Fig. 3

Effects of extreme drought (CONT, control; − 66%, reduce 66% in rainfall from May to August; − 60 Days, reduce 100% in rainfall from June to July) on soil characteristics during the treatment years (2015–2018). Soil Carbon, 0–20 cm soil carbon content; Soil Nitrogen, 0–20 cm soil nitrogen content; Soil Water, 0–20 cm soil water content. Variables are shown as mean ± SE (n = 6). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between years for the same treatments in p < 0.05. Statistical significance of drought effect in each year is depicted as ** p < 0.0 1 and * p < 0.05