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Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 33008

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bořivoj Šarapatka

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Guest Editor

Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Interests: soil quality; soil degradation; erosion; agroecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Miroslav Dumbrovský

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Guest Editor

Department of Landscape Water Management, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: soil erosion; land consolidation; soil degradation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jana Podhrázská

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Guest Editor

Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology, Mendel University Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: soil erosion; landscape planning; rural development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is an integral part of the landscape and ecosystems, including agroecosystems. It is a basic natural resource fulfilling a productive role, as well as other functions relating to ecosystem services. The rapid growth in the world’s population in recent times has contributed to an increasing area of land being used for food production. Globally, about 40% of the land surface is devoted to arable production in combination with grassland. Increased pressure on land to steadily increase production for a growing population (more than 9.5 billion people by 2050) is leading to ever-increasing degradation. We conclude that the majority of soil resources, that enable more than 95% of global food production, are not in good condition and are degraded to some degree. Erosion is one of the main soil threats among these degrading effects. It is accelerated by many human activities, including changes in land-use and intensive agriculture. Soil quality and productivity are negatively affected. The result is a situation where the rate of soil erosion is much higher than the rate of soil formation, and current conservational agricultural practices do not sufficiently solve this problem. There may also be a further increase in global water erosion in the context of climate change. We see similar problems with other degradation effects. The main goal of this Special Issue is to show, in both current and historical context, the impact of land management on degradation and especially soil erosion processes, taking into account the productive function of the soil and also its non-productive functions, for example, concerning water retention or biodiversity protection. Contributions are welcome that range from local studies to global perspectives on this issue.

Prof. Dr. Bořivoj Šarapatka
Prof. Dr. Miroslav Dumbrovský
Prof. Dr. Jana Podhrázská
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Land management
Soil degradation
Erosion
Soil properties
Measures
Modeling
GIS

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1906 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Field and Horticultural Crops Intensification in Semiarid Regions Influence the Soil Physiobiochemical Properties and Nutrients Status

by Agniva Mandal, Amardeep Singh Toor, Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Pritpal Singh, Vijay Kant Singh, Vivek Sharma, Raj K. Gupta, Rama Krishna Naresh, Yogesh Kumar, Biswajit Pramanick, Gangadhar Nanda, Ahmed Gaber, Adel Alkhedaide, Mohamed Mohamed Soliman and Akbar Hossain

Agronomy 2022, 12(5), 1010; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12051010 - 23 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2303

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the long-term effects of predominant land uses on physicochemical properties, nutrient status and their interactions in soils of south-western Punjab representing the semi-arid soils of India. From each site, soil samples of three predominant land use viz. croplands, horticultural lands and uncultivated lands were collected from 0–15, 15–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm depths. Soils of both croplands and horticultural lands were classified as sandy loam whereas uncultivated lands showed loamy sand texture with relatively higher pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and bulk density (Bd). Greater soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) in horticulture might be due to the higher addition of OC and mineral nutrients through the decomposition of leaf litterfall and root deposits over their removal from soils while long-term use of potassic fertilizer raised the available K contents in croplands. Profile study up to 90 cm depicted the largest sequestration of 74.89 Mg C ha⁻¹ under orchards which was 40 and 70% higher than croplands and uncultivated lands respectively. Significant variability in water-stable aggregates (WSA) (R² = 0.5843, p < 0.05) and mean weighted diameter (MWD) (R² = 0.6497, p < 0.01) with SOC indicated better soil stability in horticulture due to the presence of higher SOC. Positive relations of soil available micronutrients with SOC and finer soil particles were supported by the results of correlation, Principal component analysis and dendrogram indicating horticulture as a potent source of available micronutrients. An overall superiority of horticultural land use over the other two land uses in terms of nutrient status and soil stability suggests its inclusion as a positive strategy that could be taken into account in policymaking for maintaining productivity along with the sustainability of the concerned land degradation prone area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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18 pages, 6552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Crop and Land Management on Wind Erosion from Sandy Soils in Dryland Agriculture

by Heleen C. Vos, Isabel G. Karst, Frank D. Eckardt, Wolfgang Fister and Nikolaus J. Kuhn

