THE AMELIORATIVE CONDITION OF THE IRRIGATED LIGHT SEROZEM OF THE TURKESTAN REGION

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that the large-scale irrigation of cotton fields in arid and desert areas of the Turkestan region inevitably leads to the processes of soil salinization. Salinity is a global problem for humanity. Soil salinization is associated with drainage problems, improper use of water resources, growing demand for agricultural products, which leads to increased pressure on agricultural land. In this regard, this paper is directed at investigating the soil salinity of the irrigated light serozem in a cotton farm of Southern Kazakhstan (now Turkestan region) under the vertical drainage, which would provide the necessary background for the reconstruction of the collection-drainage system of the whole region, thus contributing to the increasing the net yield and the quality of the row cotton, as well as preventing soil deterioration. The leading method for studying the issues of the article was the dispersion method, according to which the salinity of soils was determined by seasons. The main objectives were studying the dynamics of salts changes seasonally and timely under the vertical drainage and studying the spatial distribution of salts in the cotton-based farm. The results showed that in 2014 there was recorded a positive dynamic of changes compared to 2012. In spring 2014, the area under medium saline soil in the 0-20 cm layer decreased from 79.5 to 57.7 %; the weakly saline soil area increased from 20.5 to 34.6 %. In the autumn and winter periods, the area of strongly saline soils decreased from 25.6 to 14.1 %. The area of non-saline soils was recorded at 7.7 %. The results showed that changes in the amount of the ions, both vertically and seasonally, occur with the transport of salts along with soil profile under the influence of temperature gradients and the level of groundwater, i.e., in spring from up to down, and in autumn and winter, contrary from down to up. The theoretical and practical value of the study lies in the fact that the material for improving, preventing the salinization of soils will lead to an increase in the general level of ecological safety of the region and country in general.

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Salt affected soils under cotton-based irrigation agriculture in southern Kazakhstan

Zemljiste i biljka ◽

10.5937/zembilj2002001t ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 69 (2) ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samat Tanirbergenov ◽

Elmira Saljnikov ◽

Beibut Suleimenov ◽

Abdulla Saparov ◽

Dragan Cakmak

Keyword(s):

Experimental Data ◽

Soil Salinity ◽

Saline Soil ◽

Drainage System ◽

Temperature Gradients ◽

Saline Soils ◽

Salt Affected Soils ◽

Autumn And Winter ◽

Irrigation Agriculture ◽

Irrigated Soils

Soil salinity of the irrigated soils in a cotton farm of Kazakhstan was studied aimed to provide background for reconstruction of collection-drainage system of whole region and preventing soil deterioration. The experimental data obtained for 2012-2014 were plotted for the development of the map of soil salinity (1:10000) seasonally and vertically. In spring 2014 the area under medium saline soil in 0-20 cm layer decreased from 79.5 to 57.7%; the area of weakly saline soils increased from 20.5 to 34.6%. In autumn and winter periods the area of strongly saline soils decreased from 25.6 to 14.1%. The area of non-saline soils was 7.7%. The changes in the ions amount, both vertically and seasonally, occur with transport of salts along soil profile driven by temperature gradients and the level of ground water, i.e., in spring from up to down, and in autumn and winter, contrary from down to up.

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Hunting for Information in Streamflow Signatures to Improve Modelled Drainage

Water ◽

10.3390/w14010110 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 110

Author(s):

