Estimating Medium-Term Soil Erosion Rates under Different Types of Land Use in Red Soil Region of Jiangxi, Southern China Using <sup>137</sup>Cs Technique

Abstract

Soil erosion has been recognized as one of the major environmental problem in red soil region of southern China. The spatial variation of soil erosion was studied using 137Cs technique at three sites (site A, site B, site C) under different type of land use in Jiangxi province. To understand the spatial distribution of soil erosion is important for taking proper soil and water conservation measures. 280 samples were collected at three sites. Medium-term average soil erosion rates estimated for dry farmland is 83.1 kg ha-1 a-1 at site A, and that for paddy fields with terraces on the middle-lower slope is 79.2 kg ha-1 a-1 at site B. Among the uncultivated lands, the average soil erosion rate of bare land is 3700 kg ha-1 a-1 on the upper slope at site A, that of woodland covered with masson pines on the upper slope is 1106 kg ha-1 a-1 at site B and that of economic forest that covered with orchard is 1380.5 kg ha-1 a-1 at site C. On the whole, the soil erosion rate of cultivated land is lower than that of uncultivated land. Bare land, woodland and orchard are the three main sources of soil erosion in red soil region of southern China. Protective measures of cultivated land, such as terraces, field ridge and ditch beside the land, had been demonstrated effectively in controlling soil erosion. The findings provide more information on agricultural land under different type of land use and managed measures which play an important role in controlling the soil loss in Southern China to a certain degree.