Causes Of Land Degradation Research Articles

Investigation of hydraulic parameters influencing interrill erosion under simulated rainfall conditions

ABSTRACT Interrill erosion is a major cause of land degradation. This study investigates the effects of slope and rainfall intensity on soil erosion and sediment loss. Two types of slopes were examined: interrill slope and a rill slope, artificially created in the center of a 1 m² soil plot. Experiments were conducted at the LEGHYD laboratory using a fixed-bed channel with a triangular cross-section to simulate the rill. Two slope values (3% and 5%) for the plot and two interrill slopes (15% and 22.5%) were tested. Sandy soil (70% sand, 30% gravel) was subjected to six artificial rainfall intensities: 101.94 mm·h−1, 90.39 mm·h−1, 81.89 mm·h−1, 69.49 mm·h−1, 37.82 mm·h−1, and 31.40 mm·h−1. Data on hydraulic parameters of overland flow were analyzed in relation to sediment concentration. Results showed that while slope had minimal impact on rill flow velocity, it significantly influenced rainfall intensity and overland flow power. A strong positive correlation was found between rainfall intensity, flow power, and sediment concentration. The findings emphasize the combined effects of slope and rainfall intensity on erosion, underscoring the importance of integrated soil management strategies for sustainable land use.

Impacts of sand and dust storms on food production

Abstract Sand and dust storms (SDS) are common in the world’s drylands, regions that are also critically important for global food production. Agriculture is the most prevalent land use resulting in anthropogenic SDS sources, resulting in impacts on cropland and rangeland, but food production is also affected by impacts from natural SDS sources. This review assesses our knowledge of SDS impacts on all the major types of food production in terrestrial and oceanic environments, impacts that occur in all three phases of the wind erosion system: during particle entrainment, during transport, and on deposition. These effects are short term and long term, direct and indirect. Wind erosion is a major cause of land degradation and there is good evidence to indicate that the deleterious effects of SDS can reduce food production via substantially diminished yields of crops, pastures and livestock. However, it is also clear that soil dust plays an important role in major biogeochemical cycles—especially phosphorus, nitrogen and iron—with implications for the valuable environmental services provided by numerous ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine. Ultimately, these nutrients have particular significance for soil formation, ecosystem productivity and food webs on land and at sea, and hence the provision of food for human societies. Efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of SDS on the sustainability of agriculture should be balanced with an appreciation of the significance of soil dust to the Earth system.

Farmers’ Awareness on Land Degradation and Conservation Measure Adoption in Vietnam

This study aims to investigate farmers' perceptions of land degradation in Vietnam, where land degradation is considered one of the nation's most pressing issues. Based on survey data from 826 farmers in three representative regions of Vietnam, the study reveals that over 85% of the respondents have observed indications of land degradation on their farms. The farmers' perceptions of land degradation indicators were influenced by regional topography. Inappropriate farming techniques, excessive chemical use, and a lack of knowledge were reported as the main causes of land degradation. Furthermore, the farmers had limited understanding of land degradation and the benefits of soil conservation measures. Sustainable land management adopters exhibited better perceptions of land degradation and measures for land improvement compared to non-adopters. Therefore, it is crucial to increase farmers' awareness of land degradation and the advantages of adopting sustainable land practices, and this should be accomplished through widespread dissemination via mass and local media in the future.

Wind Speed and Vegetation Coverage in Turn Dominated Wind Erosion Change With Increasing Aridity in Africa

AbstractWind erosion is one of the main causes of land degradation and desertification. Clarifying the spatiotemporal variations of wind erosion and the dominant factors of its spatial characteristics and the temporal trend will contribute to the establishment of appropriate wind erosion control and management practices, which is essential for combating global land degradation and strengthening ecological protection in drylands. Here, we assessed wind erosion in Africa during 2001–2020 based on the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ). We also analyzed the influential factor of spatial characteristics and temporal variation based on machine learning and other methods under different aridity. Results revealed that the average annual wind erosion modulus was 16,672 t/km2/a in Africa during 2001–2020, with hyper‐arid areas and arid areas accounting for more than 90% of the total wind erosion modulus. The spatial characteristics of wind erosion were dominated by natural factors but not anthropogenic activities. Except in hyper‐arid areas, wind speed and vegetation coverage together dominated the spatial characteristics. Wind speed was the dominant factor in wind erosion change, while in arid and semi‐arid areas, the capability of vegetation coverage to affect wind erosion change was comparable to wind speed. It can be concluded that, although revegetation does contribute to the reduction of wind erosion in arid and semi‐arid areas, taking into account water resource constraints and land use conflicts, large plantations can be replaced with windbreaks to increase vegetation coverage while reducing near‐surface wind speed, which improves the sustainability of ecological projects aimed at combating land degradation and desertification.

