title: The physico-chemical properties and structural characteristics of artificial soil for cut slope restoration in Southwestern China.
abstract: Cut slopes are frequently generated by construction work in hilly areas, and artificial soil is often sprayed onto them to promote ecological rehabilitation. The artificial soil properties are very important for effective management of the slopes. This paper uses fractal and moment methods to characterize soil particle size distribution (PSD) and aggregates composition. The fractal dimension (D) showed linear relationships between clay, silt, and sand contents, with coefficients of determination from 0.843 to 0.875, suggesting that using of D to evaluate the PSD of artificial soils is reasonable. The bias (CS) and peak convex (CE) coefficients showed significant correlations with structure failure rate, moisture content, and total porosity, which validated the moment method to quantitatively describe soil structure. Railway slope (RS) soil has lower organic carbon and soil moisture, and higher pH than natural slope soil. Overall, RS exhibited poor soil structure and physicochemical properties, increasing the risk of soil erosion. Hence, more effective management measures should be adopted to promote the restoration of cut slopes.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Shunan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610066, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Tengyun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Binbin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Ruihong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Yingwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Chengdu medical college, Chengdu, Sichuan 610500, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhaoqiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China.
authors.forename: Chuanren
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li