Current Status and Challenges of the Water and Soil Conservation in Hotan County, Xinjiang

In order to thoroughly analyze the current status and challenges faced by the water and water conservation in Hotan County of Xinjiang,the use situation of water resources,the effectiveness and shortcomings of water and soil conservation work in the region are reviewed.Hotan County has achieved several remarkable achievements in the soil and water conservation project,daily management and maintenance,and ecological restoration projects.Some measures,such as terrace construction,slope protection engineering,and the construction of windproof and sandwood belts,have also had a positive impact on improving the quality of surface water resources while effectively curbing soil erosion.But there are also lack of operating policy detailed rules and implementation plans,and planning and design of some water and soil conservation projects lack of integrity and systematicness,application and promotion of new technologies,and soil loss management and ecological recovery effect assessment lack of comprehensive assessment indicators and methods.It has caused some water and soil conservation works to fail to be effectively implemented.In this regard,countermeasures and suggestions are put forward,such as strengthening the planning and management of water and soil conservation,promoting the technology and measures of water and soil conservation,increasing investment and funding support,and strengthening publicity education and personnel training.

Driving forces and their interactions of soil erosion in soil and water conservation regionalization at the county scale with a high cultivation rate

Soil erosion control based on county scale Soil and Water Conservation Regionalization(SWCR)is an essential component of China's ecological civilization construction.In SWCR,the quantitative analysis of the spatial heterogeneity and driving factors of soil erosion among different regions is still lacking.It is of great significance for soil erosion control to deeply examine the factors contributing to soil erosion(natural,land use,and socioeconomic factors)and their interaction at the county and regional levels.This study focused on a highly cultivated area,Hechuan District of Chongqing in the Sichuan Basin.The district(with 30 townships)was divided into four soil and water conservation regions(Ⅰ-Ⅳ)using principal component and hierarchical cluster analysis.The driving factors of soil erosion were identified using the geographical detector model.The results showed thatⅰ)the high cultivation rate was a prominent factor of soil erosion,and the sloping farmland accounted for 78.4%of the soil erosion in the study area;ⅱ)land use factors demonstrated the highest explanatory power in soil erosion,and the average interaction of land use factors explained 60.1%of soil erosion in the study area;ⅲ)the interaction between natural factors,socioeconomic factors,and land use factors greatly contributes to regional soil erosion through nonlinear-enhancement of double-factor enhancement.This study highlights the importance of giving special attention to the effects of land use factors on soil erosion at the county scale,particularly in mountainous and hilly areas with extensive sloping farmland and a high cultivation rate.

Results and Application of Soil and Water Conservation Monitoring in the Yellow River Basin

Since water and soil conservation monitoring in the Yellow River Basin entered a new stage at the end of the 20th century,the monitoring scope has been expanding,the monitoring accuracy has been improving,the monitoring content and indicators have been increasing,and the monitoring technology and methods have been improving.This paper mainly analyzes the status of soil and water conservation monitoring in the Yellow River Basin,as well as the construction of the monitoring system and related research,in order to provide a reference for watershed management and development and the scientific research of water and soil conservation.

Review on the Impact of Climate Change on Great Lakes Region’s Agriculture and Water Resources

This study investigates the multifaceted impacts of climate change on the Midwest region of the United States, particularly the rising temperatures and precipitation brought about by hot weather activities and technological advances since the 19th century. From 1900 to 2010, temperatures in the Midwest rose by an average of 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which would also lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Precipitation is also expected to increase due to increased storm activity and changes in regional weather patterns. This paper explores the impact of these changes on urban and agricultural areas. In urban areas such as the city of Chicago, runoff from the increasing impervious surface areas poses challenges to the drainage system, and agriculture areas are challenged by soil erosion, nutrient loss, and fewer planting days due to excessive rainfall. Sustainable solutions such as no-till agriculture and the creation of grassland zones are discussed. Using historical data, recent climate studies and projections, the paper Outlines ways to enhance the Midwest’s ecology and resilience to climate change.

