The Effect of Shallow Tillage on Soil Erosion in a Semi-Arid Vineyard

Soil erosion has been considered a threat for semi-arid lands due to the removal of solid materials by water and wind. Although water erosion is currently considered the most important process of soil degradation, a growing interest has been drawn to the impact of soil tillage. Although numerous studies on tillage erosion have been carried out on arable land using a moldboard plow, a chisel, and a tandem disc for different crops, there are no studies on the effect of shallow tillage on soil redistribution in vineyards. The aim of this work was to evaluate the soil tillage erosion rate in a vineyard using a 13C natural abundance tracer. A strip of soil (C3-C soil) was removed, mixed with C4-C tracer, and replaced. After the installation of the strip, tillage (upslope in one inter-row and downslope in the other inter-row) was performed with a cultivator and soil was collected along the slope with an interval of 0.2 m from the C4-C strip. Soil organic carbon and δ13C were measured and the total mass of translocated soil (T) soil was calculated. The net effect of tillage after two consecutive operations (downslope and upslope tillage) was a T of 49.3 ± 4.2 kg m−1. The estimated annual erosion rate due to tillage in the studied vineyard was 9.5 ± 1.2 Mg ha−1year−1. The contribution of the soil tillage erosion rate was compared with that of water erosion in the same vineyard, and we conclude that tillage is a threat to soil degradation.

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Soil erosion controlled by biota along a climate gradient in Chile

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10817 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nicolás Riveras ◽

Kristina Witzgall ◽

Victoria Rodríguez ◽

Peter Kühn ◽

Carsten W. Mueller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Biological Soil Crust ◽

Environmental Filtering ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Rainfall Simulation ◽

Soil Erodibility ◽

Rainfall Gradient ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid

Soil erosion is one of the main problems in soil degradation nowadays and is widely distributed in many landscapes worldwide. Particularly water erosion is widespread and determined by rain erosivity, soil erodibility, topographic factors and the management carried out to mitigate this phenomenon. Although this process is mostly known as a consequence of human management such as agriculture or forestry, it is a process that also occurs naturally, being one of the factors that regulate the shape of the landscape.One of the main agents that stabilize the soil surface is biota and its activity, either in the form of plants, microorganisms or as an assemblage in the form of a biological soil crust (biocrusts). However, there are limited studies about how and what extent biota drives soil-stabilizing processes. With particular view on the impact of biocrusts on soil erosion, most studies have been carried out in arid and semi-arid regions, so its influence under other climates is largely unknown.This study focuses on the influence of biota on soil erosion in a temperature and rainfall gradient, covering four climate zones (arid, semi-arid, mediterranean and humid) with very limited human intervention. Other variables such as the origin of the geological formation, geographical longitude and glacial influence were kept constant for all study sites. The effect of vegetation (biocrusts) and its abundance, microbiology and terrain parameters are investigated using rainfall simulation experiments under controlled conditions and by a physico-chemical evaluation of the soil, surface runoff, percolation and sediment discharge, in order to determine the different environmental filtering effects that the soil develops under different climatic conditions.It is expected that as vegetation vigor and cover increase, soil erodibility will decrease. The biocrust is the protagonist of this stabilization in conditions of low pedological development and will become secondary as edaphoclimatic conditions favor the colonization of plants.The results of this study will help to achieve a better understanding of the role of biota in soil erosion control and will clarify its influence on soil losses under different climate and slope conditions. Analyses are currently ongoing and first results of our work will be presented at the EGU 2020.

