Substantive Characteristics of Water and Soil Conservation and Ecological Civilization Construction in China

Water and soil conservation is an important part of eco-civilization con-struction. It is a major part of eco-construction and lifeline of social and economy development. Therefore, water and soil conservation is of great significance in maintaining eco-safety. The research concluded status quo and characters of water and soil losses in China and analyzed water and soil conservation and construction of eco-civilization from the perspectives of water and soil conservation and con-struction of eco-civilization.

Effect of Typical Vegetation Restoration Pattern on Soil and Water Conservation in Yuanmou Dry-hot Valley of Yunnan Province

In Yuanmou dry-hot valley of Yunnan Province,three typical vegetation restoration patterns including production forest transformed from sloping fields to terracing,ecological afforestation within the gully and ecological aforestation in gully head and slope were selected to compare their effects on soil and water conservation.Soil and water loss,soil infiltration rate and the soil moisture dynamics of soil profile with the depth of 0-100 cm of these three patterns and their controls were observed by established standard observation plots in rainy season.The results showed that the soil and water loss of ecological afforestation and production forest terrace reduced by over 30% and 60% compared with their controls（without growth of any vegetation）respectively,showing significant control effect on the soil and water loss.Vegetation restoration also apparently increased the infiltration rate of soil（increased by 100%-200%）.In rainy season,the soil moisture content of ecological afforestation and production forest terrace increased by over 30% and 100% compared with their controls.This indicated that vegetation restoration will not lead to soil aridity during the rainy season;vegetation restoration not only reduced the loss of surface water and soil fine particles,but also enhanced the infiltration of precipitation.These two effects made the soil moisture content increase throughout the profile.

Study on Relative Soil and Water Conservation Benefits of Ridge Tillage in Different Terrain Conditions in the Black Soil Area of Northeast China

Ridge tillage, which is a very common and important tillage measure in the black soil area of northeast China, has some soil and water conservation bene- fits, but has little attention. It is very important to explore the spatial distribution of the ridge direction of the arable land and its soil and water conservation benefits in different terrain conditions in the black soil area. So Binxian County of Heilongjiang Province was selected as the study area, and 168 field investigation units were ex- tracted by stratified sampling method and investigated. According to equations of slope gradient factor and slope gradient in ridge direction, and based on the soft- ware of Arcmap, SPSS and Excel, the investigation data of soil and water loss in Binxian County were analyzed and counted, The results show that in plain, hilly and mountainous areas, the average ground slope gradients are 1.92°, 6.20° and 8.27° respectively, and the average slope gradients along ridge direction are 1.33°, 4.52°and 6.45° respectively, which account for about 70%, 73% and 78% of the average ground slope gradients in the same terrain condition; the relative quantities of soil erosion in the present ridge tillage condition account for about 55%, 69% and 67% respectively of that in down-slope ridge tillage conditions, so the present ridge tillage has obviously relative soil and water conservation benefits. Based on these results, the reasons of the present ridge tillage status were analyzed, and some reform measures were proposed. The results could not only help to comprehend the spatial distribution and soil and water conservation benefits of ridge tillage in the black soil area of Northeast China, but also provide scientific references for the layout of local soil and water conservation measures.

Controlled drainage in the Nile River delta of Egypt:a promising approach for decreasing drainage off-site effects and enhancing yield and water use efficiency of wheat

