Integrated Prevention and Control System for Soil Erosion in Typical Black Soil Region of Northeast China

The black soil region of Northeast China is one of the most important food production bases and commodity grain bases in China. However, the continual loss and degradation of precious black soil resources has led to direct threats to national food security and regional sustainable development. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize integrated prevention and control experience of small watersheds in black soil region of Northeast China. Tongshuang small watershed, a typical watershed in rolling hills of typical black soil areas in Northeast China, is selected as the study area. Based on nearly 50 years' experience in prevention and control of soil and water loss, the structures and overall benefits of an integrated prevention and control system for soil and water loss are investigated. Then, the 'three defense lines' tri-dimensional protection system with reasonable allocation of different types of soil and water control measures from the hill top to gully is systematically analyzed. The first line on the top hill can weaken and block uphill runoff and sediment, hold water resources and improve soil property. The second line on the hill can truncate slope length, slow down the runoff velocity and reduce erosion energy. The third line in the gully is mainly composed of waterfall engineering, which can inhibit soil erosion and restore land resources. The 'three defense lines' system is feasible for soil and water loss control of small watersheds in the typical black soil region of Northeast China. Through the application of the in Tongshuang small watershed, There are effective improvements in ecological conditions in Tongshuang small watershed after the application of 'three defense lines' soil and water control system. Moreover, the integrated treatment paradigm for soil and water loss in typical black soil region is compared with that in loess region. The results of this study could offer references and experiences for other small watersheds in typical black soil region of Northeast China.

Competency Improvement Needs of Farmers in Soil Erosion Prevention and Control for Enhancing Crop Production: Case Study of Kogi State, Nigeria

This study investigated the competency improvement needs of farmers in soil erosion prevention and control for enhancing crop production in Kogi state of Nigeria and was carried out between January and June, 2014. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and was guided by two research questions. The study found out that farmers needed improvement on 37 cultural practices as follows: 10 competencies in mulching, 12 in cover cropping, 8 in strip cropping, 7 in contour farming and 45 mechanical field practice as follows: 10 competencies in contour bonding, 11 in terracing, 12 in channeling and 11 in tunneling for success in soil erosion prevention and control. The study recommended the organization of rural based programmes for the training of farmers in the practice identified to enhance their competencies in soil erosion prevention and control for increased crop production.

Soil Erosion Control Degree of the Project of Converting Farmland to Forest in Mountainous Areas at China's Southwest Border:A Case Study in Mangshi,Yunnan Province

There have been few in-depth quantitative studies on soil erosion control and the ecological effects of land use changes.Soil erosion is the first eco-environmental problem particularly in mountainous areas.A major problem in the conversion of farmland to forest is to control soil erosion and improve ecological environment and thus to improve land use sustainability.We report results of calculation and analysis on soil erosion from converted farmland parcels in city of Mangshi (near the SW frontier of China) and the surrounding areas before and after the nine-year (2000-2009) project of converting farmland to forest.There was increased water conservation effect,as a result of decreased soil erosion.The average erosion modulus of the farmland returning to eco-friendly uses decreased by 5,535.59 t/km2?a and the control degree of soil erosion modulus reached 71.00%.The increased soil erosion after the returning in the typical sample area "did not drop,but increased" as the terraced fields decreased but sloping farmland increased and yet woodland decreased.

Vertical distribution of soil moisture and surface sandy soil wind erosion for different types of sand dune on the southeastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land,China

Soil moisture is a critical state affecting a variety of land surface and subsurface processes. We report investigation results of the factors controlling vertical variation of soil moisture and sand transport rate of three types of dunes on the south- eastern margin of the Mu Us Sandy Land. Samples were taken from holes drilled to a depth of 4 m at different topographic sites on the dunes, and were analyzed for soil moisture, grain-size distribution and surface sediment discharge. The results show that： （1） The average soil moisture varies in different types of dunes, with the following sequences ordered from highest to lowest： in the shrubs-covered dunes and the trees-covered dunes the sequence is from inter-dunes lowland to windward slope to leeward slope. The average moisture in the bare-migratory sand dunes is sequenced from inter-dunes lowland to leeward slope to windward slope. （2） Vegetation form and surface coverage affect the range of soil moisture of different types of dunes in the same topographic position. The coefficient of variation of soil moisture for shrubs-covered dunes is higher than that of other types of dune. （3） The effect of shrubs on dune soil moisture is explained in terms of the greater ability of shrubs to trap fine-grained atmospheric dust and hold moisture. （4） The estimated sand transport rates over sand dunes with sparse shrubs are less than those over bare-migratory dunes or sand dunes with sparse trees, indicating that shrubs are more effective in inhibiting wind erosion in the sandy land area.