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Management-induced soil water erosion and nutrient losses in different land use in Mediterranean environment

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1151 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Igor Bogunovic ◽

Leon Josip Telak ◽

Paulo Pereira

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Rainfall Simulation ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

Olive Orchard

Soil erosion by water is one of the most important degradation processes. Land use has important effects on soil properties, therefore it is key to identify the type of management that have more impacts and find solutions to mitigate it. In order to understand the effects of land use management on soil and soil erosion in the Istria region (Croatia), we studied the impacts of different agriculture practices (vineyard, cropland, and olive orchard) on soil properties and runoff. The simulated rainfall was carried out at 58 mm h&#8722;1 in the summer of 2018 (30% soil water content) for 30 min on 0.785 m2 circular plots. The results showed that bulk density was significantly higher in cropland plots than in the vineyard and olive orchard. Soil organic matter, mean weight diameter, and aggregate stability were significantly higher in olive orchard plots than in the vineyard and cropland. Runoff and sediment losses were higher in olive orchard compared to vineyard plots. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus losses were highest in olive orchard plots with 3.9 kg ha-1, 405.2 g ha-1 and 73.6 g ha-1, respectively, while lower values were measured in the vineyard plots, where nutrients losses were lower with 0.9 kg ha-1, 73.8 g ha-1 and 6.5 g ha-1, respectively. No runoff was observed in cropland plots. Even with the highest measured values of runoff and erosion in the herbicide treated olive orchard, results indicate that both herbicide application and tillage represent a threat to the sustainability of Istrian soils. Vegetation cover on cropland reduces the runoff generation indicating the need for adoption of conservation strategies. In current management, vegetation removal should be avoided since it contributes to practice to reduce nutrient losses and increase the sustainability of the soils.&#160;Keywords: Soil water erosion, Soil tillage, Rainfall simulation, Agriculture land management, Mediterranean&#160;Acknowledgements&#160;This work was supported by Croatian Science Foundation through the project "Soil erosion and degradation in Croatia" (UIP-2017-05-7834) (SEDCRO).

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Study of soil erosion risks using RUSLE Model and remote sensing: case of the Bouregreg watershed (Morocco)

Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences ◽

10.5194/piahs-383-159-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 383 ◽

pp. 159-162

Author(s):

Fatima Hara ◽

Mohammed Achab ◽

Anas Emran ◽

Gil Mahe

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Distribution Map ◽

Average Annual Rate ◽

The North ◽

Spatial Distribution Map ◽

North Western ◽

Very High ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. The Bouregreg watershed is located to the north-western center of Morocco, characterized by a semi-arid climate. It covers a total area of approximately 10 000 km2. This basin is a very sensitive area to water erosion. This causes the degradation of its vegetation cover and its land. The most sensitive and poorly protected soils erode much more easily and lose their fertility.The objective of this work is to quantify soil losses by water erosion in the Bouregreg watershed using the Revised Universal Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Geographic Information Systems. The average annual rate of soil erosion in the Bouregreg watrershed are estimated at 20 t ha−1 yr−1. The spatial distribution map of soil erosion show that 71 % of the total area has low risk of soil erosion (<3 t ha−1 yr−1), while 28 % of the study area shows moderate to high risk of erosion (20–60 t ha−1 yr−1). Areas of very high risk of erosion are also present in some sectors of the watershed covering 1 % of the total surface.

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Prediction of future development of soil water erosion in small agricultural chatchment

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-4990 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Silvia Kohnová ◽

Zuzana Németová ◽

Zuzana Sabová

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Water ◽

Future Development ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Land Use Management ◽

Rainfall Events ◽

The Future

It is well known that the impact of climate change affects various areas such as hydroclimatical factors which can cause increased occurrence of heavy precipitation events, ice melting, rising temperature or sea-level as a consequence of the global warming. It is assumed that the average surface temperature on Earth has increased by more than 1&#176; Celsius since 1880. Climate change of the Earth has changed naturally over the past 650.000 years as a result of external factors that impact the climate. Despite of this fact, over the last 100 years is global warming strongly accelerated by different kind of human activities. One of those activities represents inappropriate land use management which is directly connected with soil degradation and soil erosion as the major threat of global soil degradation. The study presents the assessment of the future development of soil water erosion processes in one small agricultural catchment located in the Slovak Republic. The calculations were done based on the long-term simulation using the event and physically-based soil erosion model and one-hour rainfall events. The model used was calibrated and validated in the previous studies. The period time analysed covers 80 years, i.e., from 2020 until 2100. From the period the years where the most intensive rainfall events have occurred were chosen. The rainfall events were determined by climate CLM model. In order to compare the suitability of land-use management, three scenarios were created. They include three different types of land cover, i.e., agricultural crops (wheat and corn) and grassland. The modelled results show development of soil erosion in the future period up to 2100 together with the comparison of land use management in the area under research. The study predicts the future development of soil water erosion where the short term extreme rainfall events play key element as a crucial factor in the soil erosion assessment processes.&#160;

