Effects of shallow plowing on soil and plant community of degraded alpine meadow in Tibetan plateau

Rangeland management plays important role in soil and vegetation. In order to understand the effects of shallow plowing on degraded alpine meadow, pair-comparison survey was conducted to quantify soil feature and community variation in Damxung county, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Compared with degraded alpine meadow, soil water content and nutrient increased after 12-year shallow plowing practice with soil water content increased by 35% and bulk soil density decreased by 38.7%. Mineral nitrogen contents of soil increased by 3.2 and 1.7 times at depth of 0―10 cm and 10―20 cm, respectively. Furthermore, shallow plowing practice facilitated vegetation recovery in degraded alpine meadow. Coverage of alpine meadow vegetation significantly increased with the richness and dominance of weeds declined. The species composition changed with dominance of grass in terms of coverage and important value. The above- and under-ground biomass after shallow plowing significantly increased. It indicates that moderate shallow plowing practice can facilitate soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation and vegetation restoration in the degraded alpine meadow. However, it has risk to decrease species richness and community stability.