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.

Soil structure characters of different soil and water conservation plantations in typical black soil region

A study was conducted to determine the characters of soil structure in different water and soil conservation forests in Keshan County,northwest of Heilongjiang Province,China.The soil bulk density,the ratio of non-capillary porosity and capillary porosity（NCP/CP）,and the generalized soil structure index（GSSI） were measured for Fraxinus mandshurica,Larix gmelini,Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica,and Picea koraiensis plantations as well as the abandoned land（as control） adjacent to the forests in typical black soil region.Results show that at soil depth of 0–30cm,the soil bulk density of F.mandshurica forest and L.gmelini forest was lower than that of P.sylvestris var.mongolica forest and P.koraiensis forest,with the relative decrease of 8.04%–11.01%.The soil bulk density of L.gmelini forest was significantly different from that of the P.sylvestris var.mongolica forest and P.koraiensis forest.The NCP/CP values of the four types of plantations were all higher（59.75%–128.82% relatively） than that of abandoned land（p〈0.05）,indicating that the soil aeration and permeability under forest were enhanced,especially under L.gmelini forest.GSSI values of the four types of forests were also relatively higher（2.98%–4.36%） than abandoned land（p〈0.05）,indicating that those soil and water conservation forests,especially the F.mandshurica forest and P.koraiensis forest,can promote soil condition to approximate ideal soil structure.The result of this study can provide theoretical basis for scientifically evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil quality in typical black soil region.

Effect of Mulberry(Morus alba Linn) on Soil and Water Conservation

Rational development and utilization of hilly land is an effective measure for raising land productivity, developing countryside economy, increasing peasants＇ income, conserving soil and water, and improving eco-environment. The growth and root distribution of mulberry trees were studied. Various indexes including soil physical characters and hydrological status, water infiltration rate, water and soil loss and soil erosion amount were tested. The results indicated that mulberry trees had the effects of intercepting rainfall, improving soil infiltration rate, decreasing soil erosion amount, and conserving water and soil

Analysis on Countermeasures of Water and Soil Conservation and Eco-environment Construction in China

With economy development,human destruction of eco-environment is deteriorating,which has become a key treatment nationwide.What＇s more,eco-environment construction is proceeding and multi-eco-environment projects are developing.Water and soil conservation and eco-environment construction should be a strategic task long-term insisted on,which is a part of agricultural construction.The research analyzed the relationship between water and soil conservation with eco-environment,concluded the process of ecological civilization construction in promoting water and soil conservation,and proposed countermeasures,laying foundation for water and soil conservation and ecological construction.

Evaluating the Effects of Sustainable Chemical and Organic Fertilizers with Water Saving Practice on Corn Production and Soil Characteristics

The rapidly growing world population,water shortage,and food security are promising problems for sustainable agriculture.Farmers adopt higher irrigation and fertilizer applications to increase crop production resulting in environmental pollution.This study aimed to identify the long-term effects of intelligent water and fertilizers used in corn yield and soil nutrient status.A series of field experiments were conducted for six years with treatments as:farmer accustomed to fertilization used as control(CON),fertilizer decrement(KF),fertilizer decrement+watersaving irrigation(BMP1);combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation(BMP2),and combined application of controlled-release fertilizer(BMP3).A significant improvement was observed in soil organic matter(14.9%),nitrate nitrogen(106.7%),total phosphorus(23.9%),available phosphorus(26.2%),straw yield(44.8%),and grain yield(54.7%)with BMP2 treatment as compared to CON.The study concludes that integrating chemical and organic fertilizers with water-saving irrigation(BMP2)is a good approach to increasing corn productivity,ensuring water safety and improving soil health.The limitations of the current study include the identification of fertilizer type and its optimum dose,irrigation water type,and geographical position.

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.

