scholarly journals Soil Erodibility Analysis and Mapping in Gilgel Gibe-I Catchment, Omo-Gibe River Basin, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gizaw Tesfaye ◽  
Tolesa Ameyu
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Soil Erodibility ◽  
Soil Permeability ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Fine Grained Soil ◽  
Texture Class

The soil erosion factor, erodibility, measures the susceptibility of soil particles to transport and detachment by erosive agents. Soil erosion and sedimentation models use soil properties and erodibility as the main input. However, in developing countries such as Ethiopia, data on soil erosion and soil-related properties are limited. For this reason, different researchers use different data sources that are adopted from a large scale and come with very different results. For this reason, the study was proposed to analyze and map the soil erodibility of the catchment area using primary data. 80 mixed soil samples were taken from the catchment with GPS coordinates and analyzed in the laboratory for soil texture class and soil organic matter. Accordingly, sandy clay loam is a dominant soil texture class covering 65% of the catchment area with 2.46% average soil organic matter, which is high in the mountainous part and lower in the lower valley of the catchment area. Most of the catchment area, which accounts for more than 78% of the area, was dominated by medium- or coarse-grained soil structure, and in the upper parts of the catchment area, 21% of the catchment area was covered with fine-grained soil structure. Similarly, 66% of the catchment area was covered with slow to moderate soil permeability, followed by slow soil permeability covering 21% of the area. Finally, the soil erodibility value of the Gilgel Gibe-I catchment was determined to be 0.046 ton h·MJ−1·mm−1 with a range of 0.032 to 0.063 ton·h·MJ−1·mm−1. In general, soils with slow permeability, high silt content, and medium- to fine-grained soil structures are the most erodible. They are conveniently separate; they tend to crust and form high drainage. Knowing this, the catchment has a moderate soil erodibility value. Thus, the study recommends evidence of land cover and the protection of arable land through suitable soil and water protection measures to improve soil permeability and soil structure.

RESTORING PRODUCTIVITY TO AN ARTIFICIALLY ERODED DARK BROWN CHERNOZEMIC SOIL UNDER DRYLAND CONDITIONS

1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. DORMAAR ◽  
C. W. LINDWALL ◽  
G. C. KOZUB
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Sweet Clover ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Structure Characteristics

A field was artificially eroded by levelling in 1957 and then continuously cropped to barley for 7 yr. Subsequently, a wheat-fallow experiment was conducted from 1965 to 1979 to determine the effects of four fertilizer treatments and green manure (yellow sweet clover) on restoring the productivity to soil that had been "eroded" to various depths. After 22 yr and 14 crops, the productivity of the land from which soil was removed has been improved but not fully restored. Although green manuring with yellow sweet clover improved soil structure, wheat yields were not improved because of competition for soil moisture and poorer in-crop weed control in this part of the rotation. The addition of 45 kg N plus 90 kg P2O5 per hectare in each crop year to sites from which 8–10, 10–20, or 46 + cm of soil had been removed resulted in yield increases of 18, 46, and 70%, respectively, over the unfertilized check of each treatment; the average yields were 104, 91, and 70%, respectively, of the undisturbed, unfertilized (check) treatment. On "erosion" treatments where only 8–10 cm of soil were removed, 45 kg N plus 22 kg P2O5 per hectare were sufficient to restore the productivity. Precipitation apparently had a greater effect than fertilizer application on wheat yields. The loss of organic matter and associated soil structure characteristics seemed to be critical factors contributing to yield losses associated with soil erosion. These results show that it is more practical to use management practices that prevent soil erosion than to adopt the practices required to restore eroded soil. Key words: Soil erosion, topsoil loss, water-stable aggregates, soil organic matter, green manure, precipitation

scholarly journals Centrifuge testing of soil–structure interaction effects on cyclic failure potential of fine-grained soil

2021 ◽  
pp. 875529302098197
Author(s):  
Jason M Buenker ◽  
Scott J Brandenberg ◽  
Jonathan P Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Soil Structure ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Soil Structure Interaction ◽  
Centrifuge Testing ◽  
Geotechnical Centrifuge ◽  
Structure Interaction ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Stiffness Properties ◽  
Fine Grained Soil ◽  
Strip Footings

We describe two experiments performed on a 9-m-radius geotechnical centrifuge to evaluate dynamic soil–structure interaction effects on the cyclic failure potential of fine-grained soil. Each experiment incorporated three different structures with a range of mass and stiffness properties. Structures were founded on strip footings embedded in a thin layer of sand overlying lightly overconsolidated low-plasticity fine-grained soil. Shaking was applied to the base of the model container, consisting of scaled versions of recorded earthquake ground motions, sweep motions, and step waves. Data recorded during testing were processed and published on the platform DesignSafe. We describe the model configuration, sensor information, shaking events, and data processing procedures and present selected processed data to illustrate key model responses and to provide a benchmark for data use.