North Africa is one of the most regions impacted by water shortage.The implementation of controlled drainage(CD)in the northern Nile River delta of Egypt is one strategy to decrease irrigation,thus alleviating the negative impact of water shortage.This study investigated the impacts of CD at different levels on drainage outflow,water table level,nitrate loss,grain yield,and water use efficiency(WUE)of various wheat cultivars.Two levels of CD,i.e.,0.4 m below the soil surface(CD-0.4)and 0.8 m below the soil surface(CD-0.8),were compared with subsurface free drainage(SFD)at 1.2 m below the soil surface(SFD-1.2).Under each drainage treatment,four wheat cultivars were grown for two growing seasons(November 2018–April 2019 and November 2019–April 2020).Compared with SFD-1.2,CD-0.4 and CD-0.8 decreased irrigation water by 42.0%and 19.9%,drainage outflow by 40.3%and 27.3%,and nitrate loss by 35.3%and 20.8%,respectively.Under CD treatments,plants absorbed a significant portion of their evapotranspiration from shallow groundwater(22.0%and 8.0%for CD-0.4 and CD-0.8,respectively).All wheat cultivars positively responded to CD treatments,and the highest grain yield and straw yield were obtained under CD-0.4 treatment.Using the initial soil salinity as a reference,the soil salinity under CD-0.4 treatment increased two-fold by the end of the second growing season without negative impacts on wheat yield.Modifying the drainage system by raising the outlet elevation and considering shallow groundwater contribution to crop evapotranspiration promoted water-saving and WUE.Different responses could be obtained based on the different plant tolerance to salinity and water stress,crop characteristics,and growth stage.Site-specific soil salinity management practices will be required to avoid soil salinization due to the adoption of long-term shallow groundwater in Egypt and other similar agroecosystems.

The Effect of Land Use Change on Soil and Water Quality in Northern Iran

Rapid urbanization has led to extensive land-use changes,particularly in developing countries.This research is aimed to investigate the role of land use and its effect on soil and water quality in Ziarat watershed focusing on four land uses:forest,pasture,cultivated and urban development.Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0-30 cm on each land use and were analyzed by completely randomized split-plot design in two geographical directions.Results showed that bulk density(BD),electrical conductivity(EC),pH,calcium carbonate equivalent(CCE),and soil particle density(DS) of the soil samples in pastures,cultivated and urban areas increased and the mean weight diameter(MWD),soil porosity(F),organic carbons(OC),total nitrogen(TN),exchangeable cations(Ca 2+,Mg 2+,K +,Na +),cation exchange capacity(CEC) and soil microbial respirations(SMR) decreased,respectively in comparison with the forest soils.For water quality evaluations,sodium adsorption ratio(SAR),electrical conductivity(EC),pH,total dissolved solids(TDS),bicarbonate(HCO 3),chloride(Cl),total hardness(TH),calcium(Ca 2+),potassium(K +),sodium(Na +) and magnesium(Mg 2+) were investigated in two areas:Nahrkhoran and Abgir stations.Results showed that the concentration of TDS,EC and HCO 3 in Naharkhoran station is higher than that in Abgir station.On the other hand,the concentration of TDS,EC and HCO 3 in Abgir station are the relatively higher due to its location.Total hardness had the same trend during the study years except in the last three years;however,TH showed an increase of 25% TH in Naharkhoran for the last two years.Cl,K + and SAR in Naharkhoran station increased by 61%,22%,78% and 56% respectively,in comparison with Abgir station.This study demonstrated that the trend of soil degradation and mismanagement of land use may increase the frequency of urban floods and human health problems.

Spatiotemporal features of soil and water loss in Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Chongqing

Soil and water loss has been the most serious eco-environmental problem in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Chongqing.In this paper the authors studied the spatiotemporal features of soil and water loss from 1999 to 2004 based on RS and GIS techniques.The results showed that:(1) The soil and water loss area decreased from 1999 to 2004.(2) Soil and water loss mainly exists in purple soil,yellow soil,limestone soil,paddy soil and yellow brown soil distributed areas.(3) The dry slope land and sparse woodland that are intensively influenced by human activities experienced most serious soil and water loss.(4) Soil and water loss in the study area indicated an obvious vertical differentiation characteristic.(5) There is a significant correlation between soil and water loss and slope.(6) There is no obvious correlation between soil and water loss and aspect.(7) Soil and water loss mainly exists in the values of R between 300 and 340 distribution area.The very-high soil and water loss has obvious correlation with R.

