Influence of differences in soil properties on the reinforcement effect of root systems of herbaceous plants

Abstract

In this study, in order to identify how differences in soil properties affect the reinforcement effect of root systems of herbaceous plants, we conducted constant pressure direct shear tests at low vertical stress using specimens produced by seeding in volcanic sandy soil and volcanic cohesive soil and developing the plant root system. The results indicate that development of the root system improves soil toughness regardless of differences in soil properties. They also indicate that the freeze-thaw history affects the shear strength of soil specimens containing the root systems of herbaceous plants differently depending on the soil properties.