Assessing gully erosion susceptibility dynamics using information value and hazard index methods: A case study of Agulu-Nanka watershed, Southeast Nigeria

Gully erosion is one of the major causes of land degradation leading to the loss of productive lands globally. The Benue Trough in Nigeria is plagued with the problem of gully erosion, with a myriad of natural and anthropogenic factors considered as contributory factors. In this study, quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to evaluate gully susceptibility in the Agulu-Nanka watershed located in the lower part of Benue Trough between 2000 and 2018. Landsat 7 and 8 images, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), geological, soil, and rainfall erosivity maps were used to generate the gully erosion controlling factors including vegetation cover, lithology, soil, land use/cover, slope, curvature, aspect and rainfall erosivity. Additionally, high resolution image was used to develop gully inventory map. The information value method was used evaluate the influence of various classes of gully erosion controlling factors on gully distribution in the watershed. This enabled objective derivation of weights for the various classes of these factors. Information value analysis reveal that low percentage vegetation cover (<10 %), Ameki Group lithological unit, high slope gradient (17 − 43°) and Dystric Fluvisols soil type have the highest influence on gully erosion in the watershed. Since the information value method does not consider interrelationship between factors, the rank sum technique was used to derive factor weights based on the relationship between the factors. To develop the gully susceptibility map for the Agulu-Nanka watershed for the years 2000 and 2018, the erosion controlling factors were integrated using factor class weights derived through information value and factor weights derived through rank sum method. The analysis of gully erosion hazard maps show that approximately 48 % of the watershed was under low erosion risk over the period of 18 years. Areas under moderate, high and severe erosion risk decreased from 27.45 %, 9.45 % and 0.27 % of the watershed in year 2000, to 21.30 %, 8.41 %, and 0.20 % of the watershed respectively in 2018. On the other hand, the areas under negligible erosion risk increased from 14.69 % in year 2000, to 21.26 % of the watershed in 2018. The validation of the gully erosion susceptibility map for years 2000 and 2018 using the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) showed ROC-AUC values of 0.81 % and 0.88 % respectively suggesting good model results. While the result of study indicates that restoration efforts through afforestation is yielding some result, the minimal reduction in the size of areas under severe and high gully erosion susceptibilities indicate that additional mitigation measures need to be combined with intensified afforestation efforts to effectively combat gully erosion in the watershed.

Assessment of the current status of soil quality and types of land degradation in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam

This study focused on providing practical information to assess the current status of soil quality and land degradation in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam to provide more evidence on land degradation status and factors affecting land degradation in this area. The soil samples were collected and analyzed in 2020 and compared to the available data of soil analysis data collected at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Ninh Province in 2010. The percentage of degraded land ranges from 51.70 to 90.36%. Forest land is the type with the highest percentage of degraded land with 90.36% of total forestry land area; Unused hilly land ranks second with degraded land at 87.15%; the percentage of degraded land in agriculture production land stays at 80.59%. The types of land degradation such as Condensation, Acidification, and Salinization only take place on a small area of land in the province. The cause of land degradation in Quang Ninh comes from both natural and anthropogenic causes. The main reasons can be mentioned as the terrain has a steep slope; the climate is hot and rainy; the climate change situation is complicated; and inappropriate agricultural practices. To solve the above situation, it is necessary to have solutions and integrated strategies for the rational exploitation and use of land resources. Especially environmentally friendly agricultural farming methods that are highly adaptive to climate change such as organic agriculture, circular agriculture, and sustainable agriculture.