Impacts of water and soil erosion in upstream watershed of Nenjiang River

Making a brief analysis of the water and soil loss present situation in Daxing＇anling area which locates to the upstream region of Nenjiang River, and giving the water and soil loss of this area that have been made near 20 years, as well as the factors of the water and soil loss. According to the factors corresponding prevention measure and forecast model have been put forward, make a brief introduction to this model in this article. It is helpful to improve the local soil conservation and sustainable development.

IMPACTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAND USE ON PROCESSES OF SOIL AND WATER LOSS OVER PURPLE SOIL SLOPELAND

Based on natural precipitation observations, impacts of different types of land use on processes of soil and water loss over purple soil related slopeland were studied by simulated rainfall experiments. Measurement data revealed that rainstorms and slope length are the essential factors accountable for soil and water loss on purple soil slopeland for intense rill erosion can be caused on 10 meter long purple soil slopes by high intensity rainfall. Under circumanstances of rainstorms, annual hedge plants grown on slopeland of 25 degrees can cause a reduction of runoff by 22 43 percent and that of erosion induced sand content by 94 98 percent. Stone bund horizontal terraces can lead to a runoff reduction by 62 67 percent in comparison with steep slopelands and that of erosion induced sediment by 97.8 99 percent. Soil and water loss can be substantially decreased on steep slopes by hedge plants with a cost of only 10 20 percent that of the stone bund horizontal terraces. Hence it is an effective way to control soil and water loss in terms of slopeland amelioration and utilization in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.

A policy and technical measures for controlling soil and water loss in the Loess Plateau of China

Loess Plateau is the most serious region of soil and water loss in China and the world. The sediment carried into the Yellow River amounts to 1.6 billion tons every year. This paper reviews the factors and reasons for erosion in this area, and puts forward a comprehensive controlling policy on the basis of the principles of ecology and practise of Chinese scientists for 40 years. In conformity with the policy, a number of technical measures for controlling soil and water loss are suggested.

Topographic differentiation simulation of crop yield and soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau

De-farming slope farmland has been an effective measure in recent years for the improvement of the eco-environment and the mitigation of soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau. This paper, taking the Yangou Basin as a case study and using day-by-day mete- orological data of Yah＇an station in 2005, simulated and analyzed the quantitative relation between crop yield, soil and water loss and topographic condition with the aid of WIN-YIELD software. Results show that： 1） topographic gradient has important influence on crop yield. The bigger gradient is, the lower the crop yield. Yields of sorghum and corn decrease by 15.44% and 14.32% respectively at 25° in comparison to the case of 0°. In addition, yields of soya, bean and potato decrease slightly by 5.26%, 4.67% and 3.84%, respectively. The influences of topographic height and slope aspect on crop yield are slight. 2） Under the same topographic condition, different crops＇ runoff and soil loss show obvious disparity. Topographic gradient has important influence on soil and water loss. In general, the changing trend is that the soil and water loss aggregates with the increase of gradient, and the maximal amount occurs around 20°. The influence of topographic height is slight. Topographic aspect has a certain effect, and the fundamental characteristic is that values are higher at the aspect of south than north. 3） Topographic gradients of 5° and 15° are two important thresholds. The characteristic about soil and water loss with the variation of topographic gradients show that： the slope farmland with gradient less than 5° could remain unchanged, and the slope farmland more than 15° should be de-farmed as early as possible.

Impact of slash disposal on soil and water loss and the growth of planted seedlings

The three methods of slash disposal in this experiment were no treatment, strip piling and burning. The results obtained from this study showed that the soil erosion, water and nutrient loss were higher in the logged areas by burning than in the logged areas by no treatment and strip piling. The soil and water loss was not serious when the slope degree of the logged area was less than 16o. The survival rate of planted seedlings was higher and the growth was better in the logged areas followed by burning than in the logged areas by no treatment and strip piling. Burning should not be used when the slope was more than 23o.

Study on Soil and Water Loss Characteristic of the Railway Construction in Mountain Area

The factor of human project activity is often the immediate cause resulting in soil and water loss. The Baoji-Lanzhou second railway in construction is an example. The soil and water loss law caused by earth and stone mountain railway engineering construction in the northwestern China is studied systematically and that caused possibly by the road bed project, the road moat project, the field project, the tunnel project and the service road project in construction is probed. At the same time, the type, t...