Soil Erosion under Different Land Use Types and Zones of Jinsha River Basin in Yunnan Province,China

Severe soil erosion in the middle and upper reaches of Yangtze River has been regarded as a major environmental problem. The on-site impact of soil erosion on agricultural production and the off-site impact on floods and sedimentation in Yangtze Rive are well known. A quantitative assessment of soil erosion intensity is still scanty for developing appropriate soil erosion control measures for different land use types and zones in this region. This article constructs a localized USLE and estimates the average soil loss in the Jinsha River Region in Yunnan Province, one of the priority areas for soil erosion control in the middle and upper reaches of Yangtze River. The estimation is done under different land uses and zones in this basin. The estimation shows that while soil erosion in the cultivated land is the most severe, 36～40% of the garden and forest land suffers from soil erosion of various degrees due to lack of ground cover and other factors. Soil erosion in the pasture is modest when the ground cover is well maintained. It also confirmed that terracing can reduce soil erosion intensity significantly on the cultivated land. Research findings suggest that sufficient attention must be paid to regeneration of the ground cover in reforestation programs. In addition to mass reforestation efforts, restoration of grassland and terracing of the cultivated land should also play an important role in erosion control.

Benefit Assessment of Forest Function in Reducing Soil Erosion and Nutrient Loss in Anji County of Taihu Lake Basin

The non-point source pollution arising from soil erosion is one of the main reasons for the deterioration of the water quality of the Taihu Lake Basin. Forest plays an important role in controlling soil erosion and reducing nutrient loss. Based on the survey data on forest resources in Anji County, we estimate the amount of soil erosion and nutrient loss of nitrogen and phosphorus reduced by forest, using soil erosion modulus method and soil nutrient content. In accordance with the degradation coefficient of pollutant and regional compensation standards of environmental resources, we assess the ecological benefits of forest function in reducing nutrient loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in Anji County. The results show that the forest in Anji County can reduce the soil erosion amount at 1.51 million t annually on the average, so as to control the nutrient loss of 1 409 t of total nitrogen and 577 t of total phosphorus in soil, equivalent to annually avoiding the flow of 824 t of total nitrogen and 410 t of total phosphorus into river water; this ecological service function can make forests in Anji County get 92.55 million yuan of ecological compensation funds (about 688 yuan/hm2·a), equivalent to 15 times of the current ecological compensation standard (47 yuan/hm2). The study reveals the importance of forest function in controlling soil erosion and nutrient loss in the upper reaches of Taihu Lake Basin to water environment protection in the basin, conducive to carrying out pollution control and protection work of the water environment in the basin.

Control Measures of Soil Erosion in a Typical Construction Project Area ( Dina 2 Gas Field)

To treat the relationship between project construction and ecological environment and effectively prevent new soil erosion during the construction, according to the project layout, soil erosion distribution as well as natural and socio-economic conditions, the control measures of newly increased soil erosion along the project were carried out based on site survey and analysis of relevant information. In addition, adhering to the prin- ciple of partition prevention and treatment, some guiding prevention and control measures of the natural zone passed by the project and soil erosion control district were determined, which provided scientific references and technical support for the rational layout of water and soil conservation and ecological restoration measures in Dina 2 gas field.