The transition from shifting cultivation to indigenous agroforestry as nature-based solution for land restoration in the Indian Eastern Himalayas

In the Indian Eastern Himalayas, shifting cultivation has long been a major cause of land degradation. However, indigenous communities, like the Hmar, have successfully transitioned from shifting cultivation to agroforestry systems such as pineapple agroforestry, leading to land restoration and increased household incomes. Despite these positive outcomes, little is known about how soil health indicators change during this transition. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate changes in selected soil health indicators and erodibility across different age classes of pineapple agroforestry systems (<5, 5–10, 11–15, and > 15 years old) compared to shifting cultivation and nearby natural forests. Soil samples were collected from six sites, including different stages of pineapple agroforestry systems, shifting cultivation phases, and a natural forest. At each site, three (10 × 10 m) quadrats were selected, and two (1 × 1 × 1 m) vertical soil pits were dug in each quadrat, sampling soil depths from 0 to 100 cm. The transition from shifting cultivation to pineapple agroforestry improved soil organic carbon (SOC) and stratification ratios while reducing soil erodibility. SOC stocks were estimated at 182.7 Mg C/ha for natural forest land and 188.2 Mg C/ha for the cropping phase in shifting cultivation. On the other hand, estimated SOC stocks for < 5, 5–10, 11–15 and > 15 years old stands of pineapple agroforestry system were 169.7 Mg C/ha, 157.2 Mg C/ha, 168.9 Mg C/ha and 177 Mg C/ha respectively. Thus, the estimated SOC stocks under > 15 years of pineapple agroforestry were comparable with adjacent natural forest land. The stratification ratios (SR > 2) for SOC and macronutrients indicated better soil quality in the pineapple agroforestry system than in the cropped land. The clay and modified clay ratios decreased with increasing age of pineapple agroforestry stands. The highest clay ratio was recorded in the topsoil of < 5-year-old pineapple agroforestry system, indicating a greater risk of exposure to rainfall events than in natural forest land and the cropping phase in the shifting cultivation cycle. It is concluded that transitioning from shifting cultivation to a pineapple agroforestry is a nature-based solution to restore degraded lands and presents an excellent opportunity for sustainable soil health and carbon sink management.

Estimating the extent of erosion using the RUSLE coefficient for Wadi Al-Karmashiya, northeast of Wasit Province

Soil loss is a major cause of land degradation all over the world, especially in large areas of arid and semi-arid regions. The objectives of the study were to estimate the extent of erosion and soil erosion using several indicators, especially the effect of rain coefficient, soil erodibility coefficient, slope coefficient, and cover coefficient. Plant and soil conservation factors, through RUSLE laboratories, as well as employing geographical information systems to obtain results related to soil erosion in the Karmashiya Basin, as the study showed that the volume of erosion in the basin ranged between 5-265 tons/ha/year, and that the areas most affected by erosion Those extending along the waterways, especially the central and southern regions of the basin, as well as the agricultural areas spread over a diverse area of the basin’s lands, especially those that do not follow modern methods of tillage and irrigation.

Terrestrial carbon dynamics and economic valuation of ecosystem service for land use management in the Mediterranean region

Land use change is a significant cause of land degradation, resulting in the removal of carbon and its transfer to the hydrosphere or atmosphere, which can have a detrimental impact on essential ecosystem functions and services. In contrast, rural landscapes offer both ecological and economic benefits to people due to their carbon storage properties. This benefit is often evaluated within the framework of Ecosystem Services (ES). The rural landscapes offer unique structures and ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to provide an economic quantification of carbon storage and sequestration in rural landscapes as an ecosystem service and to introduce carbon-based rural landscape management. The study enables the integration of carbon-based strategies and policies by generating quantitative outputs for landscape plans that have not yet been included in the spatial planning hierarchy. The Upper Seyhan Basin (USB), located on the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkiye, was modelled using spatiotemporal and economic valuation approaches to assess terrestrial carbon storage and sequestration in this context. The study modelled and mapped the four main terrestrial carbon storage components in the rural landscape: (i) above-ground biomass, (ii) below-ground biomass, (iii) Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), and (iv) dead organic matter carbon. The future land cover of 2055 was modelled using the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP)-Markov Chain (MC) algorithm based on the “Business-As-Usual” (BAU) scenario to determine future carbon sequestration. The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) was estimated for Turkiye using the Regional Integrated Model of Climate and Economy (RICE) to economically model carbon services. In the final stage of the study, modelling outputs, including carbon storage pools/sinks, projected land cover dynamics, and SCC components, were used within the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model to map the carbon dynamics of the rural landscape at the regional level. This paper demonstrates the role of geospatial modelling and proposes a new planning and design logic that considers carbon-based inputs and global climate change in an appropriate format for land management by bridging the interface between earth sciences and spatial planning. The study results indicate that, the rural landscape in the study area provided an ecosystem service of 70,266 TgC carbon in 2014 with a storage value of USD 222,853,170. For the 2014–2025 projection, an estimated 1.042 TgC of carbon sequestration was valued at USD 6,234,137. The 2014–2055 projection estimated 3.185 TgC of carbon sequestration valued at USD 58,745,265.

