Spatiotemporal variations in deep soil moisture and its response to land-use shifts in the Wind–Water Erosion Crisscross Region in the Critical Zone of the Loess Plateau (2011–2015), China

•SWC in 0–21 m under four land uses was monitored and simulated from 2011 to 2015.•Different factors controlled the spatiotemporal variations of SWC in 0–2 m layer.•Soil texture (soil texture and root biomass) adjusted SWC in space (time) in 2–21 m.•Shifting shallow-rooted plants to deep-rooted plants consume more SWC in 3.4–4.8 m.•Appropriate plants should be considered based on local climatic and SWC regimes.