Analysis of Meteorological Epidemic Factors and Soil Improvement Controlling Technology of Tobacco Bacterial Wilt (Ralstonia solanacarum)

[Objective] The paper was to analyze the meteorological epidemic factors for occurrence and prevalence of tobacco bacterial wilt （ Ralstonia solanaca- rum）, and to study control effects of different soil conditioners on the bacterial disease in Gacligongshan demonstration area of green, ecological, high quality tobac- co leaf production. [Method] The plots attacked by tobacco bacterial wilt over the years were selected and the incidence of the disease was periodically surveyed in tobacco growth period in 2012, 2103 and 2014, respectively. 10 d Effective accumulated temperature and rainfall were counted according to the meteorological data, and the relationship between meteorological factors and disease index was analyzed. The control effects of three kinds of soil conditioners ＂Zhuanggenfeng＂, refined fulvic acid and lime on tobacco bacterial wilt were tested. [ Result] The analysis results of meteorological factors showed that 10 d effective accumulated temperature and rainfall were positively correlated to disease index. The variation curve of 10 d effective accumulated temperature and rainfall reflected the change trend of disease index. The pH values were increased by 0.57, 0.50 and 0.72 respectively after applying ＂Zhuanggenfeng＂, refined fulvic acid and lime. The aver- age control effects on tobacco bacterial wilt were 60.74% -62. 18%, 53.05% -59.53%, and 48.59% -58.53%, respectively. [ Conclusion] 10 d Effective accumulated temperature and rainfall could be used as important reference for disease forecasting and controUing. The usage of soil conditioner has a certain preven- tion and control effect on tobacco bacterial wilt disease by forming soil conditions conducive to flue-cured tobacco growth but adverse to disease survival, which is an effective auxiliary method against the disease.

Novel Approach in Sampling and Tensile Strength Evaluation of Roots to Enhance Soil for Preventing Erosion

This paper presents novel approaches to address the complex issues associated with preservation, transportation, and tensile testing of the vegetation root samples needed for the enhancement of soil and prevent erosion. Readily availability of no equipment for in-situ assessment of the roots’ contribution to soil strength forces the researchers to transport the root samples to the lab for testing and estimating the contribution to the soil shear strength. Moreover, the standard procedures and apparatuses available in the public domain are regrettably suitable for testing of relatively stiffer materials. Therefore, conducting the tensile test of roots using off-the-shelf equipment often causes premature failure of the soft tissues and produces an erratic result, which ultimately leads to unrealistic soil shear strength. The experimental work replaced the traditional jaw type grips by innovative 3D-printed mold or metal ring with silicone, epoxy, and hot-glue to ensure a minimal degree of damage to the roots. Other scopes of the study include a comparison between fresh and refrigerated samples, the effect of sample storage temperature, pH, and Optimum Effective Root Area (OERA) per unit area of soil. Initial study conducted on the Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) roots involved comparison for different approaches based on the gripping technic to select the best method. Finally, the paper included the results of tensile strength test performed on Spartina alterniflora root samples following the suggested guidelines thus helping better evaluation of root embedded soil shear strength, enhancing the resistance against soil erosion, and conserving the ecosystem.

Soil erosion and management on the Loess Plateau

The Loess Plateau is well known to the world for its intense soil erosion. The root cause for river sedimentation of Yellow River (Huanghe) and its resultant “hanging river” in certain section is soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau. The Loess Plateau has a long cultivation history, hence population growth, vegetation degeneration and plugging constitute the chief reason for serious soil and water loss on Loess Plateau. This paper analyses several successful cases and failures in soil conservation, presents practical soil conservation technique and related benefit analysis, and discusses some effective methods adopted in China in soil erosion control, research directions and future perspectives on Loess Plateau.

Erosion and Sediment Production in Small Watershed in Purple Hilly Areas and Prevention Techniques

Purple Soil distributes extensively and mainly in China. Because of abundant easily weatherable parent rocks/ materials and unstable soil structure, and also influenced by parent materials, usage systems, and slope gradients, erosion and sediment production of purple soils are very severe with main fashions of water erosion and gravitational erosion. Basing on observed data in small watersheds, rainfall erosivity, vegetation coverage, previous soil water content, flow and relating factors such as climate, topograph of small watershed, land usage, and soil kinds are all the influence factors of erosion and erodibility of purple soil as well as sediment production and transport in small watershed of purple hilly areas. The effective technological countermeasures of ecosystem restoration, agricultural tillage for water conservation and erosion prevention, agriculture project, and soil changing for fertility and anti-erosion were provided.