Application of Temporary Technology for Soil and Water Conservation in Crop Protection

The increasing of highway engineering construction makes soil and water loss surrounding highway and also influences the growth of crops around, To control soil and water loss, new engineering measures are put forward to protect soil and water and prevent crops from being damaged.

Risk Assessment and Change Monitoring of Soil and Water Loss in Ruijin City Based on RS and GIS

The land use information extraction technology for the high-resolution remote sensing images of the Gaofen No. 1 satellite was construc-ted. According to the spectral, band, texture and shape attributes, land use types were divided, and the changing laws of land use types were ana- lyzed. Aftewards,according to the Table of Grading Standard of Sooil Erosion Intensity（SL190-96）,as well as vegetation coverage index NDVI slope, the risks of soil and water loss were assessed. Meanwhile, the level, scale, location and scope of changes in the risks of soil and water loss were monitored by using spatial visualization and spatial statistical techniques. The results showed that the area of areas without soil erosion and moderate soil erosion areas decreased obviously from 2015 to 2017, and the decreases were up to 22.929 3 and 13.626 3 km2 respectively. The ar-ea of mild soil erosion areas increased fast, and the increase reached 31.140 0 km2. The area of extremely strong soil erosion areas increased by 7.267 4 km2. In the city, moderate and strong soil erosion areas reduced, while extremely strong soil erosion patches increased fast, which was mainly related to road construction and construction and development of orchards. The extremely strong soil erosion areas were distributed in the shape of a banded loop, surrounded the suburbs of the city, and shrank towards the center of Ruijin City. The constructed technology to monitor the changes in land use and soil and water loss, as well as the changing laws of land use and soil and water loss provide the theoretical basis and plan-ning basis of soil and water conservation for urban planning departments and soil and water conservation departments.

Model test of the influence of cyclic water level fluctuations on a landslide

Many landslides in reservoir areas continuously deform under cyclic water level fluctuations due to reservoir operations. In this paper,a landslide model, developed for a typical colluvial landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, is used to study the effect of cyclic water level fluctuations on the landslide. Five cyclic water level fluctuations were implemented in the test, and the fluctuation rate in the last two fluctuations doubled over the first three fluctuations. The pore water pressure and lateral landslide profiles were obtained during the test. A measurement of the landslide soil loss was proposed to quantitatively evaluate the influence of water level fluctuations. The test results show that the first water level rising is most negative to the landslide among the five cycles. The fourth drawdown with a higher drawdown rate caused further large landslide deformation. An increase of the water level drawdown rate is much more unfavorable to the landslide than an increase of the water level rising rate. In addition, the landslide was found to have an adaptive ability to resist subsequent water level fluctuations after undergoing large deformation during a water level fluctuation. The landslide deformation and observations in the field were found to support the test results well.

Study of Spatial and Temporal Processes of Soil Erosion on Sloping Land Using Rare Earth Elements As Tracers

Rare earth elements (REE) were used to study the temporal and spatial processes of soil erosion from different depths and sections of a slope. Two simulated rainfall events were applied to a prepared plot with a slope of 22°. The total runoff and sediment yield were collected every minute during the rainfall events. During the first twenty minutes of the first rainfall event, the average rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion was 0.5 and 0.3 times higher than for sheet erosion. During this time, most of the erosion occurred on the lower one third of the plot. After 20 min, rill erosion became the dominant process on the slope. The average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion, the rate of rill erosion and the accumulated sediment yield due to rill erosion were 42, 6 and 4 times higher than that of sheet erosion, respectively. During the first 35 minutes of the second rainfall event, the average acceleration in the rate of rill erosion was 6～9 times higher than that of sheet erosion. Afterwards, the slope became nearly stable with little change in either rill or sheet erosion rates. Initially, most of the rill erosion occurred in the lower third of the slope but later the preexisting rillhead in the middle section of the slope became reactivated and erosion in this section of the slope increased rapidly. These results indicate that REE tracer technology is a valuable tool for quantifying spatial and temporal changes in erosion from a soil slope.

