Soil–Water–Plant–Atmosphere Interactions and Processes: Bioengineering of Slopes
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 127
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Vegetation use has the potential to offer a more ecologically sound, cost-efficient, and visually appealing approach to slope stabilisation. However, current practices mainly prioritise using vegetation for aesthetic purposes and erosion control, disregarding the engineering functions of plant roots in the scientific analysis and design of slope stability. This disregard is largely attributable to a lack of comprehension of the intricate interrelations and processes involving soil, water, plants, and the atmosphere. The slope-stabilizing functions of plants can be mainly categorised into three groups: mechanical reinforcement, hydrological reinforcement, and interception. Regardless of the plant species, finer roots enhance the slope's shear strength by establishing a complex fibrous network, while larger roots typically penetrate deeply and function as anchorage elements. Mechanical reinforcement also encompasses soil aggregation due to root growth and the secretion of cohesive enzymes known as mucilage. Hydrological reinforcement occurs through water removal from the soil via transpiration, influencing the soil's water characteristics and permeability. The interception function primarily relates to soil erosion, debris damping, and interception. Moreover, understanding the behaviour of vegetated slopes under extreme climate change scenarios, such as flooding, drought, or fire, is crucial in integrating vegetation into the engineering design of slopes. Additional research gaps in this context include plantation strategies, vegetation maintenance, and real-time monitoring, as well as the nature-based modification of soil properties. Developing numerical models for vegetated slope stability analysis involving complex soil–water–plant–atmosphere interactions is also challenging and requires further research.
Dr. Muhammad Naveed
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- slope stabilisation
- soil–water–plant–atmosphere interactions
- soil mechanical characteristics
- soil hydraulic characteristics
- vegetation strategy
- numerical analysis
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