Abstract
Farming plot construction engineering in hilly areas plays an important role in the mechanization, large-scale production and industrialization of agriculture. The method is undertaken to improve water and soil conservation, enhance soil fertility and extend machinery agriculture. However, the positive effects of engineering require years to mature. The properties of newly reconstructed soil are not sufficient, i.e., with poor structure and low water holding capacity, resulting in deterioration of its physical properties and erosion. To date, most studies on plot characteristics and soil properties in farming plot construction engineering have neglected the influence of soil erosion. This paper addresses soil erosion characteristics at sites to define the appropriate slope length for newly reconstructed gentle-slope lands. Six field plots with a 10° slope gradient and different lengths (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 m) were established under natural rainfall and simulated overland flow conditions. The soil detachment rate, runoff shear stress and stream power exhibited the same trends as runoff and soil loss. The soil erosion characteristics varied at sites with different slope lengths, and the degree of soil erosion reached its minimum on gentle-slope land sites of 30 or 40 m. Therefore, 30–40 m slope lengths may be the recommended range to control soil loss from newly reconstructed gentle-slope lands. The conclusions of this study provide theoretical guidance for farming plot construction engineering, which can promote the sustainable development of cultivated land resources in hilly mountainous regions.
Highlights
Rainfall[16], particle size distribution, and slope aspect, is one of the main causes of soil nutrient losses and soil fertility decline
The existing literature on the effects of farming plot construction mainly focuses on four aspects: (1) these projects weaken the diversity of agricultural landscapes[21,22]; (2) these projects may cause a series of adverse ecological environmental impacts, while increasing the effective cultivated land area and improving the soil quality[18,23]; (3) the system evaluates farmland consolidation in different regions as well as, the economic, social and ecological benefits of the project[24]; and (4) the spatial variation in soil nutrients and the characteristics of soil quality evolution are evaluated in farming plot construction projects on a microcosmic scale
The soil loss and runoff due to rainfall events shown in Fig. 1a–c,e,f reached their minimum values on the 30 m gentle-slope land site, whereas the results shown in Fig. 1d reached their maximum values at the 40 m site
Summary
Rainfall[16], particle size distribution, and slope aspect, is one of the main causes of soil nutrient losses and soil fertility decline. The existing literature on the effects of farming plot construction mainly focuses on four aspects: (1) these projects weaken the diversity of agricultural landscapes[21,22]; (2) these projects may cause a series of adverse ecological environmental impacts, while increasing the effective cultivated land area and improving the soil quality[18,23]; (3) the system evaluates farmland consolidation in different regions as well as, the economic, social and ecological benefits of the project[24]; and (4) the spatial variation in soil nutrients and the characteristics of soil quality evolution are evaluated in farming plot construction projects on a microcosmic scale. Under natural rainfall and simulated overland flow conditions, this study uses newly reconstructed soils on gentle-slope lands after farming plot construction as the research objects and investigates the runoff and sediment generation processes of six plots with different gentle-slope land values (5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 m). The objectives of the study were to (1) define the seriousness of soil erosion on gentle-slope lands after farming plot construction, (2) determine the appropriate slope length to control soil loss from newly reconstructed soil and (3) provide theoretical guidance for the control and monitoring of gentle-slope lands erosion after farming plot construction in hilly mountainous region
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