Water scarcity is a critical factor influencing rain-fed agricultural production on the Loess
Plateau,and the exploitation of rainwater is an effective avenue to alleviate water scarcity in this
area. This study was conducted to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture in
the 0-300 cm under a 21-year-old apple orchard with the rainwater collection and infiltration ( RWCI)
system by using a time domain reflectometer ( TDR) probe on the Loess Plateau. The results
showed that there was a low soil moisture zone in the 40-80 cm under the CK,and the RWCI system
significantly increased soil moisture in this depth interval. Over this depth,the annual average
soil moisture under RWCI40
,RWCI60 and RWCI80 was 39.2%,47.2% and 29.1% higher than that
of bare slope ( BS) and 75.3%,85.4% and 62.7% higher than that of CK,respectively. The maxi-mum infiltration depth of water under RWCI40
,RWCI60 and RWCI80 was 80 cm,120 cm and 180
cm,respectively,and the soil moisture in the 0-60,0-100 and 0-120 cm was more affected by
RWCI40
,RWCI60 and RWCI80
,respectively. Over the whole growth period of apple tree,the maximum
value of soil moisture content in the 0-300 cm existed in the RWCI80 treatment,followed by
the RWCI40 and RWCI60 treatments. Overall,the RWCI system is an effective meaning of transforming
rainwater to available water resources and realizing efficient use of agricultural water on the
Loess Plateau.
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