An Experimental Analysis of Water and Soil Conservation Effected by Micro-landscape Structure

[Objective] This comparative experiment was to explore the soil loss con- trol effects under cultivation combination of different soil and vegetation types, and to provide scientific basis for the upcoming pilot project of ecological recovery. [Method] Both the rudiment of water locomotion functioned by micro-landscape structures and different spatial combinations of various landscape constituents are considered, thus, the combination of multi-soil type, crop species and site conditions is designed in three different experimental sites. [Result] Soil loss estimates in experiments in South Wello significantly depended on various soil type, slope, vegetation and type of con- servation structure; grass cover tremendously reduces soil loss; legume cultivation performed better than cereal cultivation in soil loss control. [Conclusion] By conduct- ing the data analysis of the experiment, a scientific reference is proposed to the agri- culture planting and protective mode for the alleviation of water and soil loss in Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

An Evaluation of Manure Management Strategies, Phosphorus Surface Runoff Potential and Water Usage at an Arkansas Discovery Dairy Farm

Manure management is an essential component of dairy production. Nutrient-laden, field-applied dairy manure often serves as a fertilizer source, but can also pose environmental threats if not properly managed. The Haak dairy farm, located in Decatur, Arkansas, was granted a permit by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to employ a unique method in treating and storing cattle manure generated during the milking process. This method includes minimizing water use in wash water, dry scraping solids to combine with sawdust for composting and pumping effluent underground into a sloped concrete basin that serves as secondary solid separator before transporting the manure effluent into an interception trench and an adjacent grassed field to facilitate manure nutrient uptake and retention. The Arkansas Discovery Farm program (ADF) is conducting research to evaluate the environmental performance of the dairy’s milk center wash water treatment system (MCWW) by statistical analysis, characterization of phosphorus (P) migration in soil downslope from the inception trench, temperature measurements, and nutrient analysis of a stored dry stack manure/sawdust mixture. Goals included determining possible composting effectiveness along with comparisons to untreated dairy manure and quantifying the use of on-farm water. Results from this research demonstrated that: 1) The MCWW was effective at retaining manure-derived nutrients and reducing field nutrient migration as the MCWW interception trench had significantly higher total nitrogen (TN) (804.2 to 4.1), total phosphorus (TP) (135.6 to 1.5), and water extractable phosphorus (WEP) (55.0 to 1.0) concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg⋅L-1) than the downhill freshwater pond respectively;2) temperature readings of the manure dry stack indicated heightened levels of microbial and thermal activity, but did not reach a standard composting temperature of 54°C;3) manure dry stack nutrient content was typically higher than untreated dairy manure when measured on a “dry basis” in ppm, but was lower on an “as is basis” in ppm and kg/metric ton;and 4) water meter readings showed that the greatest use of on-farm water was for farm-wide cattle drinking (18.77), followed by water used in the milking center (3.45) and then followed by human usage (0.02) measured in cubic meters per day (m3⋅d-1). These results demonstrate that practical innovations in agricultural engineering and environmental science, such as the Haak dairy’s manure treatment system, can effectively reduce environmental hazards that accompany the management of manure at this dairy operation.

Exploration of Water and Soil Conservation's Function in Construction of Eco-environment

Eco-environment lays foundation for human existence and development, and social and economy evolvement. Therefore, it is a fundamental principle to pro- tact and construct eco-environment and achieve sustainable development. With ur- ban development, and destruction on natural environment, however, the issue of water and soil losses has become a serious problem, affecting people＇s life and production. The research, therefore, explored the role of water and soil conservation in ecological civilization construction, including bomprehensive treatment of water storage and sand reduction, improving agricultural structure and advancing rural econ- omy, relieving the conflict between supply and demand of water resources, improv- ing eco-environment in mountainous regions and accelerating eco-construction.

