Soil moisture characteristics under different land types in hilly and gully areas on Loess Plateau

By monitoring the soil moisture content of different land types,aspect of slope and slope location located in Yangou watershed in loess hilly and gully region from 2002 to 2006,a systematic analysis was made of dynamic variation under soil moisture.The results indicated that the soil moisture of different land types was obviously different;in dam,soil moisture content remained highest with an average of 19.83 percent;in mesa,soil moisture content remained the second highest with an average of 17.21 percent;in terrace,soil moisture content was an average of 16.34 percent;and in slope,soil moisture content was the lowest with an average of 15.04 percent;soil moisture content was positively correlated with rainfall,and its correlation coefficient was 0.68.The curve of monthly dynamic changes of soil moisture content showed as single-valley type and was the lowest in July.With the increase in slope,soil moisture content reduced.Different aspect of slope of soil moisture content changes was in trends of lunar slopesolar slope.The results have positive significance on rational utilization of land.