Effects Of Land Management Practices Research Articles

Mowing wet meadows reduces the health of their snail communities.

Wet meadows harbor rich biodiversity, making them pivotal ecosystems worldwide. These habitats are commonly used for grazing or hay production for livestock. However, regular mowing can influence these habitats, potentially leading to significant repercussions for the animals residing within them. In order to investigate the effects of land management practices, we conducted an experimental study to compare snail communities in mowed and unmowed wet meadows in northern Hungary. We found that overall, mowing decreases snail populations, as well as species richness and diversity. Thus, our results suggest that routine mowing of wet meadows is deleterious to their snail communities. Based on these results, we suggest that designated patches of meadows that are regularly managed should be left uncultivated in their natural state. These patches can serve as potential colonization sites, facilitating the restoration of the entire meadow's ecological balance.

Carbon Stock, Carbon Fraction and Nitrogen Fraction of Soil Under Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper Back.) and Non-Bamboo Vegetation

<span lang="EN-US">The type of vegetation and soil organic matter affect the carbon fraction, nitrogen fraction and soil carbon stocks that contribute to the global carbon cycle. Therefore, the calculation of the composition of the fractions in different land covers is very important as a potential indicator of the effect of land management practices on soil organic carbon dynamics and supports the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and soil carbon storage. This research aimed to determine the composition of the carbon fraction, nitrogen fraction and soil carbon stock in different land cover. There were six types of land cover with vegetations of 10-year-old bamboo, 30-year-old bamboo, 50-year-old bamboo, bulrush, a mixture of brushwood and bulrush, and a mixture of <em>Albizia falcataria</em> and brushwood, each of which was sampled three times. Soil samples were used to determine microbial biomass, particulate organic, humic acid, fulvic acid and soil carbon stock. The six land cover types showed significant differences in all fractions and soil carbon stocks. Fifty-year-old bamboo vegetation has the highest carbon storage of 0.029 g g<sup>-1</sup> soil. The stable carbon fraction, in the form of humic acid and fulvic acid, in 50-year-old bamboo vegetation is more excellent than that in other vegetation. This study shows that 50-year-old bamboo vegetation has the potential to sequester carbon and store carbon in forms that decompose slowly, namely humic acid and fulvic acid, in the soil for a longer period.</span>

Past fires and post-fire impacts reconstructed from a southwest Australian stalagmite

Speleothem records of past environmental change provide an important opportunity to explore fire frequency and intensity in the past, and the antecedent climatic conditions leading to fire events. Here, fire sensitive geochemical signals in a stalagmite from Yonderup Cave, a shallow cave in Western Australia, are compared to well-documented wildfire events that occurred in recent decades. The results are extended to identify wildfires during the growth interval of the speleothem (1760 CE–2005 CE). Principal component analysis of the stalagmite time-series revealed distinct peaks in a combination of phosphorus and metal (aluminium, zinc, copper and lead) concentrations in response to known fire events, which are interpreted to have come from ash. Varying responses in the geochemical signal in the pre- and post-European colonisation period are likely linked to changes in land management, fire frequency and fire intensities. Of note is what we infer to be a particularly intense fire event concluded to have occurred in 1897 ± 5 CE, which climate sensitive proxies (δ18O and bedrock-derived elements) indicate was preceded by a multi-decadal dry period that began in the late 1860s. The intensity of the deduced fire event is supported by a peak in P that is 6.3 times higher than elsewhere in the speleothem, accompanied by a peak in Zn. It was also inferred that changes to the surface-cave hydrology occurred as a result of this event, indicated by increased input of colloidal organic material onto the stalagmite that was interpreted to be caused by shallow karst bedrock fracturing from the heat-induced deformation that is observed after intense fires. These findings show the potential for speleothems to provide dated records of fire intensity and recurrence intervals. Further development could lead to a better understanding of the climate-fire relationship and the effects of land-management practices on wildfire frequency and intensity.