Benefits of Conservation Agriculture on Soil and Water Conservation and Its Progress in China

Conservation agriculture has been practised for three decades and has been spread widely. There are many nomenclatures surrounding conservation agriculture and differ to each other lightly. Conservation agriculture （CA） is a system approach to soil and water conservation, high crop productivity and profitability, in one word, it is a system approach to sustainable agriculture. Yet, because conservation agriculture is a knowledge-intensive and a complex system to learn and implement, and also because of traditions of intensive cultivation, adoption rates have been low, since to date, only about seven percent of the world＇s arable and permanent cropland area is farmed under conservation agriculture. The practice and wider extention of conservation agriculture thus requires a deeper understanding of its ecological underpinnings in order to manage its various elements for sustainable intensification, where the aim is to conserve soil and water and improve sustainability over the long term. This paper described terms related to conservation agriculture, presented the effects of conservation agriculture on soil and water conservation, crop productivity, progress and adoption of CA worldwide, emphasized obstacles and possible ways to increase CA adoption to accelerate sustainable development of China agriculture.

Water and Soil Conservation in Taiwan Based on Theoretical Research of Water and Soil Ecology

Taiwan has always attached great importance to management of mountain slopes, and its steepslope water and soil conservation system has been a reference for the water and soil conservation in hot and rainy regions. From the perspective of water and soil ecology theory, new forms of water and soil loss emerged since the industrialization and urbanization of Taiwan, also known as hidden water and soil loss, such as soil hardening, change of original landform, destruction of ecological landscape etc.. These losses should be controlled through water and soil conservation measures such as initial involvement, dynamic analysis, systematic treatment and disaster avoidance, all production and construction activities should follow three elements(water, soil and vegetation) and their correlation laws, in order to maintain water and soil ecological balance. By integrating water and soil ecological concepts, water and soil conservation in Taiwan will make more progress.

Effects of Land Management Practices on Soil Water in Southwestern Mountainous Area, China

The effects of selected land management practices （cross-sloping tillage, ridge culture, organic manure, and straw mulch） on soil water conservation in a southwestern mountainous area, China, were studied during November 2002 to November 2004. The experimental field is divided into three parts based on soil layer depths, 0-60 cm （part Ⅰ）, 0-40 cm （part Ⅱ）, and 0- 20 cm （part Ⅲ）, and they all had the same slope azimuth （SE）, slope （10°）, and slope type （linear）. The experimental plots were subjected to the following treatments： cross-sloping tillage （CST）; cross-sloping tillage with organic manure （CST/ OM）; cross-sloping tillage with straw mulch （CST/SM）; contour ridge culture （CRC）; contour ridge culture with organic manure （CRC/OM）; and contour ridge culture with straw mulch （CRC/SM）, to identify the effects of management practices on soil water. Water contents were determined for soil samples collected, using a 2.2 cm diameter manual probe. Soil water was monitored once every five days from Nov. 20, 2002 to Nov. 20, 2004. The results indicated that, in the study stages, an integration of rainfall, evaporative losses, and crop transcription controlled the basic tendencies of profile （mean） soil water, while land management practices, to a certain extent, only modified its amount, distribution, and routing. Moreover, these modifications also mainly focused on the first 20 cm depth of topsoil layer. When each management practice was compared with control treatment, season changes of profile （mean） soil water were pronounced, while interannual changes among them were not significant. More comparisons indicated that, in the study stages, contour ridge culture had better effects than cross-sloping tillage. And under the same tillage, the combination of organic manure could achieve more than straw mulch. These management practices should be recommended considering the effectiveness of soil and water management techniques in the southwestern mountainous area, China.

Relationship Between Soil and Water Conservation Practices and Soil Conditions in Low Mountain and Hilly Region of Northeast China