Farmers’ Perceptions on Land Degradation: A Case Study in Vietnam

This study aims to investigate farmers’ perception of land degradation in Vietnam, where land degradation is concerned as one of the nation's most pressing issues. Based on survey data from 826 farmers in three representative regions of Vietnam (including Hoa Binh province in Northern region, Quang Tri province in the Central Coastal region, and Can Tho province in Southern region) conducted in 2017, the study reveals that over 85% of the respondents have observed indications of land degradation on their farms. The farmers' perceptions of land degradation indicators were influenced by regional topography. Inappropriate farming techniques, excessive chemical use, and a lack of knowledge were reported as the major causes of land degradation. Furthermore, the farmers had limited understanding of land degradation as well as the benefits of soil conservation measures. Sustainable land management adopters exhibited their better perception of land degradation and measures for land improvement compared to non-adopters. Therefore, it is crucial to increase the farmers’ perception on land degradation and the advantages of adopting sustainable land management and this should be accomplished through widespread dissemination via mass and local media in the future

Evaluating the hidden potential of deashed biochar in mitigating salinity stress for cultivation of fenugreek

Soil salinity, the second most prominent cause of land degradation after soil erosion, has posed a persistent challenge to agriculture. Currently, approximately 1 billion hectares of Earth's land surface, equivalent to 7%, are affected by salinity. While biochar has proven effective in mitigating salinity stress, the specific role of deashed biochar in salinity mitigation has not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of four levels of deashed biochar (0%, 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.2%) on the growth and physiological attributes of Fenugreek under both non-saline conditions (2.54 dS/m EC) and salinity stress conditions (5.46 dS/m EC). The results revealed a notable enhancement in various parameters under salinity stress. Compared to the control, the application of 1.20% deashed biochar led to a significant increase in shoot fresh weight (30.82%), root fresh weight (13.06%), shoot dry weight (17.43%), root dry weight (33.44%), shoot length (23.09%), and root length (52.39%) under salinity stress. Furthermore, improvements in internal CO2 concentration (9.91%), stomatal conductance (15.49%), photosynthetic rate (25.50%), and transpiration rate (10.46%) were observed, validating the efficacy of 1.20% deashed biochar in alleviating salinity stress. The study also demonstrated a significant decrease in the activities of oxidative stress markers such as peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde (MDA). Simultaneously, there was an increase in the concentrations of essential nutrients, namely nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), in both shoot and root tissues. These findings collectively suggest that deashed biochar, particularly at a concentration of 1.20%, is recommended for achieving enhanced crop production under conditions of salinity stress.

Soil erosion monitoring based on cloud computing platform

Soil erosion is one of important causes of land degradation. Soil erosion can be estimated by an empirical model (RUSLE) based on cloud computing platform (GEE). This platform has several advantages including free access, availability of spatial big data, and effective and efficient spatial data analysis. The objective of this study was to estimate the rate of soil erosion in Blega Watershed, Bangkalan, Madura by means of RUSLE based on Cloud Computing Platform. The data obtained from several satellites’ imageries, were processed and analysed by employing GEE platform. The data collected were CHIRPS for rainfall erosivity (R), Open Land Map Soil Texture Class for soil erodibility (K), MODIS Terra vegetation index for land cover management (C), NASA DEM SRTM for Slope length and steepness (LS), and MODIS Land Cover Type Yearly and NASA DEM SRTM for Support practice factor (P). The result showed that the rates of soil erosion in Blega watershed from 2018 to 2022 respectively were 1.1490, 1.1320, 1.1388, 1.1491, and 1.1595 ton/ha/yr and therefore categorized as very low. The fluctuation of soil erosion in the study area was mainly caused by changes in R and C factor.

