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The landslide on vegetated slopes caused by extreme weather has being increased steadily, and the preferential flow in soil macropores plays an important role in the landslide. By using water breakthrough curve and Poiseuille equation, this paper estimated the radius range, amount, and average volume of soil macropores on a vegetated basalt slope of Maka Mountain, Southwest China, and analyzed the distribution of the soil macropores and the main affecting factors. In the study area, the radius of soil macropores ranged from 0.3 to 1.8 mm, mainly between 0.5 and 1.2 mm. The large-radius macropores (1.4-1.8 mm) were lesser, while the small-radius macropores (<1.4 mm) were more. With the development of soil profile, soil macropores were more in upper layers and lesser in deeper layers. The average volume of the macropores contributed 84.7% to the variance of steady effluent rate. Among the factors affecting the average volume of the large macropores, vegetations root mass had a linear relationship, with the correlation coefficient being 0.70, and soil organic matter content also had a linear relationship, with the correlation coefficient being 0.64. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desiccation cracking of soil body is a complex physical process, which can affect the strength, stability, and permeability of soil body, and involve in several disciplines such as soil science, agricultural science, engineering geology, and environmental science. This paper introduced the significances of the study on the desiccation cracking of soil body, reviewed the related theoretical and applied researches and the quantitative analysis of crack morphology, and discussed the deficiencies in the research fields, research contents, and research methods. The future research directions about the desiccation cracking of soil body were pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landslide on vegetated slopes caused by extreme weather has being increased steadily, and the preferential flow in soil macropores plays an important role in the landslide. By using water breakthrough curve and Poiseuille equation, this paper estimated the radius range, amount, and average volume of soil macropores on a vegetated basalt slope of Maka Mountain, Southwest China, and analyzed the distribution of the soil macropores and the main affecting factors. In the study area, the radius of soil macropores ranged from 0.3 to 1.8 mm, mainly between 0.5 and 1.2 mm. The large-radius macropores (1.4-1.8 mm) were lesser, while the small-radius macropores (< 1.4 mm) were more. With the development of soil profile, soil macropores were more in upper layers and lesser in deeper layers. The average volume of the macropores contributed 84.7% to the variance of steady effluent rate. Among the factors affecting the average volume of the large macropores, vegetations root mass had a linear relationship, with the correlation coefficient being 0.70, and soil organic matter content also had a linear relationship, with the correlation coefficient being 0.64.

Desiccation cracking of soil body is a complex physical process, which can affect the strength, stability, and permeability of soil body, and involve in several disciplines such as soil science, agricultural science, engineering geology, and environmental science. This paper introduced the significances of the study on the desiccation cracking of soil body, reviewed the related theoretical and applied researches and the quantitative analysis of crack morphology, and discussed the deficiencies in the research fields, research contents, and research methods. The future research directions about the desiccation cracking of soil body were pointed out.