Impact of Different Contour Hedgerows on Runoff,Nutrient and Soil on Sloping Farmland in Danjiangkou Reservoir Region of China

Soil and water loss has been a major environmental problem in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region.A study of 14°sloping farmland was performed on impact of different contour hedgerows on runoff,losses of soil and nutrients during 2008 and 2011,with five treatments and three replications.The winter wheat and summer maize were used as the test crops.Treatments consisted of four hedgerows:Amorpha(Amorpha fruticosa L.),Honeysuckle(Lonicera japonica Thunb.),Day-lily flower(Hemerocallis citrina Baroni.),and Sabaigrass(Eulaliopsis binata),and a control without hedgerow.Result showed that the runoff under the control treatment was much higher than that of hedgerows.Amorpha could reduce the runoff by 35.2%compared with the control.Soil losses in four hedgerows showed significant reduction in four years(e.g.,Amorpha:78.3%;Honeysuckle:77.1%).Nutrient losses in winter were much higher than that in summer,especially total nitrogen,total phosphorus and total potassium,even though there was an abundant precipitation in summer.Hedgerows greatly affected the soil and nutrient losses on slopping farmland compared with the control treatment,especially Amorpha treatment.The present study found that the Amorpha could be used as the hedgerow species for reducing soil and water loss in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region.

Effects of Contour Hedgerow Intercropping on Nutrient Losses from the Sloping Farmland in the Three Gorges Area,China

Eutrophication is recognized as one of the major environmental problems in the Three Gorges Reservoir.Contour hedgerows have been used as a major soil and water conservation measure in this area.Accordingly,a two-year study was conducted to investigate the effects of contour hedgerow intercropping on nutrient loss from sloping farmland in this area.Four treatments were applied:(1) Maize + Soybean,(2) Maize,(3) Maize + Alfalfa,and(4) Maize + Hemerocallis citrina Baroni.Results indicated that nutrient loss in the control treatment(Maize) was serious,especially the average loss flux of total nitrogen(2245.8 mg) and total phosphate(2434.2 mg) in a typical rainfall event.However,the nutrient losses by runoff in the other three treatments with contour hedgerow intercropping showed significant reduction.Compared with the control treatment,the total nitrogen loss in the Alfalfa and Hemerocallis citrina Baroni decreased by 80.9% and 85.0%,respectively,and the total phosphorus loss in the two treatments decreased by 91.2% and 92.5%,respectively.Therefore,it is concluded that nutrient losses could be reduced by using contour hedgerows in the Three Gorges Region.Reducing runoff volume and sediment loss was the main mechanisms of contour hedgerow intercropping to reduce nutrient loss.

Nitrogen Mineralization of Prunings of Six N_2-Fixing Hedgerow Species in a Dry Valley of the Jinsha River

A litterbag experiment of 12 weeks was conducted to study nitrogenmineralization process of prunings of six nitrogen-fixing hedgerowspecies in a dry valley of the Jinsha River. Prunigns wereincorporated into soil or used as mulch. The results indicated thatpruning N of the six hedgerow species was mineralized fast in thefirst week and then decreased slowly in the rest of the study period.When prunings were incorporated into soil, the amount of nitrogenmineralized by the end of the first week accounted for 69.9/100,58.2/100, 54.5/100, 43.0/100, 29.6/100 and 20.6/100 of the total N inprungins of Desmodium rensonii, Tephrosia candida, Leucaenaleucoephala, Albizia yunnanensis, Acacia dealbata, and Acaciamearnsii, respectively.

Protection Methods to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Losses from Sloping Citrus Land in the Three Gorges Area of China

The increased application of chemical fertilizers in citrus orchards and the non-point source nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P)diffusion threaten the fresh water quality of the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China. A 10-year field trial on sloping citrus lands was conducted to evaluate five protection methods for reducing N and P losses: 1) intercropping with perennial white clover(CW); 2) straw mulching of the soil surface(CS); 3) intercropping with yellow daylily contour hedgerows(CH); 4) an impermeable membrane buried in the soil along the contour lines(CM); and 5) intercropping with a rotation of wheat and peanut(CWP). An area of conventional citrus management was also maintained as the control(CK). The results showed that CM and CH were the most effective methods for reducing surface runoff. The sediment yield were reduced at the highest rate by CW and CH and was also significantly reduced by CS. Reduced runoff volume and sediment yield were the crucial mechanism for the reductions in N and P losses. Compared with the control, CW, CS, CH, and CM reduced annual runoff by 9%, 13%, 25%, and 30%, sediment yield by 77%, 55%, 71%, and 28%,N loss by 10%, 23% 36%, and 37%, and P loss by 39%, 31%, 27%, and 25%, respectively. CW, CS, CH, and CM were effective in reducing N and P losses from the sloping citrus land. However, over the long-term, surface soil nutrient accumulation in CW, CS, and CH diminished the benefit of those methods in reducing N and P losses. In addition, CWP increased soil erosion and nutrient loss,which showed that citrus intercropping with other crops was an unsuitable method for citrus sloping land in the Three Gorges area.