The Usage of social media in Creating Land Degradation Awareness in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region - Tanzania

The environment is the fundamental for all living things, and land conservation is of greater apprehension for the sustainable economic development. To attain higher level of land conservation there should be greater effort in creating awareness to people on land degradation conservation. The study aimed to find out the usage of social media in creating land degradation awareness. Specifically, the study intended to: find out the causes of land degradation, identify the status on the usage of social media for land degradation awareness, likely determine the type of social media frequently used for land degradation awareness. The field work covered Rombo district in the Kilimanjaro region Tanzania, where five administrative wards were scrutinized, to mention: Tarakea, Motamburu, Olele, Mahida, and Ngoyoni. Data was collected employing household survey and interview and analysed using descriptive and thematic analysis techniques. The results show that the usage of social media that can be used in creating land degradation awareness includes providing education through media for peoples to understand relationship between human activities and land quality, providing user-friendly tools for knowledge sharing, enabling users to create, edit and add online contents, engaging discussions through social media on environmental issues as well as reporting on land degradation. Further, social media can be used to create land degradation awareness to peoples in Rombo district by 59%. It was concluded that, public campaign program to enhance awareness on land degradation should be strengthened through the usage of social media for sustainable land usage.

Assessing the impacts of soil and water conservation practices on soil physicochemical properties in contrasting slope landscapes of Southern Ethiopia

In Ethiopia in general and in the study area, soil erosion, which is the main cause of land degradation, is a significant environmental and agricultural problem. The efficiency of various land management strategies used over time to reduce their detrimental effects on soil quality and health has been questioned. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of soil and water management methods applied to the Offa District of the Wolaita Zone in southern Ethiopia. A total of 36 composite and core soil samples were taken from the topographies of both conserved and non-conserved fields from the top 20 cm soil depth. The collected soil data were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the mean values of the treatments were separated using the Fisher multiple range test. The results revealed that the physical and chemical properties of soil (pH, Organic carbon, Total nitrogen, Available phosphorus, Cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable basic cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and Na+), Soil texture, and Bulk density showed a significance difference (p < 0.05) between the measures of soil and water conservation (SWC). The treated soils of Fanya juu, stone bund, and soil bund had the highest soil pH (6.56, 6.56, and 6.11), organic carbon (1.80, 1.62, and 1.76 %), total nitrogen (0.18, 0.16, and 0.17 %), accessible phosphorus (2.72, 2.77, and 1.94 ppm), and all exchangeable basic cations showed higher amount than untreated. The results showed that the implemented SWC structures had high value in restoring and preserving soil nutrients and improving the productive capacity of the soil. This study confirmed the effectiveness of SWC practices in improving soil quality. To achieve soil quality, it's essential to maintain awareness and use of the latest technology. It is strongly advised to highlight the urgent need for SWC training, public awareness, and government support.

The effect of soil salt content and ionic composition on nitrification in a Fluvisol of the Yellow River Delta

Soil salinization is a common cause of land degradation and a major constraint on global food production. However, the effects that different salts have on soil biogeochemical processes such as nitrification are not fully understood. An incubation experiment was conducted with two different salt treatments applied at varying concentrations (sodium chloride addition, NaCl1: 2.06, NaCl2: 4.12, NaCl3: 5.00 g kg−1; sodium sulphate addition, NaS1: 5.00, NaS2: 6.07, NaS3:12.14 g kg−1). A Fluvisol soil was used as incubation medium and urea was supplied as the nitrogen source. Results showed that urease activities were reduced (28–76%) in salt treated soils on day 1, but recovered over time and finally surpassed that of the control on day 56. Moreover, the average urease activity of Na2SO4 treatments was 1.26 times higher than that of NaCl treatments on day 56. In addition, increasing soil salinity levels simultaneously reduced hydrolysis and nitrification rates, which led to the temporary accumulation of ammonium (NH4+-N) in soils for up to 14 days. The maximum contents of NH4+-N accumulation in NaCl3 and NaS3 were 1.64 and 1.48 times higher than those of NaCl1 and NaS1, respectively. Nitrification rates were inhibited more severely in soils dominated by Cl-. Low soil salt contents (less than 7.79 g kg−1) only delayed nitrification without reducing the total amount of nitrate (NO3--N) produced during the incubation. However, high salt contents (NaS3) significantly decreased the total NO3--N production. Our results indicate that nitrite oxidation process may also limit the speed of nitrification in salt-affected soils. Additionally, a new model is introduced to better simulate the dynamics of nitrification in salt-affected soils. In conclusion, soil salt content is the primary factor that inhibits nitrification. Anions affect the inhibitory strength of salinity on nitrification in soils with similar salinity levels, where Cl- is more suppressive than SO42-.

