The impact of planting density on the morphological traits and peak pullout force of vegetation and slope stability

NC_morphological.xls and MS_morphological.xls files include all morphological traits of two species, ms_force_space.RData and nc_force_space.RData files include the uprooting force - time data. In ms_force_space.RData and nc_force_space.RData, Time means sampling time, AI1.01 means uprooting force, sample means the sampling ID, test means different planting densities. This study examines the influence of planting density on the morphological traits and peak pullout force of two herbaceous plant species, Medicago sativa (MS) and Nepeta cataria (NC), and their collective impact on slope stability. Through field experiments across six planting densities (8, 11, 16, 25, 44, and 100 plants/m²), we evaluated changes in plant morphology, root and shoot biomass, and root anchorage strength. The peak pullout force was analyzed using the infinite slope stability model to assess its correlation with slope stability coefficients.