Determining Land Management Zones Using Pedo-Geomorphological Factors in Potential Degraded Regions to Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality

Ali Keshavarzi,Eduardo Leonel Bottega,Jesús Rodrigo-Comino,Vinod Kumar

doi:10.3390/land8060092

Ali Keshavarzi, Eduardo Leonel Bottega + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/land8060092

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Abstract

The proper delineation of site-specific management zones is very important in the agricultural land management of potentially degraded areas. There is a necessity for the development of prospective tools in management plans to correctly understand the land degradation processes. In order to accomplish this, we present a pedo-geomorphological approach using soil texture, land elevation and flow vector aspects to distinguish different management zones and to discretize soil micronutrients. To achieve this goal, we conducted the study in the Neyshabur plain, Northeast Iran. For data collection, grid sampling (500 × 500 m) was used with 70 specific points. Soil samples were collected in triplicates from various sites as composite samples (0–30 cm) to analyse clay, Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe. Using the altitude information (obtained with GPS at each sampling point), flow vectors were also modelled for all selected points. Based on the values of altitude, flow vectors and clay, management zones were delimited using geographic information systems. The best data organization was obtained from the combination of clay + elevation + flow vector attributes, generating two different management zones. In this circumstance, the lowest fuzzy performance index (FPI) and modified partition entropy (MPE) values were generated. It can be observed that the management zone 1 (MZ1) is located in the areas with a lower elevation and higher content of clay. On the other hand, the MZ2 was characterized by areas with a higher elevation and lower clay content. This study concluded that the design of management zones, using pedo-geomorphological information could reduce the time and cost of sampling necessary to assess potentially degraded areas of land.

Highlights

The sustainable management of natural and anthropised soils can significantly reduce degradation processes such as GHG emissions [1] or soil and water losses [2,3,4]
Zn content showing the highest coefficient of variation, a lower coefficient of variation was recorded for Cu
We presented a pedo-geomorphological approach to distinguish different management zones and discretize soil micronutrients in order to fill the gaps in land degradation neutrality plans, which should be designed in Iran and used as soon as possible

Summary

Introduction

The sustainable management of natural and anthropised soils can significantly reduce degradation processes such as GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions [1] or soil and water losses [2,3,4]. Recent studies include sustainable and correct land management practices to achieve land degradation neutrality. It is unusual to assess soil degradation or delimitate land management zones via clay, Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe. recent research conducted by [14] in India demonstrated that micronutrient deficiency in intensively cultivated regions may be associated with a low organic availability and excessive reliance on chemical fertilizers. It is not common to see clear examples showing how these data on micronutrients can be a basis for a land management planning tool to achieve land degradation neutrality. Other robust indicators such as cation exchange capacity, base saturation, the content of soil organic matter, but in several cases, only a few data about soil chemical properties such as micronutrients are analysed by organisms or stakeholders

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