scholarly journals Soil degradation: a problem threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 87-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.B. Liu ◽  
X.Y. Zhang ◽  
Y.X. Wang ◽  
Y.Y. Sui ◽  
S.L. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Soil Degradation ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Grain Production

Soil degradation that results from erosion, losses of organic matter and nutrients, or soil compaction are of great concern in every agricultural region of the world. The control of soil erosion and loss of organic matter has been proposed as critical to agricultural and environmental sustainability of Northeast China. This region is bread basket of China where the fertile and productive soils, Mollisols (also called Black soils), are primarily distributed. In this paper, we introduce the importance of Northeast China’s grain production to China, and describe the changes of sown acreage and grain production in past decades. This paper also summarizes the distribution, area and intensity of water erosion, changes in the number of gullies and gully density, thickness of top soil layer, soil organic matter content, bulk density, field water holding capacity, and infiltration rates; the number of soil microorganism and main enzyme activities from soil erosion in the region are also summarized. The moderately and severely water-eroded area accounted for 31.4% and 7.9% of the total, and annual declining rate is 1.8%. Erosion rate is 1.24–2.41 mm/year, and soil loss in 1°, 5° and 15° sloping farmlands is 3 t/ha/year, 78 t/ha/year and 220.5 t/ha/year, respectively. SOC content of uncultivated soil was nearly twice that of soil with a 50-year cultivation history, and the average annual declining rate of soil organic matter was 0.5%. Proper adoption of crop rotation can increase or maintain the quantity and quality of soil organic matter, and improve soil chemical and physical properties. Proposed strategies for erosion control, in particular how tillage management, terraces and strip cultivation, or soil amendments contribute to maintain or restore the productivity of severely eroded farmland, are discussed in the context of agricultural sustainability with an emphasis on the Chinese Mollisols.

How relationships between soil organic matter parameters and soil structure characteristics are affected by the long-term fertilization of a sandy soil

Geoderma ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 342 ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Šimanský ◽  
Martin Juriga ◽  
Jerzy Jonczak ◽  
Łukasz Uzarowicz ◽  
Wojciech Stępień
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Structure Characteristics

Measuring Soil Loss and Subsequent Nutrient and Organic Matter Loss on Farmland

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Ferro ◽  
Vincenzo Bagarello
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Surface Erosion ◽  
Rill Erosion

Field plots are often used to obtain experimental data (soil loss values corresponding to different climate, soil, topographic, crop, and management conditions) for predicting and evaluating soil erosion and sediment yield. Plots are used to study physical phenomena affecting soil detachment and transport, and their sizes are determined according to the experimental objectives and the type of data to be obtained. Studies on interrill erosion due to rainfall impact and overland flow need small plot width (2–3 m) and length (< 10 m), while studies on rill erosion require plot lengths greater than 6–13 m. Sites must be selected to represent the range of uniform slopes prevailing in the farming area under consideration. Plots equipped to study interrill and rill erosion, like those used for developing the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), measure erosion from the top of a slope where runoff begins; they must be wide enough to minimize the edge or border effects and long enough to develop downslope rills. Experimental stations generally include bounded runoff plots of known rea, slope steepness, slope length, and soil type, from which both runoff and soil loss can be monitored. Once the boundaries defining the plot area are fixed, a collecting equipment must be used to catch the plot runoff. A conveyance system (H-flume or pipe) carries total runoff to a unit sampling the sediment and a storage system, such as a sequence of tanks, in which sediments are accumulated. Simple methods have been developed for estimating the mean sediment concentration of all runoff stored in a tank by using the vertical concentration profile measured on a side of the tank. When a large number of plots are equipped, the sampling of suspension and consequent oven-drying in the laboratory are highly time-consuming. For this purpose, a sampler that can extract a column of suspension, extending from the free surface to the bottom of the tank, can be used. For large plots, or where runoff volumes are high, a divisor that splits the flow into equal parts and passes one part in a storage tank as a sample can be used. Examples of these devices include the Geib multislot divisor and the Coshocton wheel. Specific equipment and procedures must be employed to detect the soil removed by rill and gully erosion. Because most of the soil organic matter is found close to the soil surface, erosion significantly decreases soil organic matter content. Several studies have demonstrated that the soil removed by erosion is 1.3–5 times richer in organic matter than the remaining soil. Soil organic matter facilitates the formation of soil aggregates, increases soil porosity, and improves soil structure, facilitating water infiltration. The removal of organic matter content can influence soil infiltration, soil structure, and soil erodibility.

scholarly journals Changes in Soil Structure and Soil Organic Matter Due to Different Severities of Fire

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Šimanský
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Size Fraction ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand

Abstract The effect of different fire severity on the changes of the soil organic matter (SOM) and soil structure was evaluated. Soil samples were collected (May 2010) in the locality of Nitra-Dražovce (Slovakia) from the following plots: 1) control (unburned place), 2) low severity of fire and 3) higher severity of fire. The results showed that the content of water-stable microaggregates (WSAmi) increased by 20% in the area with a low severity of fire, but on the other hand, it decreased by 42% in the area with the higher severity of fire in comparison to control. The higher severity of fire resulted in a decrease of smaller size fractions of water-stable macroaggregates (WSAma) (0.5−0.25) and a low severity of fire resulted in the decrease of WSAma 2−0.5 mm. On the other hand, the content of WSAma in the size fraction >5 mm was higher by 54% and by 32% in the lower and higher severity of fire, respectively, than in unburned soil. The higher severity of fire had a more positive effect on increases of the structure coefficient and coefficient of aggregate stability, as well as on the decrease of the vulnerability coefficient compared to the low severity of fire. After burning, the contents of soil organic carbon (Corg) and labile carbon were significantly increased by the severity of fire. However, the low severity of fire affected more markedly the increase of hot water-soluble and cold water-soluble carbon than the higher severity of fire. After burning and due to the severity of fire, both the carbon of humic and carbon of fulvic acids ratios and SOM stability increased. The parameters of SOM due to fire significantly increased also in WSA with the least changes in WSAmi. The results showed that a low severity of fire increased Corg mainly in WSAma >2mm and WSAmi, whereas high severity fire increased Corg content in the smaller fraction of WSAma.

Non-living soil organic matter: what do we know about it?

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 667 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O. Skjemstad ◽  
L. J. Janik ◽  
J. A. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Mineral Associations ◽  
Considerable Work

Summary. Non-living soil organic matter is a small but critical component of soils contributing to soil structure, fertility and a range of other chemical, physical and biological functions. Although considerable work has contributed to our knowledge of its distribution, chemical structure, mineral associations and turnover, there is still little information on which fractions or pools of non-living soil organic matter are implicated in various soil functions and to what extent. This review paper summarises some of what is known about the distribution, chemistry, mineral associations and soil structure, turnover and the measurement of non-living soil organic matter, with particular emphasis on Australia. It also discusses some of the difficulties in using current methods for describing the function of this material in soil.

scholarly journals Mass-movement and flood-induced deposits in Lake Ledro, southern Alps, Italy: implications for Holocene palaeohydrology and natural hazards

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 825-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Simonneau ◽  
E. Chapron ◽  
B. Vannière ◽  
S. B. Wirth ◽  
A. Gilli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Flood Events ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Thickness ◽  
The Holocene

Abstract. High-resolution seismic profiles and sediment cores from Lake Ledro combined with soil and riverbed samples from the lake's catchment area are used to assess the recurrence of natural hazards (earthquakes and flood events) in the southern Italian Alps during the Holocene. Two well-developed deltas and a flat central basin are identified on seismic profiles in Lake Ledro. Lake sediments have been finely laminated in the basin since 9000 cal. yr BP and frequently interrupted by two types of sedimentary events (SEs): light-coloured massive layers and dark-coloured graded beds. Optical analysis (quantitative organic petrography) of the organic matter present in soil, riverbed and lacustrine samples together with lake sediment bulk density and grain-size analysis illustrate that light-coloured layers consist of a mixture of lacustrine sediments and mainly contain algal particles similar to the ones observed in background sediments. Light-coloured layers thicker than 1.5 cm in the main basin of Lake Ledro are synchronous to numerous coeval mass-wasting deposits remoulding the slopes of the basin. They are interpreted as subaquatic mass-movements triggered by historical and pre-historical regional earthquakes dated to AD 2005, AD 1891, AD 1045 and 1260, 2545, 2595, 3350, 3815, 4740, 7190, 9185 and 11 495 cal. yr BP. Dark-coloured SEs develop high-amplitude reflections in front of the deltas and in the deep central basin. These beds are mainly made of terrestrial organic matter (soils and lignocellulosic debris) and are interpreted as resulting from intense hyperpycnal flood event. Mapping and quantifying the amount of soil material accumulated in the Holocene hyperpycnal flood deposits of the sequence allow estimating that the equivalent soil thickness eroded over the catchment area reached up to 5 mm during the largest Holocene flood events. Such significant soil erosion is interpreted as resulting from the combination of heavy rainfall and snowmelt. The recurrence of flash flood events during the Holocene was, however, not high enough to affect pedogenesis processes and highlight several wet regional periods during the Holocene. The Holocene period is divided into four phases of environmental evolution. Over the first half of the Holocene, a progressive stabilization of the soils present through the catchment of Lake Ledro was associated with a progressive reforestation of the area and only interrupted during the wet 8.2 event when the soil destabilization was particularly important. Lower soil erosion was recorded during the mid-Holocene climatic optimum (8000–4200 cal. yr BP) and associated with higher algal production. Between 4200 and 3100 cal. yr BP, both wetter climate and human activities within the drainage basin drastically increased soil erosion rates. Finally, from 3100 cal. yr BP to the present-day, data suggest increasing and changing human land use.

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