A meta-analysis of the effects of land management practices and land uses on soil loss in Ethiopia

Over the last three decades, land management practices have been extensively implemented in Ethiopia. Different attempts have been made to assess the effects of land management practices on soil loss at plot scales under a range of climatic and land use conditions. However, the plot-level studies were mostly focused on limited sites and were inadequate to show the effects of land management and land cover practices across a range of practices and under various environmental contexts. A meta-analysis of 82 plot-level experiments in 59 sites was conducted to assessing the effects of land management practices and land use/cover types on soil loss relative to control practice. Random effects were accounted for the association of soil loss and environmental factors including mean annual rainfall, soil texture, and slope length. The results showed that there were significant mean soil loss differences among the categories of land management and land cover practices (p < 0.049). A large amount of residual heterogeneity (I2 = 92%) suggests that the groups of practices are heterogeneous. Mechanical erosion control and agronomic practices with the largest number of studies and somewhat area closure showed large heterogeneity across experiments.The overall mean soil loss ratio of mechanical (0.086, R2 = 81%), agronomic (0.21, R2 = 85%), and area closure (0.09, R2 = 52%) practices were significant to reduce soil loss. There was no residual heterogeneity exhibited across studies for the rest of four groups of practices. The mean soil loss ratio of mechanical practices under non-cropland, annual cropland cover, drainage, and non-cropland cover types were 0.12, 0.14, 0.27, and 0.29, respectively. Yet, with a certain level of inconsistency, the overall effects of all groups of land management and land cover practices were positive. In general, the sensitivity of environmental factors and their magnitude of association with soil loss ratio could imply that the effects of the range of land management practices and land cover types on soil loss are very contextual.

The Effect of Land Management Practices on Soil Quality Indicators in Crete

The effects of four main practices tillage versus no-tillage, and intensive grazing versus extensive grazing, applied in characteristic agricultural and grazing lands of Crete Island were evaluated in situ using nine soil quality indicators. The following nine representative indicators of soil quality were evaluated using the rapid visual assessment methodology adopted at European level in the context of the EU research project iSQAPER: susceptibility to water and wind erosion, surface ponding (under cropping), formation of tillage pan, soil color, soil porosity, soil structure, susceptibility to slaking, infiltration rate, and biodiversity status. These indicators were measured in 48 agricultural field-plots to adequately represent the four above-mentioned practices and the different types of geomorphological patterns existing in the area. Additionally, 38 agricultural fields were sampled in the topsoil to assess cultivation practices (tillage, no-tillage) on soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable potassium, available phosphorous, and soil aggregate stability. Based on the indicators rating methodology, the appropriate statistical tests were applied and the soils under different managements were characterized in terms of their potential quality and their general agricultural value. The obtained data showed that in agricultural areas, significant differences were detected between tillage and no-tillage management practices for the indicators of soil structure and consistency and infiltration rate. In grazing land, significant differences were found for the soil quality indicators of susceptibility to erosion and infiltration rate for the corresponding practices of intensive and extensive grazing. Organic carbon content, exchangeable potassium content and aggregate stability were greatly affected in tillage versus no-tillage management practices.

Effect of rice establishment methods and nutrient management practices on subsequent wheat crop grown under different establishment methods and nutrient management practices at Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of land management practices and residual effect of nutrient management practices of rice on the performance of subsequent wheat crop in the rice-wheat cropping system in Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal during June 2018-March 2019. The experiment was executed in a split-plot, included two establishment methods viz. (i) conventional tilled dry direct-seeded rice followed by (fb) zero tillage wheat (CT-DDSR fb ZT) (ii) puddled transplanted rice followed by conventional tillage wheat (Pu-TPR fb CT) as main plot treatments, and four nutrient management practices: (i) 100% recommended dose (100% RDF; 150:45:45 and 80:60:40 kg N, P2O5, and K2O ha-1 respectively for rice and wheat), (ii) Residue retention @ 5 t ha-1 of wheat on rice fb residue of rice on wheat + 75% RDF of each crop (RR +75%RDF), (iii) Nutrient expert (NE) dose (140:56:53; 140:60:45 kg N, P2O5, and K2O ha-1 for rice and wheat respectively), (iv) Brown/green manuring of Sesbania in rice fb rice residue @ 3.5 t ha-1 in wheat +75% RDF of each crop (BM/GM fb R+75% RDF) as subplot treatments with three replications. The variety of wheat ‘Bijay’ was sown @120 kg ha-1 with spacing 20 cm × continuous. The data on phenology, yield, yield attributes, and economics were recorded and analyzed by R studio. The study revealed that none of the yield attributes and yield of wheat were significantly influenced by the establishment methods. Significantly more effective tillers (281.94 m-2) and grains per spike (44.48) and higher straw yield (5.95 t ha-1) were recorded under NE dose. The grain yield of wheat was 21% and 16% more under NE dose and BM/GM fb R+75% RDF respectively compared to 100% RDF. CT-DDSR fb ZT wheat had slightly less net returns (NRs. 4523 ha-1) than Pu-TPR fb CT-wheat. NE dose was the most profitable. Hence, rice establishment methods were indifferent but NE dose was the best nutrient management practice for better production and profitability for the wheat in the rice-wheat system.

