Spatial Variability of Water Content in Soil Covered Under Different Vegetations in Guilin, Guangxi

In the experimentation fields at Guilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the soil (0-6 cm in depth) on the plot, where soybeans, sugarcanes, or peartrees was gown, was sampled to study the variation and spatial distribution of its water content. The results showed that (a) rainfall was the key factor affecting the water content in the surface soil; (b) tillage affected the overall water content to a certain extent; (c) the water content in the soil of the pear tree plotwas the highest, followed by that of the sugarcane field, and the soybean lot had the lowest water content in soil; (d) the spatial distributions of water content in these areas, which varied onmoisture levels,hada moderate degree of spatial correlation; (e) the spatial distributions of water content in soilwere affected by the rainfall, and also human factors in varingdegrees;and (f)the vegetation coverages and artificial disturbances were factors in the spatial variability of the water content in the soils, however, since the distribution at localities with relatively high water levels were stable, the soil might be able tomakenecessary adjustments by itself. The information obtained could benefit studies ondrought prevention for agricultural lands, irrigation for farming, and management for reducing soil erosion in the karst regions in the province.