Soil and water loss in the Lancang River-Mekong River watershed (in Yunnan section, China) and its control measures

According to a lot of hydrological and environmental monitoring data, the condition of soil and water loss in the Lancang River Mekong River watershed (in Yunnan section, China) is described. The occurrence and development of soil and water loss is analyzed. The conclusion is that: (1) generally, the situation of soil and water loss in the Lancang River Mekong River watershed (in Yunnan section, China) is light, however, soil and water loss in some regions is serious, especially in the middle reach area of the river; (2) soil and water loss in the Lancang River Mekong River (in Yunnan section, China) watershed presents developing tendency and it is mainly caused by human beings. In accordance with these results, the control measures for soil and water loss are discussed.

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.

Effect of potassium on soil conservation and productivity of maize/cowpea based crop rotations in the north-west Indian Himalayas

Plots under conservation tillage may require higher amount of potassium(K) application for augmenting productivity due to its stratification in upper soil layers, thereby reducing K supplying capacity in a medium or long-term period. To test this hypothesis, a field experiment was performed in 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 to study the effect of K and several crop rotations on yield, water productivity, carbon sequestration, grain quality, soil K status and economic benefits derived in maize(Zea mays L)/cowpea(Vigna sinensis L.) based cropping system under minimum tillage(MT). All crops recorded higher grain yield with a higher dose of K(120 kg K2 O ha-1) than recommended K(40 kg K2 O ha-1). The five years' average yield data showed that higher K application(120 kg K2 O ha-1) produced 16.4%(P<0.05)more maize equivalent yield. Cowpea based rotation yielded 14.2%(P<0.05) higher production than maize based rotation. The maximum enhancement was found in cowpea-mustard rotation. Relationship between yield and sustainable indices revealed that only agronomic efficiency of fertilizer input was significantly correlated with yield. Similarly, higherdoses of K application not only increased the water use efficiency(WUE) of all crops, but also reduced runoff and soil loss by 16.5% and 15.8% under maize and 23.3% and 19.7% under cowpea cover, respectively. This study also revealed that on an average 16.5% of left over carbon input contributed to soil organic carbon(SOC). Here, cowpea based rotation with the higher K application increased carbon sequestration in soil. Potassium fertilization also significantly improved the nutritional value of harvested grain by increasing the protein content for maize(by 9.5%) and cowpea(by 10.6%). The oil content in mustard increased by 5.0% and 6.0% after maize and cowpea, respectively. Net return also increased with the application of the higher K than recommended K and the trend was similar to yield. Hence, the present study demonstrated the potential yield and profit gains along with resource conservation in the Indian Himalayas due to annual additions of higher amount of K than the recommended dose. The impact of high K application was maximum in the cowpea-mustard rotation.

Regularity of Erosion and Soil Loss Tolerance in Hilly Red-Earth Region of China

The observations from 14-yr long-term investigation on the soil-water losses in the sloping red-earth (slope 8°- 15°) showed that soil-water losses were closely correlated with land slope and vegetative coverage. Runoff rate in sloping red-earth could be reduced doubly by exploitation, while the soil erosion was enhanced doubly during the first two years after exploitation. Subsequently, it tended to be stable. Soil erosion was highly positively correlated with land slope, i. e. soil erosion increased by 120 t km-2 yr-1 with a slope increase of 1°. On the contrary, soil erosion was highly negatively correlated with vegetative coverage, i. e. soil erosion was limited at 200 t km-2 yr-1 below as the vegetative coverage exceeded 60%. Furthermore, soil erosion was highly related with planting patterns, i. e. soil erosion in contour cropping pattern would be one sixth of that in straight cropping. Based on the view of soil nutrient balance and test data, it was first suggested that the soil loss tolerance in Q2 red clay derived red-earth should be lower than 300 t km-2 yr-1.