Land Fragmentation, Technical Efficiency, and Adaptation to Climate Change by Farmers in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia

Although barley production is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, households in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia rely on barley for their diet and allocate most of their highly-fragmented land to barley production. Moreover, farmers alter land management practices as a strategy to adjust to climate change and variability. However, to what extent land fragmentation and land management jointly influence the technical efficiency of barley production is unknown. In addition, it is unidentified whether technical efficiency is uniform across multiple separated plots. In this study, we adapted two stochastic frontier panel models on plot-level cross-sectional data to investigate this. The model results indicate that fragmentation influences the effect of land management practices on efficiency. The study found that efficiency was not uniform across different plots and for different farmers and showed the existence of large yield gaps. To close these gaps, policies designed to address the specific components of inefficiency need to be implemented.

Analysis of Environmental Factors Determining the Adoption of Land Management Practices in Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecological Zone of Kaduna Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

This study analyzed the various determinants of land management practices in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State and determined most sustainable practice(s), with the specific focus on: Socio-economic characteristics of farmers; types of land management practices in relation to the determinant factors; effects of land management practices on the farm productivity; determine the most sustainable land management practice in the study area. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in collecting data from three hundred and eighty (380) rural farmers with structured questionnaires administered in Buruku, Chikun Local Government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Five land management practices showed positive effects on the farm productivity as compared to the mean of 3 points; these were cover crop, crop rotation, irrigation, organic manure and fertilizer application. Two land management practices as perceived to have good effects on farm productivity of respondents were agro-forestry and bush fallow as shown in the component one of the result of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). It was concluded that the farming population was ageing and was adversely affected the choice of best practices due to lack of education and knowledge to adopt the best land management practice. Sustainable land management practices has the potential to reverse the trend of food scarcity and environmental disasters, help to improve local livelihoods, restore natural ecosystems and also contribute significantly to climate change adaptation and mitigation. There is clear evidence that the productivity of soils in Buruku Village will continue to decline if strategic measures are not put in place to manage soil fertility in different soil units to support agricultural land.

Perceptions of Crop Farmers on the Effects of Land Management Practices in Northern Guinea Savanna of Agroecological Zone of Kaduna State, Nigeria

The broad objective of this study is to assess the perceptions of crop farmers on the effects of land management practices in selected rural areas in the northern guinea savanna of agro ecological zone of Kaduna State. Purposive sampling technique was employed in collecting data from three hundred and eighty (380) rural farmers with structured questionnaire administered. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency tables, mean and percentages to summarize the data. The study revealed that socio- economic characteristics such as age, gender, educational status, farming experience, farmland size and land ownership had influence on the farmers’ choice of practices being adopted. The study also identify these common land management practices as mulching, irrigation, organic manure, fertilizer application, and agro-forestry, where 53% of the farmers adopted fertilizer application and 29% of total sample practiced organic manure application. The Farmers perceived five land management practices had positive effects on the environment and farm productivity; these are cover crop, crop rotation, irrigation, organic manure and fertilizer application. Therefore, the study concluded that the farming population is ageing and that is adversely affecting the choice of best practices due to lack of education and knowledge to adopt the best land management practice and also the choice of land management practices had great significant difference both negative and positive on environment and farm productivity in this agro-ecological zone of Kaduna State. The study recommended that agricultural extension programmes should be encouraged to boost the famers’ knowledge in adopting the most appropriate practices for different socio-economic and environmental problems.