Raphael Schneider ◽

Simon Stisen ◽

Anker Lajer Højberg

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Drainage System ◽

Water Model ◽

Generation Process ◽

Hydrological Models ◽

Drainage Patterns ◽

Drain Flow ◽

Set Up

About half of the Danish agricultural land is drained artificially. Those drains, mostly in the form of tile drains, have a significant effect on the hydrological cycle. Consequently, the drainage system must also be represented in hydrological models that are used to simulate, for example, the transport and retention of chemicals. However, representation of drainage in large-scale hydrological models is challenging due to scale issues, lacking data on the distribution of drain infrastructure, and lacking drain flow observations. This calls for more indirect methods to inform such models. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that drain flow leaves a signal in streamflow signatures, as it represents a distinct streamflow generation process. Streamflow signatures are indices characterizing hydrological behaviour based on the hydrograph. Using machine learning regressors, we show that there is a correlation between signatures of simulated streamflow and simulated drain fraction. Based on these insights, signatures relevant to drain flow are incorporated in hydrological model calibration. A distributed coupled groundwater–surface water model of the Norsminde catchment, Denmark (145 km2) is set up. Calibration scenarios are defined with different objective functions; either using conventional stream flow metrics only, or a combination with hydrological signatures. We then evaluate the results from the different scenarios in terms of how well the models reproduce observed drain flow and spatial drainage patterns. Overall, the simulation of drain in the models is satisfactory. However, it remains challenging to find a direct link between signatures and an improvement in representation of drainage. This is likely attributable to model structural issues and lacking flexibility in model parameterization.

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Including hydrologic signatures in the calibration of a groundwater-surface water model to improve representation of artificial drain

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9283 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Simon Stisen ◽

Raphael Schneider ◽

Anker Lajer Højberg

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Groundwater Flow ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Drainage System ◽

Water Model ◽

Hydrological Models ◽

Drain Flow

About half of the Danish agricultural land is artificially drained to make land arable and increase crop yield. Those artificial drains, mostly in the form on tile drains, have a significant effect on the groundwater flow patterns and the whole water cycle. Consequently, the drainage system must also be represented in hydrological models that are used to understand and simulate, for example, recharge patterns, groundwater flow paths, or the transport and retention of nutrients. However, representation of drain in regional- and large-scale hydrological models is challenging due to i) issues with scale, ii) a lack of data on the distribution of the drain network, and iii) a lack of direct observations of drain flow. This calls for more indirect methods to inform such models.We assume that drain flow leaves a signal in certain hydrograph signatures, as it impacts the generation of streamflow. Based on a dataset of observed discharge covering all of Denmark, and simulation results from regional-scale hydrological models, we use machine learning regressors to shed light on possible correlations between hydrograph signatures and artificial drainage. Building up on this step, we run a series of calibration exercises on a hydrological model of the agriculturally dominated Norsminde catchment, Denmark (~100&#160;km2). The model is set up in the DHI MIKE SHE software, as distributed coupled groundwater-surface water models with a grid size of 100&#160;m. The different calibration exercises differed in the objective functions used: either we only use conventional stream flow metrics (KGE), or also include hydrograph signatures that showed sensitive towards drain flow in our regression analysis. We then evaluate the results from the different calibration exercises, in terms of how well the model reproduces directly observed drain flow, and spatial drainage patterns.Despite including hydrologic signatures in the calibration process, the representation of drain flow in large-scale models remains challenging. Eventually, the insight gained from this and similar studies will be incorporated in the National Water Resources Model for Denmark, to help improving national targeted regulation of nitrate application through fertilizers.

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Soil Salinity and Sodicity in Drylands: A Review of Causes, Effects, Monitoring, and Restoration Measures

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.712831 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Ilan Stavi ◽

Niels Thevs ◽

Simone Priori

Keyword(s):

Soil Salinity ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Soil Salinization ◽

Management Tool ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Saline Soils ◽

Chemical Restoration ◽

Irrigation Technologies ◽

Over Time

Soil salinization and sodification are common processes that particularly characterize drylands. These processes can be attributed either to natural conditions or anthropogenic activities. While natural causes include factors such as climate, lithology, topography, and pedology, human causes are mostly related to agricultural land-use, and specifically, to irrigated agriculture. The objective of this study was to thoroughly review this topic, while highlighting the major challenges and related opportunities. Over time, the extent of saline, sodic, and saline-sodic croplands has increased, resulting in accelerated land degradation and desertification, decreased agricultural productivity, and consequently jeopardizing environmental and food security. Mapping and monitoring saline soils is an important management tool, aimed at determining the extent and severity of salinization processes. Recent developments in advanced remote sensing methods have improved the efficacy of mapping and monitoring saline soils. Knowledge on prevention, mitigation, and recovery of soil salinity and sodicity has substantially grown over time. This knowledge includes advanced measures for salt flushing and leaching, water-saving irrigation technologies, precision fertilizer systems, chemical restoration, organic and microbial remediation, and phytoremediation of affected lands. Of a particular interest is the development of forestry-related means, with afforestation, reforestation, agroforestry, and silvopasture practices for the recovery of salt-affected soils. The forecasted expansion of drylands and aggravated drying of existing drylands due to climatic change emphasize the importance of this topic.