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Understanding Indigenous Farming Systems in Response to Climate Change: An Investigation into Soil Erosion in the Mountainous Regions of Central Vietnam

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10155091 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (15) ◽

pp. 5091

Author(s):

Chuong Van Huynh ◽

Tung Gia Pham ◽

Tan Quang Nguyen ◽

Linh Hoang Khanh Nguyen ◽

Phuong Thi Tran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Erosion Rate ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Soil Erosion Rate ◽

Central Vietnam ◽

The Impact

Soil erosion is a considerable concern in the upland areas of Central Vietnam. This situation is most serious in regions, where the terrain is sloped and subjected to heavy rainfall. Our research was conducted in a mountainous area, belonging to Central Vietnam, the area of Song Kon commune in the Dong Giang district. The objective of this study is first to estimate the impact of soil erosion risk in these areas, and second to assess the capacity of farming systems which are based on indigenous knowledge (IK) to respond to soil erosion. Our data were collected by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and processed using Geographical Information System (GIS) methods. We then interpreted this research using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) in order to calculate the soil erosion rate. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) were also used as measurements to compare the difference of land surface covers between different farming systems. The results showed that the lowest soil erosion rate was found in the narrow valley regions, which are populated by both agricultural and residential areas. On the other hand, soil erosion was extremely high in the more northerly quadrant of our research area. Our findings also indicate that local farmers are highly aware of soil erosion, which has positively influenced the adoption of adaptation measures (AMs) in their agricultural activities. The most common AMs are as follows: changes in cropping patterns, the adjustments of their planting calendars, the use of native varieties, and intercropping methods. These AMs are mediated by the cultural observances of the local ethnic minority peoples in relation to their IK. We have concluded that when farmers apply IK in their farming systems, the soil erosion rate tends to decrease as compared with non-indigenous knowledge (NIK) practices. We hope to bring a better understanding of the processes that shape farmers’ AMs and thereby to develop well-targeted adaptation policies that can then be applied at the local level. Our findings may be instrumental in future adaptation planning and policies in regard to climate change, and that they will help to increase awareness not only in matters of the soil erosion but also in other interconnected aspects of climate change in these areas.

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Soil Erosion Assessment and Prediction in Urban Landscapes: A New G2 Model Approach

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11094154 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 4154

Author(s):

Siniša Polovina ◽

Boris Radić ◽

Ratko Ristić ◽

Jovan Kovačević ◽

Vukašin Milčanović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Land Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Slight Reduction ◽

Master Plan ◽

Time Periods ◽

The Impact

Soil erosion is a global problem that negatively affects the quality of the environment, the availability of natural resources, as well as the safety of inhabitants. Soil erosion threatens the functioning of urban areas, which was the reason for choosing the territory of the Master Plan of Belgrade (Serbia) as the research area. The calculation of soil erosion loss was analyzed using the G2 erosion model. The model belongs to a group of empirical models and is based on the synthesis of the equation from the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Erosion Potential Method (EPM). The estimation of soil degradation was analyzed in two time periods (2001 and 2019), which represent the time boundaries of the management of the Master Plan of Belgrade. The novel approach used in this research is based on using the land cover inventory as a dynamic indicator of the urbanization process. Land cover was identified using remote sensing, machine learning techniques, and the random forest algorithm applied to multispectral satellite images of the Landsat mission in combination with spectral indices. Climatic parameters were analyzed on the basis of data from meteorological stations (first scenario, i.e., 2001), as well as on simulations of changes based on climate scenario RCP8.5 (representative concentration pathways) concerning the current condition of the land cover (second scenario). A comparative analysis of the two time periods identified a slight reduction in total soil loss. For the first period, the average soil loss value is 4.11 t·ha−1·y−1. The analysis of the second period revealed an average value of 3.63 t·ha−1·y−1. However, the increase in non-porous surfaces has led to a change in the focus of soil degradation. Increased average soil loss as one of the catalysts of torrential flood frequencies registered on natural and semi-natural areas were 43.29% and 16.14%, respectively. These results are a significant contribution to the study of soil erosion in urban conditions under the impact of climate change.

