【Objective】This study aimed to understand the erosion mechanism of typical grassland in the Loess Plateau by analyzing the mechanical mechanism of soil detachment. 【Method】The representative grassland with tap roots and fibrous roots was selected as the research object in this study. Undisturbed soil samples were collected and subjected to flow scouring, and the relative soil detachment capacity (RSD) was calculated. The soil shear strength and root tensile force were determined, and the root cohesion was estimated based on Wu""s model. 【Result】 The RSD of grassland with fibrous roots was 77.27% significantly lower than that of grassland with tap roots, while the soil cohesion (Cr) was 14.84% higher than that of grassland with tap roots. The expression effect of Cr on RSD in the grassland with tap roots was better than that of root length density, and this effect was not obvious in the grassland with fibrous roots. The correlation between the RSD and soil shear strength under normal stress of 200 KPa (τ200) was better than the shear strength under other normal stresses. In the root-soil composite, the effect of Cr on soil detachment was stronger than that of τ200. Additionally, the soil detachment capacity of the root-soil composite in the grassland with tap roots, could be effectively predicted by the mechanical parameters, but the prediction of soil detachment capacity in the grassland with fibrous roots need to be further explored. 【Conclusion】Thus, this study presents an effective way to analyze the soil detachment mechanism by mechanical properties of root-soil composites. The results could provide a reference for the study of the erosion reduction mechanism of roots in the Loess Plateau.