Influence of Vetiver Root Morphology on Soil–Water Characteristics of Plant-Covered Slope Soil in South Central China

The soil–water characteristic curve is an important tool to evaluate the water-holding capacity of unsaturated soil. Plant roots can affect the matric suction of soil and the water-holding capacity and permeability of the soil. Therefore, the morphological characteristics of plant roots will lead to the difference in soil–water characteristics between soil slope and plant-covered slope. This study aims to investigate the effect of Vetiver root morphology on soil–water characteristic curves of plant-covered slope soil. The hydrological effect of the root distribution on the root–soil system was also discussed. The results showed that: (1) The root surface area index (RAI) and root volume ratio (R_v) of each soil section of the vetiver root system varied with depth in accordance with the Gaussian function distribution; (2) In the process of natural drying, the matric suction generated within the root system is significantly higher than that generated by evaporation of bare soil in the same soil layer. The ability of vegetation soil to enhance soil matrix suction increases with the increase of soil root surface area index; and (3) The α and n values of the SWCC model decreased with the increase of R_v (root volume ratio of soil), while the air entry value increased. Under the same water content, the matric suction corresponding to vegetation soil is significantly greater than bare soil. In addition, the soil–water characteristic curve can be effectively predicted by combining the R_v of vegetated soils.