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 457; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12020457 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2625

Abstract

Minimizing wind erosion on agricultural fields is of great interest to farmers. There is a general understanding that vegetation can greatly minimize the wind erosion taking place. However, after harvest, a low vegetation cover can be inevitable, whereby the amount of stubble that remains on a field is dependent on the crop type and land management. This study aims at quantifying the vulnerability to wind erosion of different crops, and the possibility to predict the vulnerability based on high precision aerial images. The study area was the semi-arid Free State, which holds large intensive agriculture on sandy soils. These croplands have been identified as the largest emitter of dust in South Africa. The main crop in the region is maize, but also sunflower, peanut and fallow fields are common land-use types. On these fields, the horizontal sediment flux, the saltation threshold, and aerodynamic roughness length were measured, and the soil cover was assessed using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery. The results showed a strong relationship between the soil cover and the sediment flux, whereby fallow and groundnut fields have the highest wind erosion risk. These results emphasize the great importance of soil cover management to prevent wind erosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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21 pages, 2832 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Soil Redistribution Following Land Rehabilitation with an Apple Orchard in Hilly Regions of Central Iran

by Shamsollah Ayoubi, Ameneh Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza Abdi, Farideh Abbaszadeh Afshar, Lin Wang and Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 451; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12020451 - 11 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1692

Abstract

This study was executed to explore soil redistribution and soil quality changes induced by land degradation and then rehabilitation by orchard plantation in different slope positions in a semi-arid region in central Iran. A total of 72 surface soil samples (0–30 cm) were collected from three land uses (natural rangelands, dryland farming, and apple orchards) in four slope positions (shoulder, backslope, footslope, and toeslope). The soil physicochemical properties and magnetic parameters were measured, and soil redistribution was determined in the selected soil samples using the ¹³⁷Cs technique. The results showed that rangeland degradation and, subsequently, rainfed cultivation, led to a significant decline in the soil quality indicators, such as soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available potassium (K_ava), and available phosphorous (P_ava), thus incurring further soil loss, as determined by the ¹³⁷Cs technique. Conversely, the conversion and rehabilitation of drylands to apple orchards cultivated on the contour terraces improved soil quality significantly and decreased soil loss (p < 0.05) and soil quality grade (p < 0.01). Additionally, the findings indicated that slope positions relative to land use change had a reasonable impact on the variability of soil properties and soil loss and deposition. The results of ¹³⁷Cs analysis showed that the drylands had the highest soil loss (185.3 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and maximum sedimentation (182. 5 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in the shoulder and footslope positions, respectively. The random forest model applied between ¹³⁷Cs inventory and soil properties indicated that calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), TN, P_ava, K_ava, and bulk density (ρb) could explain 75% of the total variability in ¹³⁷Cs inventory with high R² (0.94) and low RMSE (111.29). Magnetic measurements have shown great potential as a cost-effective and fast method for assessing soil redistribution in hilly regions, as confirmed by the findings of the ¹³⁷Cs analysis, which agreed well with the magnetic susceptibility at low frequency (χ_lf). Overall, the results confirmed that restoring abandoned dryland by orchard cultivation may improve soil quality and diminish soil loss in the semi-arid region of Iran. However, further research is required to assess other aspects of the ecosystem affected by this restoration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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21 pages, 6830 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Soil Erosion in the Annual Cropland of the Apulia Region (Southern Italy) Based on the RUSLE-GIS-GEE Framework

by Matteo Petito, Silvia Cantalamessa, Giancarlo Pagnani, Francesco Degiorgio, Barbara Parisse and Michele Pisante

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 281; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12020281 - 22 Jan 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3337