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Potential of halophytes in managing soil salinity and mitigating climate change for environmental sustainability

Environment Conservation Journal ◽

10.36953/ecj.2021.22312 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 103-110

Author(s):

Kathirvel Suganya ◽

Ramesh Poornima ◽

Paul Sebastian Selvaraj ◽

E Parameswari - ◽

P Kalaiselvi

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Soil Salinity ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Drainage System ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

High Energy ◽

Soil Salinization ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Land Utilization

Soil salinization is one of the foremost factors affecting global agricultural productivity. More than half billion hectares of agricultural land are unutilized due to excess saline condition. Hence, there is a great urge in exploring scientific interventions in restoring the saline affected areas and promote high productive and effective land utilization in order to respond to today's global concerns of food security. While a sound drainage system is required as a permanent solution to the soil salinity problem in order to regulate the water table, this option cannot be used in larger area with high energy and cost-intensity.Phytoremediation, a plant – based approach is one of the promising technology in enhanced dissolution of Ca levels along with sodium removal through cultivating suitable halophytes.During the process, the proliferation of roots, aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity and nutrient availability increases. These improvement in soil quality enables the growth of less tolerant crops, enhances the overall ecosystem and climatic conditions by increasing carbon sequestration. In this perspective, the chapter focuses on halophytes, its kinds, the effects of salinity on soil physical, chemical, biological health, the influence of halophytes in stress management and on the function of halophytes in carbon sequestration.

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Partnerships Generate Co-Benefits in Agricultural Stream Restoration (Canterbury, New Zealand)

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2020.1229632 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Catherine M. Febria ◽

Maggie Bayfield ◽

Kathryn E. Collins ◽

Hayley S. Devlin ◽

Brandon C. Goeller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Indigenous Rights ◽

Freshwater Ecosystem ◽

Reduced Pressure ◽

Ecosystem Integrity ◽

Riparian Management ◽

Scale Change ◽

Large Scale Change

In Aotearoa New Zealand, agricultural land-use intensification and decline in freshwater ecosystem integrity pose complex challenges for science and society. Despite riparian management programmes across the country, there is frustration over a lack in widespread uptake, upfront financial costs, possible loss in income, obstructive legislation and delays in ecological recovery. Thus, social, economic and institutional barriers exist when implementing and assessing agricultural freshwater restoration. Partnerships are essential to overcome such barriers by identifying and promoting co-benefits that result in amplifying individual efforts among stakeholder groups into coordinated, large-scale change. Here, we describe how initial progress by a sole farming family at the Silverstream in the Canterbury region, South Island, New Zealand, was used as a catalyst for change by the Canterbury Waterway Rehabilitation Experiment, a university-led restoration research project. Partners included farmers, researchers, government, industry, treaty partners (Indigenous rights-holders) and practitioners. Local capacity and capability was strengthened with practitioner groups, schools and the wider community. With partnerships in place, co-benefits included lowered costs involved with large-scale actions (e.g., earth moving), reduced pressure on individual farmers to undertake large-scale change (e.g., increased participation and engagement), while also legitimising the social contracts for farmers, scientists, government and industry to engage in farming and freshwater management. We describe contributions and benefits generated from the project and describe iterative actions that together built trust, leveraged and aligned opportunities. These actions were scaled from a single farm to multiple catchments nationally.

