Spatial variability of soil hydraulic and physical properties in erosive sloping agricultural fields

It is essential to minimize soil quality degradation in sloping agricultural fields through stabilization and improvement of soil hydraulic properties using sustainable soil management.This study aimed to analyze the impact of different tillage practices,including conventional tillage(CT),minimum tillage(MT),and zero tillage(ZT),on soil hydraulic conductivity in a sloping agricultural field under maizeewheat rotation.The results showed that the highest runoff volume(257.40 m3),runoff coefficient(42.84%),and soil loss(11.3 t)were observed when the CT treatment was applied.In contrast,the lowest runoff volume(67.95 m3),runoff coefficient(11.35%),and soil loss(1.05 t)were observed when the ZT treatment was adopted.The soil organic carbon and aggregate mean weight diameter were found to be significantly greater(with mean values of 0.79%and 1.19 mm,respectively)with the ZT treatment than with the CT treatment.With the tilled treatments(CT and MT),substantial changes in the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity(ks),near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity(k),and water-conducting porosity(ε)were observed between two crop seasons.These three soil parameters were significantly higher in the period after maize harvesting than in the wheat growing period.In contrast,no significant difference in these soil parameters was found when the untilled treatment(ZT)was carried out.With regard to the slope positions,ks,k,andεshowed different behaviors under different treatments.The toe slope position showed significantly lower ks andεvalues than the summit and middle slope positions.Of the evaluated tillage practices,ZT was found to be the most promising means to improve the soil hydro-physical properties and effectively reduce surface runoff and soil erosion.

Effect of geojute technique on density,diversity and carbon stock of plant species in landslide site of North West Himalaya

Mountainous regions of the globe experience landslides due to heavy rainfall and unplanned construction on slopes. Geojute is adopted globally as a landslide rehabilitation measure, but its impact on natural vegetation development is poorly understood. The present study was conducted to examine the impact of geojute application on vegetation restoration, ecology and carbon stock in a recently occurred landslide, during 2012. The results revealed that the geojute application improved the richness, diversity, density and basal area of plant species at the landslide site. Likewise, biomass production, carbon stock and carbon sequestration of plant species was observed significantly higher in geojute treatments compared to control(without geojute treatment). Moreover, significant improvement in soil moisture was recorded beneath the geojute treatments. Further, results showed that the geojute is highly effective in controlling soil erosion at the landslide site. The findings of this study revealed ecological and environmental benefits of geojute application in term of improvement in vegetation recovery processes, species diversity and carbon sequestration at the landslide site. The scientific outcome of this study can be helpful for planning the rehabilitation measures in landslide affected regions of the globe.

Near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity and pore characteristics as influenced by conventional and conservation tillage practices in North-West Himalayan region,India

Tillage plays an important role in modifying soil hydraulic properties.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of conservation tillage practices in a maize-wheat cropping system on nearsaturated soil hydraulic properties and pore characteristics in the North-West Himalayan region,India.Three treatments viz.conventional tillage(CT),minimum tillage(MT),and zero tillage(ZT)were evaluated in terms of field saturated hydraulic conductivity(ks),unsaturated hydraulic conductivity k(h),the inverse of capillary length(a),flow-weighted mean pore radius(r0),numbers of pores per square meter(n0)and water-conducting macroporosity(Ɛ).The above hydraulic conductivity and pore characteristics were derived from steady-state water flux(q)measured using hood infiltrometer at 0,1,and3 cm pressure head for each treatment after seven years of establishment of this tillage experiment.Results revealed significantly(p<0.05)higher values of ks,k(h),a,andƐin ZT as compared with CT.MT had intermediate values.Higher a values suggested a greater gravity-dominated flow under ZT and MT as compared with CT.Analysis of r0 values indicated better connectivity of pores in ZT and MT as compared with CT.Macropore flow suggested that on average pore radii,>0.50 mm conducted about 63.60,68.01,and 75.97%of total flow(at 0 cm pressure head)in the corresponding water-conducting macroporosity of 0.00030,0.00044,and 0.00069%of soil volume under CT,MT,and ZT,respectively.Overall,zero-tillage based agriculture system was found to improve near-saturated soil hydraulic properties.