Abstract

The processes of soil erosion and land degradation are more rapid in the case of inappropriate agricultural management, which leads to increased soil loss rates. Moreover, climatic conditions are one of the most important determining factors affecting agriculture, especially in the Mediterranean areas featuring irregular rainfall and high summer temperatures. Conservation agriculture (CA) can make a significant contribution to reducing soil erosion risk on the annual cropland (ACL) of the Mediterranean region in comparison with conventional management (CM). The objective of this study is to provide soil loss rate maps and calculate the values for each altitude and slope class and their combination for the Apulia region in four annual production cycles for the scenarios CM and CA. The present study estimates the significance of the adoption of CA on soil erosion assessment at regional scale based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The parameters of the RUSLE model were estimated by using remote sensing (RS) data. The erosion probability zones were determined through a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) approach. Digital terrain model (DTM) at 8 m, ACL maps of the Apulia region, and rainfall and soil data were used as an input to identify the most erosion-prone areas. Our results show a 7.5% average decrease of soil loss rate during the first period of adoption of the four-year crop cycle—from 2.3 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ with CM to 2.1 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ with the CA system. CA reduced soil loss rate compared to CM in all classes, from 10.1% in hill class to 14.1% for hill + low slope class. These results can therefore assist in the implementation of effective soil management systems and conservation practices to reduce soil erosion risk in the Apulia region and in the Mediterranean basin more generally. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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15 pages, 1363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fractionation of Soil Organic Matter into Labile and Stable Fractions

by Marek Kopecký, Ladislav Kolář, Kristýna Perná, Radka Váchalová, Petr Mráz, Petr Konvalina, Yves Theoneste Murindangabo, Mohammad Ghorbani, Ladislav Menšík and Miroslav Dumbrovský

Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 73; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12010073 - 29 Dec 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3010

Abstract

The present study aims to test and evaluate the efficiency of a new modified method of organic matter evaluation. It allows the assessment of the quality and quantity of the primary soil organic matter and the stable organic fractions separately. The new method was tested in six soil samples of different localities in the Czech Republic. This method is based on observing reaction kinetics during the oxidation of soil organic matter and measuring the cation-exchange capacity of stable organic fractions. The results were compared with classical methods, which rely on the isolation of humic substances, determination of the content of humic acids and fulvic acids and their ratio C_HA:C_FA, quotient E_4/6, and fractionation of soil organic matter according to resistance to oxidation. It turned out that the results of the new modified method are more sensitive in comparison with the results obtained by classical procedures. The linear regression demonstrated the dependence between the amounts of soil organic matter determined by the classical method compared with the modified method. Moreover, the new modified method was found to be faster and not demanding on laboratory equipment. The new method has been improved to be easily repeatable, and some shortcomings of the previous method were eliminated. Based on our results and other recent studies, the modified method may be recommended for the practical evaluation of soil organic matter conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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19 pages, 44032 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Estimation of Stagnosol Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow Using Uni- and Bimodal Porosity Models in Erosion-Affected Hillslope Vineyard Soils

by Vilim Filipović, Jasmina Defterdarović, Vedran Krevh, Lana Filipović, Gabrijel Ondrašek, Filip Kranjčec, Ivan Magdić, Vedran Rubinić, Sanja Stipičević, Ivan Mustać, Marina Bubalo Kovačić, Hailong He, Amir Haghverdi and Horst H. Gerke

Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 33; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12010033 - 24 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3414