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

ＭｅｋｏｎｇＲｉｖｅｒｉｓｏｒｉｇｉｎａｔｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎｒａｎｇｅｏｆＴｉｂｅｔＱｉｎｇｈａｉＰｌａｔｅａｕｏｆＣｈｉｎａ,ｆｌｏｗｉｎｇｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｓｉｘｃｏｕｎｔｒｉｅｓ,ｔｈｅｙａｒｅＣｈｉｎａ(ＹｕｎｎａｎＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ),Ｍ?..

Spatial distribution of wind erosion and its driving factors in China

Based on remote sensing and geographic information system, the spatial distribution of nation-wide wind erosion is studied, and the 1∶100 000 national map of soil erosion by wind in China is made. Wind speed, soil dryness,NDVI, soil texture and the slope of land surface are the key factors to wind erosion. The relations between wind erosion and each factor are discussed. The method of principal component is used to pick up the information included in the five factors, and the wind erosion dynamic index (WEDI) is established. Its comparison with theRS/GIS derived data shows thatWEDI can reflect the potential capacity of soil erosion by wind. The dynamic process of the wind erosion is studied to reveal the distribution of the most intense wind erosion regions and the dominant factors in these regions. All these studies may greatly help the mitigation of wind erosion of soil.

Morphology and controlling factors of the longitudinal profile of gullies in the Yuanmou dry-hot valley

The morphology of the gully longitudinal profile(GLP) is an important topographic index of the gully bottom associated with the evolution of the gullies.This index can be used to predict the development trend and evaluate the eroded volumes and soil losses by gullying. To depict the morphology of GLP and understand its controlling factors, the Global Positioning System Real-time Kinematic(GPS RTK) and the total station were used to measure the detail points along the gully bottom of 122 gullies at six sites of the Yuanmou dry-hot Valley. Then, nine parameters including length(Lt), horizontal distance(Dh), height(H), vertical erosional area(A), vertical curvature(Cv), concavity(Ca), average gradient(Ga), gully length-gradient index(GL), normalized gully length-gradient index(Ngl), were calculated and mapped using CASS, Excel and SPSS.The results showed that this study area is dominated by slightly concave and medium gradient GLPs, and the lithology of most gullies is sandstone and siltstone.Although different types of GLPs appear at different sites, all parameters present a positively skewed distribution. There are relatively strong correlations between several parameters: namely Lt and H, Dh and H, Lt and A, Dh and A, H and GL. Most GLPs, except three, have a best fit of exponential functions with quasistraight shapes. Soil properties, vegetation coverage,piping erosion and topography are important factors to affect the GLP morphology. This study provides useful insight into the knowledge of GLP morphology and its influential factors that are of critical importance to prevent and control gully erosion.

Evaluation of soil erosion from chestnut forests: A case study in the Yanshan Mountains, China

Soil erosion from chestnut forests has many types and intensities. However, less attention has been paid to the increasing soil erosion in the chestnut forests of Yanshan Mountains region, North China. The objective of this study was to discuss forest ages(<5, 5~<10, 10~<20, and 20~ yr), slopes(5°~<15°, 15°~<25°, 25°~<35°, and 35°~), slope positions(upslope, midslope, downslope, and whole slope), and slope aspects(sunny, half-sunny, shade, and half-shade) effects on soil erosion types and intensities in chestnut forests. A field survey was applied to investigate in detail the contiguous chestnut forests near Changfu village of Hebei Province, China on October 9-30, 2016. Results showed that chestnut forests are dominated by moderate erosion in this region, and the soil erosionfrom chestnut forests tended to deteriorate gradually. The average land degradation index was 0.31. The erosion intensity from chestnut forests will gradually increase with the year of planting. Most of the slopes are greater than 15°, accounting for 86.7% of the total chestnut forests. Most of the chestnut forests occupy the whole slope, accounting for 47.5% of the total area. Moderate erosion occurs most commonly for different slope aspects. In conclusion, improving the preparation efficiency of chestnut forests and enhancing the construction standards of soil and water conservation measures would be useful measures to avoid soil erosion from chestnut forests reaching a more severe level.