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Global-scale quantification of organic and inorganic carbon mobilisation via wind- and water-driven erosion

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11206 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Turnbull-Lloyd ◽

John Wainwright

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Inorganic Carbon ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

Soil carbon content is greatly affected by soil degradation &#8211; in particular erosional processes &#8211; which cannot be ignored in the context of the global C cycle. Soil degradation, driven largely by wind and water erosion, affects up to 66% of Earth&#8217;s terrestrial surface. Understanding how soil degradation affects soil organic carbon (OC) and soil inorganic carbon (IC) stocks is an essential component of understanding global C cycling and global C budgets, and is essential for improved C management and climate-change mitigation policies.In this study, we quantify the distribution of soil OC and soil IC (using Harmonized World Soil Database v1.2), and estimate the amount of OC and IC that is mobilised by wind- and water-driven erosion. &#160;For water-driven erosion, we estimate spatially variable water-driven erosion rates for different land-use systems (using the Land Use Systems of the World database) and degradation severities (using the GLASOD map of soil degradation), using values obtained from a meta-analysis of soil erosion rates. We account for potential uncertainty in our estimates of soil erosion rates by undertaking stochastic simulations. For wind-driven soil erosion rates we use modelled dust emission rates from AeroCom Phase III model experiments for the 2010 reference year, for 15 participating models. Global surface soil stocks of carbon (in the top 1-m of soil) are 1218 Pg OC and 452 Pg IC, and of this, 651 Pg OC and 306 Pg IC is located in degrading soils. We estimate that global water-driven soil erosion is 217.54 Pg yr-1 which results in the mobilisation of 4.82 Pg OC yr-1. A minimum estimate of soil IC mobilisation by water erosion is 0.45 Pg IC yr-1. AeroCom model ensemble results indicate that 1.58 Pg dust (ensemble mean) is emitted for the 2010 AeroCom reference year, containing 0.0082 Pg OC and 0.0121 Pg IC. &#160;We found that patterns of wind- and water-driven mobilisation of OC and IC are completely different. The total amount of soil OC and soil IC mobilised by water-driven erosion is much greater than wind-driven erosion, and whereas mobilisation of OC dominates carbon mobilisation via water-driven erosion, IC dominates carbon mobilisation in dust emissions. Across all land-use types, water-driven carbon mobilisation is higher than wind. In particular, water-driven SOC mobilisation is highest in cropland (4.30 Pg OC yr-1) where high erosion rates coincide with average SOC content of 68.4 tonnes ha-1. SIC mobilisation follows the same pattern in relation to land use, with highest water-driven mobilisation in cropland (0.33 Pg IC yr-1). &#160;Future land-use change has great potential to affect global soil carbon stocks further, especially with increases in the severity of soil degradation and consequential mobilisation of OC and IC by wind-and water-driven erosion as human pressures on agricultural systems increase.&#160;

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Soil erosion leads to significant mobilisation of terrestrial organic and inorganic carbon

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11546 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Turnbull ◽

John Wainwright

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Degradation ◽

Inorganic Carbon ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Land Use Systems ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Erosion Rates