Abstract

Erosion has been reported as one of the top degradation processes that negatively affect agricultural soils. The study objective was to identify hydropedological factors controlling soil water dynamics in erosion-affected hillslope vineyard soils. The hydropedological study was conducted at identically-managed Jastrebarsko (location I), and Jazbina (II) and (III) sites with Stagnosol soils. Soil Hydraulic Properties (SHP) were estimated on intact soil cores using Evaporation and WP4C methods; soil hydraulic functions were fitted using HYPROP-FIT software. For Apg and Bg/Btg horizons, uni- and bimodal soil hydraulic models could be well fitted to data; although, the bimodal model performed better in particular cases where data indicated non-uniform pore size distribution. With these SHP estimations, a one-year (2020) water flow scenario was simulated using HYDRUS-1D to compare water balance results obtained with uni- and bimodal hydraulic functions. Simulation results revealed relatively similar flux distribution at each hillslope position between the water balance components infiltration, surface runoff, and drainage. However, at the bottom profile at Jastrebarsko, bimodality of the hydraulic functions led to increased drainage. Soil water storage was reduced, and the vertical movement increased due to modified soil water retention curve shapes. Adequate parameterization of SHP is required to capture the hydropedological response of heterogenous erosion-affected soil systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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10 pages, 5780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Characterization of Burned Organic Matter at Different Soil Depths and Its Relationship with Soil Water Repellency: A Preliminary Result

by Mirian de Deus, Ana Z. Miller and Nicasio T. Jiménez-Morillo

Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2560; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11122560 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2074

Abstract

Soil water repellency (hydrophobicity) prevents water from wetting or infiltrating soils, triggering changes in the ecosystems. This physical property is directly correlated to the erodibility grade of a soil. Wildfire events may develop, enhance, or destroy soil hydrophobicity, modifying the erodibility grade of a soil and increasing the loss of its most reactive layer (organic matter). To assess the main organic family of compounds (biomarkers) surrogates to fire-induced water repellency, a study was carried out on a fire-affected soil under eucalyptus canopy at two depths (0–2 and 2–5 cm) from Portugal. The potential soil water repellency was measured using the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test. The molecular characterization of hydrophobic biomarkers was carried out using analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) in combination with multivariate statistical analysis (PCA, MLR). The upper burned soil layer (0–2 cm) displayed a significant contribution of fresh biomass (lignin and polysaccharides), while the deepest (2–5 cm) one showed more humified organic matter (lipids). The soil hydrophobicity was directly correlated to non-polar organic compounds, such as lipids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and inversely to unspecific aromatic compounds. The combination of mass spectrometry techniques and chemometric analysis allowed obtaining a preliminary forecast model of hydrophobicity degree in fire-affected soil samples under eucalyptus canopy. This analytical approach opens the door to developing more sensitive mathematical models using molecular organic compounds to predict the alteration of hydrophobicity and other soil physical properties induced by fires. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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15 pages, 3247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Black Carbon and Its Effect on Carbon Sequestration in Soil

by Marek Kopecký, Ladislav Kolář, Radka Váchalová, Petr Konvalina, Jana Batt, Petr Mráz, Ladislav Menšík, Trong Nghia Hoang and Miroslav Dumbrovský

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2261; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112261 - 09 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2091

Abstract

The properties of black carbon (BC) are described very differently in the literature, even when determined by the same methodological procedure. To clarify this discrepancy, BC was investigated in the clay Cambisols of southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, in groups of soils with lower and higher deposition of its atmospheric fallout. The BC determination was performed according to a modified method of Kuhlbusch and Crutzen (1995). The amount of the free light fraction, the occluded light fraction of soil organic matter and its ratio, the amount of heavy soil fraction DF, and its soil organic matter DFOM were determined. Other soil characteristics were identified. It was found that there are two very different types of BC in soils. Historical BC from biomass fires, and new, anthropogenic, from the furnace and transport fumes. Historical BC has a significant effect on the organic matter of the heavy soil fraction, on the ratio of the free and occluded soil organic matter fraction, and the number of water-resistant soil aggregates. Anthropogenic BC does not have this effect. Because this form of BC is not significantly stabilized by the colloidal mineral fraction, it is necessary to take general data on BC’s high stability and resistance to mineralization in the soil with circumspection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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14 pages, 2725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agricultural Production on Erosion-Affected Land from the Perspective of Remote Sensing

by Bořivoj Šarapatka and Marek Bednář

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2216; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112216 - 01 Nov 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1548

