Soil Physical Properties of Different Land Use Types in Loess Hilly Region

[Objectives] To explore the impact of land use changes on physical properties of soil in loess hilly region. [Methods] The methods of field sampling and indoor analysis were adopted. Farmland in a small watershed in the middle of the Loess Plateau, grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years, grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years, jujube orchard and ditch were sampled, and the particle composition (clay, silt and sand) and moisture changes of the soil in the top 0-100 cm were studied. [Results] In the small watershed, the top 0-100 cm of the soil was composed of 14% clay, 70% silt and 16% sand. The contents of clay, silt and sand in the grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years varied greatly, while varied little in the land of other use types. The soil moisture content of grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years, jujube orchard, grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years, farmland and ditch increased with the increase of depth, with means of 10.29%, 11.66%, 10.08%, 11.43% and 11.34%, respectively. [Conclusions] This study provides a theoretical basis for the growth of crops of different land use types in the loess hilly region.