficients > 0.5), initially increasing and then decreasing with rising moisture content. Peak values occurred at 8.6% moisture, with consistently higher values observed in loessial soil than in aeolian sandy soil. This indicates an optimal soil moisture level for maximising root-soil interfacial friction resistance. Among the species, Hippophae rhamnoides and Medicago sativa exhibited superior pull-out performance in both soils, with Hippophae rhamnoides showing greater sensitivity to environmental variations in loessial soil. Redundancy analysis identified soil type and moisture content as key factors explaining variations in root pull-out shear strength. These findings demonstrate that mixed-species plantations, leveraging complementary root traits, can form more complex and stable root-soil structures, thereby enhancing surface soil mechanical stability. Further research is needed to elucidate the adaptive mechanisms linking plant traits, environmental conditions, and biomechanical characteristics.

Keywords: pullout resistive strength; root-soil interface; single resistance pull; soil moisture content

Received: December 11, 2025; Revised: January 15, 2026; Accepted: January 19, 2026; Published: January 30, 2026  Show citation

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Ge R, Zhao W, Zhi H, Lu Y, Wei S. Biomechanical optimisation strategy for selecting native shrubs and herbaceous plants with superior soil and water conservation properties in combating land degradation in central-western Inner Mongolia. J. For. Sci. 2026;72(1):42-55. doi: 10.17221/95/2025-JFS.
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