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the influence of soil erosion on crop yield in the erosion-prone chernozem region of South Moravia. Erosional and depositional areas show significant differences in soil properties, which are also reflected in total crop yield. Plots of winter wheat, grown during the years 2016–2019 were used for analysis. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), referred to in literature as one of the best correlates of yield, was used to provide indirect information on yield. Although erosional areas are visible on orthophoto images on chernozem soils, the necessary orthophoto images are not always available. Thus, we have proposed a method for the identification of such erosion-affected areas based on the use of Sentinel 2 satellite images and NDVI or NBR2 indices. The relationship between yield and erosion was expressed through Pearson’s correlation on a sample of pixels randomly selected on the studied plots. The results showed a statistically significant linear reduction in yield depending on the level of degradation. All plots were further reclassified, according to level of degradation, as high, medium, or low state of degradation, where the average EVI values were subsequently calculated. Yield on non-degraded soil is 16 ± 1% higher on average. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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29 pages, 23811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phosphorus Behaviour and Its Basic Indices under Organic Matter Transformation in Variable Moisture Conditions: A Case Study of Fen Organic Soils in the Odra River Valley, Poland

by Magdalena Debicka, Adam Bogacz and Karolina Kowalczyk

Agronomy 2021, 11(10), 1997; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11101997 - 01 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1643

Abstract

Lowering of groundwater levels caused by anthropogenic changes in the environment gives rise to global problems, most of which relate to soil degradation such as land desertification or organic soil degradation. The transformation of drainage-sensitive organic soils causes many irreversible changes during organic matter (OM) transformation. Phosphorous (P) behaviour is one of the aspects of OM transformation that requires further investigation, due to the P transformations’ complex dependency on many environmental factors. Our study aimed to characterise behaviour of P and find indices reflecting P changes under the influence of OM transformation in drained organic soils in the Odra river valley. The studies were carried out on soils representing different stages of soil degradation in which basic soil properties, including different P forms, were determined with commonly used methods. The results showed significantly higher content of soluble P forms (Pw, P_CaCl2, P_M3), particularly in the most drained postmurshic soil (P1). The indices used in this study—Ip, PSD, C:Pt, N:Pt—reflected well the P and OM transformations in organic soils degraded by drainage. This was indicated by numerous statistically significant relationships between the indices and basic soil properties (e.g., Ash, C, N), as well as different P forms (Pt, Pmin, Pox, Porg, Pw, P_CaCl2, P_M3). The PSD and Ip values increased and the C:Pt and N:Pt ratios decreased with the degree of OM mineralisation and the degree of site drainage (P3 < P2 < P1). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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10 pages, 1536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Natural Rehabilitation of Degraded Land by Exclosure on Selected Soil Physicochemical Properties in Eastern Ethiopia

by Amisalu Milkias Misebo, Samuel Feyissa Ayano and Marcin Pietrzykowski

Agronomy 2021, 11(8), 1628; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11081628 - 16 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2301

Abstract

The use of exclosure for ecological restoration has become an increasingly vital approach to reversing degraded lands. Its effectiveness in restoring degraded lands could be varied with differences in climate, vegetation type and soil properties. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of exclosure on the selected physical and chemical properties of the soil. A six-year-old exclosure and adjacent open land with the same history of land-use types were selected. Soil samples were randomly collected from 0–20 and 20–40 cm depths of each land-use type and measured for texture, soil moisture content (SMC), bulk density (BD), soil organic carbon (SOC), available phosphorus (Av.P), cation exchange capacity (CEC), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH contents. The highest SMC, SOC and Av.P and the lowest BD values were measured from the exclosure. SMC, SOC and Av.P increased by 73, 51 and 55%, respectively, while BD decreased by 31% as compared to the open land. CEC, EC and pH were also influenced positively compared with the adjacent open land. The funding indicates exclosure had a positive effect on the restoration of soil nutrients, which are essential to promote vegetation growth and thereby minimize soil erosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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21 pages, 4689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Going Beyond Soil Conservation with the Use of Cover Crops in Mediterranean Sloping Olive Orchards

by Luis F. Arias-Giraldo, Gema Guzmán, Miguel Montes-Borrego, David Gramaje, José A. Gómez and Blanca B. Landa

Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1387; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11071387 - 09 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2845

Abstract

Among the agricultural practices promoted by the Common Agricultural Policy to increase soil functions, the use of cover crops is a recommended tool to improve the sustainability of Mediterranean woody crops such as olive orchards. However, there is a broad range of cover crop typologies in relation to its implementation, control and species composition. In that sense, the influence of different plant species on soil quality indicators in olive orchards remains unknown yet. This study describes the effects of four treatments based on the implementation of different ground covers (CC-GRA: sown cover crop with gramineous, CC-MIX: sown cover crop with a mixture of species and CC-NAT: cover crop with spontaneous vegetation) and conventional tillage (TILL) on soil erosion, soil physicochemical and biological properties after 8 years of cover crop establishment. Our results demonstrated that the presence of a temporary cover crop (CC), compared to a soil under tillage (TILL), can reduce soil losses and maintain good soil physicochemical properties and modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities and its functioning. The presence of a homogeneous CC of gramineous (Lolium rigidum or Lolilum multiflorum) (CC-GR) for 8 years increased the functional properties of the soil as compared to TILL; although the most relevant change was a modification on the bacterial community composition that was clearly different from the rest of treatments. On the other hand, the use of a mixture of plant species (CC-MIX) as a CC for only two years although did not modify greatly the structure and diversity of soil bacterial communities compared to the TILL soil, induced significant changes on the functional properties of the soil and reverted those properties to a level similar to that of an undisturbed soil that had maintained a natural cover of spontaneous vegetation for decades (CC-NAT). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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16 pages, 2120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Soil Moisture and Crust Formation on Soil Evaporation Rate: A Wind Tunnel Experiment in Hungary

by Gábor Négyesi, Szilárd Szabó, Botond Buró, Safwan Mohammed, József Lóki, Kálmán Rajkai and Imre J. Holb

Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 935; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11050935 - 09 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2448

Abstract

In both arid and semiarid regions, erosion by wind is a significant threat against sustainability of natural resources. The objective of this work was to investigate the direct impact of various soil moisture levels with soil texture and organic matter on soil crust formation and evaporation. Eighty soil samples with different texture (sand: 19, loamy sand: 21, sandy loam: 26, loam: 8, and silty loam: 6 samples) were collected from the Nyírség region (Eastern Hungary). A wind tunnel experiment was conducted on four simulated irrigation rates (0.5, l.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mm) and four levels of wind speeds (4.5, 7.8, 9.2, and 15.5 m s⁻¹). Results showed that watering with a quantity equal to 5 mm rainfall, with the exception of sandy soils, provided about 5–6 h protection against wind erosion, even in case of a wind velocity as high as 15.5 m s⁻¹. An exponential connection was revealed between wind velocities and the times of evaporation (R² = 0.88–0.99). Notably, a two-way ANOVA test revealed that both wind velocity (p < 0.001) and soil texture (p < 0.01) had a significant effect on the rate of evaporation, but their interaction was not significant (p = 0.26). In terms of surface crusts, silty loamy soils resulted in harder and more solid crusts in comparison with other textures. In contrast, crust formation in sandy soils was almost negligible, increasing their susceptibility to wind erosion risk. These results can support local municipalities in the development of a local plan against wind erosion phenomena in agricultural areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Management Impacts on Soil Properties and Soil Erosion Processes)

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