Mercury pollution in the Chongqing part of the Three Gorges Reservoir area and its remediation and prevention

Mercury pollution in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of P.R.China merits special attention.We investigated into the current situation in the Chongqing part of the Reservoir area,identified the pollution sources and proposed some suggestions for the remediation and prevention of mercury pollution in this area.Atmospheric mercury in Chongqing was mainly from coal burning and releases of mercury-containing products such as various types of lights and fever thermometers.Urban drainage in Chongqing and Changshou,and runoffs from the high mercury background area in the lower reaches of the Wujiang River contributed most of the mercury in the water of the Yangtze River.A majority of the blame should be laid on mercury and gold mining in the Wujiang valley.We suggested foresting sloping lands to relieve soil erosion and prevent mercury-bearing soil from running into rivers,educational activities to discourage use of mercury-containing products and improved infrastructure to collect mercury-containing wastes for reducing mercury releases,more facilities for treating wastewater and solid waste to accommodate increased requirements of discharge,and growing selected perennial plants in mercury-contaminated land to absorb the mercury in soil.We also suggested concerted operation of a dedicated water-quality monitoring system,reinforced legislation and an effective administrative mechanism to ensure lasting efforts are invested in curbing mercury releases and restoring mercury contaminated land and water in the Reservoir area.

Effect of Kelp Residue Microbial Fertilizer on Eco-Control Peanut Pathogenic Fungus Aspergillus Parasiticus 1

Ecological prevention and control of plant disease is very important in sustainable agriculture.Adjusting soil p H value and fertilizing organic microbial fertilizer are two effective measures in this process.Kelp residue contains a large amount of organic compounds and alkaline metal ions.The bio-control Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain Hitwh-BA2 was inoculated into kelp residue medium to produce kelp residue microbial fertilizer.Acidic soil and alkaline soil were used to study the effect of kelp residue microbial fertilizer on soil p H and soil suppressive activity.Tip-culture method was used to determine soil leachate suppressive activity,which characterized the soil suppressive activity.Results showed that fertilizing kelp residue microbial fertilizer had increased the soil p H and soil suppressive ability significantly,which was verified by peanut validation experiments as well.Peanut potting experiments proved that fertilizing kelp residue microbial fertilizer not only improved the yield of peanuts obviously,but also reduced the amount of Aspergillus parasiticus 95 in peanut geocarposphere soil significantly.Results also showed that fertilizing kelp residue microbial fertilizer was effective in reducing A.parasiticus 95 infection rate.So the kelp residue microbial fertilizer has good potential application prospect on ecological prevention and control of plant disease.

Effects of Soil Biodiversity on Plant Health:A Review

Soil is the most biologically abundant ecosystem on the earth.Soil biodiversity has significant impact on maintaining soil ecological balance and agricultural production,especially on healthy growth and disease control of plants.Therefore,it is of great significance to study soil biodiversity.This paper reviewed the role of soil biodiversity in plant growth.First of all,the history of soil biodiversity was introduced.Secondly,the composition of soil biodiversity was introduced,and the role of soil biodiversity in regulating the quantity and species of soil organisms,maintaining the balance and stability of soil system,participating in nutrient circulation and energy flow,and promoting plant health were discussed based on the interactions among microbial diversity,fauna diversity and plant diversity.Finally,combined with the background of advocating the protection of soil biodiversity in the great time,the potential factors threatening soil biodiversity were analyzed.

水-气耦合下的土质边坡稳定系数场分析

传统边坡稳定性分析方法仅对潜在滑动面进行整体稳定性评估,无法获取各点的安全系数.基于稳定系数场理论,综合考虑水-气耦合作用,对降雨条件下边坡稳定性进行分析.结果表明:1)稳定系数场法能够直观地体现水-气耦合作用下边坡的具体破坏区域,得到各点的安全系数;2)孔隙气压力对边坡降雨入渗有一定阻碍作用,并且随着降雨时间的推移阻渗效果愈明显,相同条件下降雨40 h时,两相流湿润锋深度较单向流减小了28.6%;3)相同条件下,考虑水-气耦合作用将降低边坡稳定性,以降雨40 h为例,两相流边坡失稳面积约为单向流的1.7倍.因此,在实际工程中对边坡稳定性分析时考虑水-气耦合作用,工程偏于安全.