The holes-digging method for promoting vegetation restoration

 The holes digging method which could promote vegetation ecological restoration in seasonal drought region was introduced in this paper. It was widely used in the process of vegetation restoration in Macao, as well as vegetation restoration and agricultural activities in South China. Taking the vegetation restoration in Macao as a case study, the mechanism of the method and their preliminary practical value were studied. Firstly, the soil physical and chemical characteristics in the areas both with holes and without holes were measured. The results showed that the soil bulk density in the areas with holes was lower and soil water content was much higher than those in the areas without holes, which indicated that the soil physical characteristics were improved after digging holes in the soil. Furthermore, the top 10 cm soil organic matter, total N and pH in the area with holes were higher than those in the area without holes, which indicated that such method have the potential to improve the soil capacity of nutrient supply and storage. As for the biological characteristics of Acacia confusa, the growth of the species in the areas with holes was superior to the comparison. In summary, the holes digging method is an effectual technique in vegetation restoration, which promoted the process of vegetation restoration as shown in the case study. Accordingly, it could be used and popularized in ecological restoration of drought and semi-drought areas, especially the seasonal drought area.