Abstract
The processes of soil erosion and land degradation are more rapid in the case of inappropriate agricultural management, which leads to increased soil loss rates. Moreover, climatic conditions are one of the most important determining factors affecting agriculture, especially in the Mediterranean areas featuring irregular rainfall and high summer temperatures. Conservation agriculture (CA) can make a significant contribution to reducing soil erosion risk on the annual cropland (ACL) of the Mediterranean region in comparison with conventional management (CM). The objective of this study is to provide soil loss rate maps and calculate the values for each altitude and slope class and their combination for the Apulia region in four annual production cycles for the scenarios CM and CA. The present study estimates the significance of the adoption of CA on soil erosion assessment at regional scale based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The parameters of the RUSLE model were estimated by using remote sensing (RS) data. The erosion probability zones were determined through a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Google Earth Engine (GEE) approach. Digital terrain model (DTM) at 8 m, ACL maps of the Apulia region, and rainfall and soil data were used as an input to identify the most erosion-prone areas. Our results show a 7.5% average decrease of soil loss rate during the first period of adoption of the four-year crop cycle—from 2.3 t ha−1 y−1 with CM to 2.1 t ha−1 y−1 with the CA system. CA reduced soil loss rate compared to CM in all classes, from 10.1% in hill class to 14.1% for hill + low slope class. These results can therefore assist in the implementation of effective soil management systems and conservation practices to reduce soil erosion risk in the Apulia region and in the Mediterranean basin more generally.
Highlights
Soil erosion is one of the main parameters for assessing soil quality [1,2,3]
The region is characterized by low mountains located in the Gargano promontory and in the Daunian Sub-Apennine, respectively, in the north and east of the Foggia province; the Tavoliere plain, which extends for 3000 km2 in the central and southern part of the Foggia province; and the Murgia plateau, which covers a surface of 4000 km2 between the provinces of Barletta–Andria–Trani and Bari [39]
Results and Discussion and slopes were calculated by using Digital terrain model (DTM) in Google Earth Engine (GEE)
Summary
Soil erosion is one of the main parameters for assessing soil quality [1,2,3]. It is defined as “the movement and transport of soil by various agents, water, wind, and mass movement” [4]. Soil erosion and soil quality are strongly correlated phenomena. Erosion effects on soil quality are determined by land use, farming system and management, spatial variability in erosional processes, and inherent soil properties [6]. Erosion affects soil quality and productivity, reducing infiltration rates, organic matter, nutrients, water-holding capacity, soil biota, and depth with considerable impacts on soil environment [7,8]. Soil erosion has a negative impact on ecosystem services such as water quality and quantity, biodiversity, and crop yields [9,10]
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