Soil carbon content is greatly affected by soil degradation &#8211; in particular erosional processes &#8211; which cannot be ignored in the context of the global C cycle. Soil degradation, driven largely by wind and water erosion, affects up to 66% of Earth&#8217;s terrestrial surface. Understanding how soil degradation affects soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) stocks is an essential component of understanding global C cycling and global C budgets, and is essential for improved C management and climate-change mitigation policies.In this study, we quantify the distribution of SOC and SIC, and estimate their combined effects on carbon mobilisation via water and wind-driven erosion. We estimate spatially variable water-driven erosion rates for different land-use systems and degradation severities using values obtained from a meta-analysis of soil erosion rates, and undertake stochastic simulations to account for possible uncertainty in our estimates. For wind-driven soil erosion rates we use modelled dust emission rates from AeroCom Phase III model experiments for the 2010 control year, for 14 different models. We use the Harmonized World Soil Database v1.2 to calculate SOC and SIC stocks, the GLASOD map of soil degradation to estimate soil degradation severities and the Land Use Systems of the World database to estimate water-driven erosion rates associated with different land-use systems. &#160;We find that 651 Pg SOC and 306 Pg SIC (in the top 1-m of soil) is located in degrading soils. We estimate global water-driven soil erosion to be 216.4 Pg yr-1, which results in the mobilisation of ~2.9536 Pg OC yr-1. Accounting for the enrichment of organic carbon in eroded sediment increases these estimates up to 12.2 Pg SOC yr-1. A minimum estimate of SIC mobilisation by water erosion is ~0.5592 Pg IC yr-1. Dust emission model ensemble results indicate that ~19.8 Pg soil is eroded for the 2010 AeroCom reference year, with ~11.1 Pg deposited via dry deposition and ~7.2 &#160;Pg deposited via wet deposition. The total amount of SOC and SIC mobilised by water-driven erosion is greater than wind-driven erosion, and the spatial patterns of SIC and SOC mobilisation by wind and water vary considerably. Across all land-use types, water-driven carbon mobilisation is higher than wind. Water-driven SOC mobilisation is highest in cropland (~ 2.6602 Pg OC yr-1) where high erosion rates coincide with average SOC content of 68.4 tonnes ha-1. SIC mobilisation follows the same pattern in relation to land use, with highest water-driven mobilisation in cropland (~0.4660 Pg IC yr-1) and highest wind-driven mobilisation in bare areas (0.05 Pg IC yr-1). Overall, wind-driven erosion mobilises more IC than OC.Future land-use change has great potential to affect global soil carbon stocks further, especially with increases in the severity of soil degradation as human pressures on agricultural systems increase.

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Soil erosion studies should consider the effect of water erosion on tillage erosion

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation ◽

10.2489/jswc.72.2.38a ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

pp. 38A-41A ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ji-feng Deng ◽

Yan-li Jing ◽

Da-chuan Yin

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Effect Of Water ◽

Tillage Erosion

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Temporal changes in soil water erosion on sloping vineyards in the Ruwer- Mosel Valley. The impact of age and plantation works in young and old vines

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics ◽

10.1515/johh-2017-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 402-409 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jesús Rodrigo-Comino ◽

Christine Brings ◽

Thomas Iserloh ◽

Markus C. Casper ◽

Manuel Seeger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Sustainable Management ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Overland Flow ◽

Water Erosion ◽

Management Systems ◽

Water Losses ◽

The Impact ◽

Effect Of Age ◽

Soil And Water

AbstractIt is well known that rainfall causes soil erosion in sloping German vineyards, but little is known about the effect of age of plantation on soil erosion, which is relevant to understand and design sustainable management systems. In the Ruwer-Mosel valley, young (1- to 4-years) and old (35- to 38-years after the plantation) vineyards were selected to assess soil and water losses by using two-paired Gerlach troughs over three years (2013-2015). In the young vineyard, the overland flow was 107 L m-1and soil loss 1000 g m-1in the year of the plantation, and decreased drastically over the two subsequent years (19 L m-1; 428 g m-1). In the old vineyard, soil (from 1081 g m-1to 1308 g m-1) and water (from 67 L m-1to 102 L m-1) losses were 1.2 and 1.63 times higher, respectively, than in the young vineyard.

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