Selection of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies and Native Tree Species for Rehabilitation of Degraded Arid Lands in Southeast Ethiopia

The large-scale commercial agriculture, mining, expansion of sedentary agricultural settlements, and overgrazing in Ethiopian pastoral areas have become a major cause of land degradation. Such activities reduce grazing capacities and impoverish already fragile living conditions of the pastoralists. Such an increase in land degradations necessitates urgent calls for interventions. The main objectives of this study were to select the best performing soil and water conservation technologies and native tree species to restore degraded lands of arid and semiarid conditions in Liben District of Guji Zone, Oromia Reginal State, Ethiopia. Four locally grown and locally preferred tree species, namely, Cordia africana, Acacia tortilis, Acacia goetzei, and Combretum molle, were planted in five soil and moisture conservation structures (control, half-moon, spot hoeing, mowing, and trench). The survival rate and height and root collar diameter (RCD) growth of planted tree species were collected two years after planting. A significantly higher survival rate, RCD, and height growth of planted seedlings were recorded from half-moon (52.44 ± 12.48%; 1.66 ± 0.31 cm; 51.57 ± 2.79 cm) and trench (64.00 ± 11.49%; 1.92 ± 0.27; 69.67 ± 2.62 cm) moisture conservation structures, respectively. Acacia tortilis (58.22 ± 12.38%) and Acacia goetzei (42.99 ± 8.81%) had better survival rate than Cordia africana (4.00 ± 1.91%) and Combretum molle (24.22 ± 7.34). Cordia africana attained the largest RCD (2.50 ± 0.34 cm) and height (95.83 ± 17.25 cm) growth, followed by Acacia tortilis and Acacia goetzei. It is concluded that Acacia tortilis and Acacia goetzei are better species to grow in degraded lands. The half-moon and trench moisture conservation structures have a great potential for degraded areas of the arid and semiarid conditions of Ethiopia for better tree establishment, survival, and enhanced growth thereby rehabilitation of degraded lands.

Mechanism of microbial inhibition of rainfall erosion in black soil area, as a soil structure builder

Rainfall-driven erosion is a primary cause of land degradation in Northeast China. Soil microorganisms, drivers of agricultural ecosystems, have been applied to address soil erosion problems, but the microorganism types studied are limited, and mechanisms of rainfall erosion inhibition by other soil microorganisms are unclear. Herein, soil microorganisms were inoculated on a black soil surface, under three water content (16.5%, 20%, 24.8%), three slope gradients (3°, 6°, 9°), and one rainfall intensity (80 mm/h) condition, the soil microbial community effects on rainfall erosion and soil surface nutrients were systematically studied. Results showed that the soil surface structure changed with microbial growth and proliferation; the proportion of large- and medium-sized aggregates in microorganism-treated groups was 27.51% higher than that in control groups in average. Additionally, the microbial community enhanced soil surface erosion resistance. After two rainfall events, compared to control groups, soil loss and runoff in the microbe-treated groups decreased by averages of 93.72% and 68.88%, respectively. Due to microbial action, sloped areas maintained slow-flow states, reducing concentrated flow and weakening sediment transport by runoff. Furthermore, the organic matter content of microbe-treated groups was on average 17.69% higher than that of control groups, indicating that microorganisms have a strong ability to remediate soil nutrient, delay declines in organic matter, and restore surface organic matter in the soil. Overall, microbial inoculation of surface soil is a practical and effective method for controlling rainfall erosion. This presents a new direction in the field of soil and water conservation for the future and provides a theoretical basis and technical support for using microorganisms to protect land ecosystems.

