Experimental Study on Woody Plant Community Construction of Road Rock Slope in Semi-arid Area: A Case Study on Chifeng-Tongliao Expressway in Inner Mongolia

Abstract

To solve the ecologic restoration problem of road rock slope in semi-arid area, the woody plant community was constructed using the nursery block and soil spray-sowing technique, taken the Chifeng-Tongliaoex pressway in Inner Mongolia for example. The results show that (1) the woody plants grew well and their survival rate is more than 60%; (2) the herbaceous plants grew strongly and their aboveground biomass has attained the level of natural shady slopes; (3) the plant community is stable and its coverage is more than 70%, which basically consisted of woody plants and perennial herbs; (4) the root structures of nursery block seedlings are similar to those of natural ones, with a sturdy taproot and several strong lateral roots, which formed a network structure and penetrated into deeper soil layer.