Research on the application of a cement and soil aggregate for the ecological restoration of vegetation in artificial soil

Abstract

The construction of high-speed roads has resulted in large amounts of steep and exposed cut slopes, posing more potential hazards in areas with mountains and hills. Vegetation restoration is an effective and environmentally-friendly way to restore exposed slopes using outside soil spray seeding, though it is difficult to establish a vegetation cover. Spraying artificial soil on high and steep slopes is a challenging task as it is difficult to keep the fluid mixture on sloped surfaces. Because of these challenges, this study applied different combinations of cement and soil aggregates in artificial soil, measuring final soil properties after one growing season. Experimental results showed that there were substantial differences in all basic soil parameters and in the soil quality index after different treatments. In particular, adding 5–10% cement content could improve the adhesion of artificial soil without remarkably reducing soil quality; adding 0.09% of soil aggregate was also beneficial to soil nutrient availability. These findings indicate that the combination of cement and soil aggregates could be applied in artificial soils for the ecological restoration of steep slope vegetation. Adding cement to the soil increased the alkaline levels of the soil, so it is important to reduce artificial soil pH in the future. The application of a cement and soil aggregate should be considered in the field for the ecological restoration of slope vegetation, and the impact of this addition on slope stability and vegetation growth should be explored with further research.