Uncovering the Impact of Erosion Conservation Techiques on Soil Attributes in Shivaliks of Lower Himalayas of Jammu, India

The present study uncovering the impact of erosion conservation techniques on soil attributes in Shivaliks of lower Himalayas of Jammu. Soil erosion is considered as the main cause of land degradation in hilly areas espially in outer Himalayas. Although the problem persisted on the earth for a longer period, it has become severe in recent times due to increased man-environment interactions. The study was conducted in 2021 at the Merth village of Jammu and Kashmir, India, which is situated in the Kathua district. The catchment area investigated had a clay loam texture and a slope gradient of 3-6%, with a total area of 24.8 acres. The result shows that mean value of bulk density under various erosion control techniques was highest in overgrazing prevention (1.40g cm-3) followed by perimeter runoff control, terrace farming and contour plowing and was lowest in cover crop (1.33g cm-3). The carbon content also increased with the and was highest under cover crop. Carbon act as bridge between nutrient, water and soil. The study strongly recommends adoption of resource conservation techniques for reducing soil erosion &amp; water conservation in submontane Shivaliks.

Improving the monitoring of root zone soil salinity under vegetation cover conditions by combining canopy spectral information and crop growth parameters.

Soil salinization is one of the main causes of land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas. Timely and accurate monitoring of soil salinity in different areas is a prerequisite for amelioration. Hyperspectral technology has been widely used in soil salinity monitoring due to its high efficiency and rapidity. However, vegetation cover is an inevitable interference in the direct acquisition of soil spectra during crop growth period, which greatly limits the monitoring of soil salinity by remote sensing. Due to high soil salinity could lead to difficulty in plants' water absorption, and inhibit plant dry matter accumulation, a method for monitoring root zone soil salinity by combining vegetation canopy spectral information and crop aboveground growth parameters was proposed in this study. The canopy spectral information was acquired by a spectroradiometer, and then variable importance in projection (VIP), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and random frog algorithm (RFA) were used to extract the salinity spectral features in cotton canopy spectrum. The extracted features were then used to estimate root zone soil salinity in cotton field by combining with cotton plant height, aboveground biomass, and shoot water content. The results showed that there was a negative correlation between plant height/aboveground biomass/shoot water content and soil salinity in 0-20, 0-40, and 0-60 cm soil layers at different growth stages of cotton. Spectral feature selection by the three methods all improved the prediction accuracy of soil salinity, especially CARS. The prediction accuracy based on the combination of spectral features and cotton growth parameters was significantly higher than that based on only spectral features, with R2 increasing by 10.01%, 18.35%, and 29.90% for the 0-20, 0-40, and 0-60 cm soil layer, respectively. The model constructed based on the first derivative spectral preprocessing, spectral feature selection by CARS, cotton plant height, and shoot water content had the highest accuracy for each soil layer, with R2 of 0.715,0.769, and 0.742 for the 0-20, 0-40, 0-60 cm soil layer, respectively. Therefore, the method by combining cotton canopy hyperspectral data and plant growth parameters could significantly improve the prediction accuracy of root zone soil salinity under vegetation cover conditions. This is of great significance for the amelioration of saline soil in salinized farmlands arid areas.

Community resilience to natural resource vulnerability due to sand mining through the application of Integrated Farming System (IFS)

Changes in natural resources have presented major problems for farming communities in rural areas. In general, farmers diversify their livelihoods in the non-agricultural sector without paying attention to the impact on the availability of natural resources in the future. Sand mining activity has become one of the short-term solutions for farming communities in rural areas. As a result, a problem such as land degradation occurs in the village, thereby generating negative impacts on the availability of nature for the next generation. This study aimed to analyze the causes of land degradation and describe the Integrated Farming System (IFS) as a solution to address the land degradation problem in Bambang Village, Wajak District, Malang Regency. This study applied a qualitative case study research design, and the research methods included in-depth interviews with 40 informants, observation, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The location of this study was determined by purposive sampling, considering that Bambang Village is one of the villages affected by land degradation due to sand mining. The results of the study revealed that land degradation was due to the vulnerability of the farming community; thus, another alternative was proposed to utilize part of the land (20%) as a sand mining area without neglecting environmental preservation as a reward for environmental services. In addition, IFS and the actors as ecopreneurs were considered as alternative solutions to meet the needs and to prepare the farming community resilience through ecological preservation by sustaining the ecosystem balance. In practice, IFS requires integration among stakeholders, farmers and concerned institutions.