The soil and water conservation practices of ecological restoration(ER),fish scale pit(FP),furrow and ridge tillage across the slope(FR),shrub strips(SS),and vegetation-covered ridge(VR)are characteristic of the Jixing small watershed of the low mountain and hilly region of Jilin Province,Northeast China.This study aims to elucidate the effects of soil and water conservation practices on soil conditions after the short-term implementation of practices.Soil samples were collected from five soil and water conservation sites(ER,FP,FR,SS,and VR)and two controls(BL and CT)to investigate their properties.To evaluate the influence of soil and water conservation practices on soil quality,an integrated quantitative index,soil quality index(QI),was developed to compare the soil quality under the different soil and water conservation practices.The results show that not all soil and water conservation practices can improve the soil conditions and not all soil properties,especially soil organic carbon(SOC),can be recovered under soil and water conservation practice in short-term.Moreover,the QI in the five soil and water conservation practices and two controls was in the following order:ER>VR>BL>FR>CT>SS>FP.ER exhibited a higher soil quality value on a slope scale.In the low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China,ER is a better choice than the conversion of farmlands to planted grasslands and woodlands early in the soil and water conservation program.

Analysis of Coupling between Soil and Water Conservation and Economic-social Development

The coupling relation exists in water and soil conser-vation and economic-social development. The article analyses the relation of soil and water conservation and economic-social development stages as well as the coupling analytical method. Then calculates the expecting income by dispersing Markov decision and calculates the correlation coefficient and the re-lationship degree. The article obtains the relationship of soil and water conservation investments and all kinds of incomes. Finally, it analyzes the important meaning in socio-economic development of water and soil conservation.

Study on Water and Soil Conservation Effects of Grassland Based on Live Vegetation Volume at Various Time Scales

Based on the observation data of rainfall,vegetation,runoff and sediment yield in the experimental plots located in Hetian Town,Changting County of Fujian Province during 2007-2010,the changing characteristics and interrelation of live vegetation volume of grass,rainfall parameters,and water(soil)conservation effect RE(SE)were analyzed at four time scales of rainfall event,month,season,and year.The results showed that with the increase of time scales,the rainfall and vegetation indicators increased or decreased more or less,and the variation range of RE was small,while SEslowly decreased.The mean REchanged by 10%-20% at different time scales,and the observed water conservation effect of the grassland was the best at season scale while the worst at year scale.The soil conservation effect of the grassland was the best at month scale and the worst at season scale.The water conservation effect of the grass was mainly controlled by rainfall factors,including rainfall duration and precipitation at rainfall event scale,and the maximum intensity of precipitation within 30 min at longer time scales.However,the soil conservation effect of the grass was mainly controlled by vegetation factors,including the contribution of the litter on soil surface at rainfall event scale,the interaction of rainfall and vegetation at month and season scales,and the live vegetation volume of the grass at year scale.Consequently,at different time scales,the factors influencing water and soil conservation changed and interacted,and the observed water and soil conservation effects were also different,indicating that the influence of time scales deserves attention in both research and management practices.

Integrating water use systems and soil and water conservation measures into a hydrological model of an Iranian Wadi system

Water resources are precious in arid and semi-arid areas such as the Wadis of Iran. To sustainably manage these limited water resources, the residents of the Iranian Wadis have been traditionally using several water use systems(WUSs) which affect natural hydrological processes. In this study, WUSs and soil and water conservation measures(SWCMs) were integrated in a hydrological model of the Halilrood Basin in Iran. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model was used to simulate the hydrological processes between 1993 and 2009 at daily time scale. To assess the importance of WUSs and SWCMs, we compared a model setup without WUSs and SWCMs(Default model) with a model setup with WUSs and SWCMs(WUS-SWCM model). When compared to the observed daily stream flow, the number of acceptable calibration runs as defined by the performance thresholds(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)≥0.68, –25%≤percent bias(PBIAS)≤25% and ratio of standard deviation(RSR)≤0.56) is 177 for the Default model and 1945 for the WUS-SWCM model. Also, the average Kling–Gupta efficiency(KGE) of acceptable calibration runs for the WUS-SWCM model is higher in both calibration and validation periods. When WUSs and SWCMs are implemented, surface runoff(between 30% and 99%) and water yield(between 0 and 18%) decreased in all sub-basins. Moreover, SWCMs lead to a higher contribution of groundwater flow to the channel and compensate for the extracted water by WUSs from the shallow aquifer. In summary, implementing WUSs and SWCMs in the SWAT model enhances model plausibility significantly.