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Evaluation of the rainfall effectiveness for reclaim of saline soil by subsurface pipe drainage system in coastal saline regions of Hebei Province

CHINESE JOURNAL OF ECO-AGRICULTURE ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1011.2011.00409 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 409-414 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Feng-Jiao MA ◽

Li-Mei TAN ◽

Hui-Tao LIU ◽

Shu-Hui YU ◽

Hong-Juan LIU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saline Soil ◽

Drainage System ◽

Hebei Province

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Phosphorus Leaching Under Cut Grassland

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1999.0530 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 39 (12) ◽

pp. 63-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

B. L. Turner ◽

P. M. Haygarth

Keyword(s):

Surface Waters ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Algal Growth ◽

Soil Types ◽

P Fractions ◽

Inorganic P ◽

Potential Source ◽

Significant Mechanism ◽

Total P

Phosphorus (P) transfer from agricultural land to surface waters can contribute to eutrophication, excess algal growth and associated water quality problems. Grasslands have a high potential for P transfer, as they receive P inputs as mineral fertiliser and concentrates cycled through livestock manures. The transfer of P can occur through surface and subsurface pathways, although the capacity of most soils to fix inorganic P has meant that subsurface P transfer by leaching mechanisms has often been perceived as negligible. We investigated this using large-scale monolith lysimeters (135 cm deep, 80 cm diameter) to monitor leachate P under four grassland soil types. Leachate was collected during the 1997–98 drainage year and analysed for a range of P fractions. Mean concentrations of total P routinely exceeded 100 μg l−1 from all soil types and, therefore, exceeded P concentrations above which eutrophication and algal growth can occur. The majority of the leachate P was in algal-available Mo-reactive (inorganic) forms, although a large proportion occurred in unreactive (organic) forms. We suggest that subsurface transfer by leaching can represent a significant mechanism for agricultural P transfer from some soils and must be given greater consideration as a potential source of diffuse P pollution to surface waters.

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“Community Interests” and the Role of International Law in the Creation of a Global Market for Agricultural Land

10.1093/oso/9780198825210.003.0015 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jochen von Bernstorff

Keyword(s):

International Law ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Food Sovereignty ◽

Global Market ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Cultural Rights ◽

Land Grab ◽

Large Scale Land ◽

The One

The chapter explores the notion of “community interests” with regard to the global “land-grab” phenomenon. Over the last decade, a dramatic increase of foreign investment in agricultural land could be observed. Bilateral investment treaties protect around 75 per cent of these large-scale land acquisitions, many of which came with associated social problems, such as displaced local populations and negative consequences for food security in Third World countries receiving these large-scale foreign investments. Hence, two potentially conflicting areas of international law are relevant in this context: Economic, social, and cultural rights and the principles of permanent sovereignty over natural resources and “food sovereignty” challenging large-scale investments on the one hand, and specific norms of international economic law stabilizing them on the other. The contribution discusses the usefulness of the concept of “community interests” in cases where the two colliding sets of norms are both considered to protect such interests.

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Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030211 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 211

Author(s):

Tharani Gopalakrishnan ◽

Lalit Kumar

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Soil Salinity ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Sea Water ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Soil Salinization ◽

Landsat Images ◽

Paddy Land ◽

Semi Arid Region

Soil salinity is a serious threat to coastal agriculture and has resulted in a significant reduction in agricultural output in many regions. Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region located in the northern-most part of Sri Lanka, is also a victim of the adverse effects of coastal salinity. This study investigated long-term soil salinity changes and their link with agricultural land use changes, especially paddy land. Two Landsat images from 1988 and 2019 were used to map soil salinity distribution and changes. Another set of images was analyzed at four temporal periods to map abandoned paddy lands. A comparison of changes in soil salinity with abandoned paddy lands showed that abandoned paddy lands had significantly higher salinity than active paddy lands, confirming that increasing salts owing to the high levels of sea water intrusion in the soils, as well as higher water salinity in wells used for irrigation, could be the major drivers of degradation of paddy lands. The results also showed that there was a dramatic increase in soil salinity (1.4-fold) in the coastal lowlands of Jaffna Peninsula. 64.6% of the salinity-affected land was identified as being in the extreme saline category. In addition to reducing net arable lands, soil salinization has serious implications for food security and the livelihoods of farmers, potentially impacting the regional and national economy.

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