Distinct Impacts of Land Use and Land Management on Summer Temperatures

Land use has been recognized as an important anthropogenic forcing of climate change in recent studies. However, climatic effects of land management practices have been little discussed and compared to land-use impacts. As land-atmosphere interactions via surface fluxes are particularly strong during the warm season, we investigate the impacts of historical land use and present irrigation practices on summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere using the most recent version of Community Earth System Model. Our results suggest that historical land use leads to an overall cooling in the middle latitudes and a warming in the tropics, and the sign and magnitude of the changes in temperature depend on the type of land cover change. On the other hand, summer irrigation leads to a significant cooling over many irrigated areas due to enhanced evapotranspiration, and the local cooling is comparable to and even stronger than the land-use effects. Both land use and irrigation can also significantly influence the intensity and frequency of hot extremes. Land use shows stronger impacts during the night through ground heat flux feedback, while irrigation shows stronger impacts during the day through latent heat flux feedback. Our comparison demonstrates the importance of irrigation in local and regional climate, highlighting the necessity of considering such land management practices in future assessments of regional climate change and climate mitigation.

Surface runoff in Beasley Lake watershed: Effect of land management practices in a Lower Mississippi River Basin watershed

Several United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs are promoting conversion of cropland to nonagricultural use, e.g., buffer establishment for wildlife habitat and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). These areas set aside for nonagricultural use may serve as barriers to mitigate runoff within a watershed where agricultural activities are conducted. CRP and wildlife buffer areas were established in Beasley Lake watershed (BLW), Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States, in 2003 and 2006, respectively. The objectives of this study were to assess catchment runoff and runoff water quality through both measured data and model simulations from three scenarios of land management in BLW from 2011 to 2017: row crop with no edge-of-field buffer (Crop), row crop fields adjacent to wildlife buffers (CropBuff), and CRP. Measured data were collected at the field-scale from nine subcatchments. Median runoff from Crop sites was greater than that from CRP catchments (123 m³ ha⁻¹ versus 39 m³ ha⁻¹ across seasons and years). Median loads of suspended solid loads in runoff averaged 108 kg ha⁻¹ for Crop compared to 42 kg ha⁻¹ in CropBuff areas (across seasons and years). Similar trends were observed for median total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads in runoff: TKN 0.26, 0.18, and 0.07 kg ha⁻¹; and TP 0.06, 0.06, and 0.02 kg ha⁻¹ for Crop, CropBuff, and CRP, respectively. For both CRP and CropBuff, the proportion of soluble/fine particle (&lt;0.45 μm) TKN and TP lost in runoff was greater than that of particulate-bound TKN and TP from Crop. Overall, efficacy in mitigating runoff losses were generally in the order of CRP, CropBuff, and Crop. In addition to field measurements, watershed simulations were conducted with and without the practices using Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) pollution model. AnnAGNPS simulations independently confirm the measured results and account for differences in soil types among the different land use practices that could influence measured results. These results demonstrated that wildlife buffers and CRP conservation practices helped to improve and maintain environmental quality of soil and water resources in BLW.

Application of the Soil Security Concept to Two Contrasting Soil Landscape Systems—Implications for Soil Capability and Sustainable Land Management

Soil security identifies global challenges and a series of dimensions that are necessary requirements to meet those global challenges using sustainable land management. The soil security concept is applied to two contrasting soil landscape systems with varying climate, landform and soil types. Previous methodologies for assessing land and soil capability are combined within the soil security conceptual approach. The land and soil capability methodologies are used to assess how the soil condition changes in response to the stresses and forcing associated with land management and land and soil degradation processes. It is the soil capability that defines how the soil condition changes between the reference state of the soil condition, or the genoform, and the soil condition under land use, or the phenoform. The conclusion is that soil capability, which is one of the dimensions used to apply the soil security concept, is a complex dimension and has several aspects or further facets to be considered to achieve sustainable land management. It is apparent that in assessing soil capability, the following facets are relevant. I: The capacity of the soil to provide ecosystem services to meet the global challenges outlined for Soil Security. II: The stability of the soil condition to land degradation processes resulting from the effects of land management practices and the environmental stresses on the soil. III: The capacity to recover following degradation. Facets II and III can be considered the resilience. An important conclusion is that the soil capability cannot be assessed without taking into account features of the landscape including climate and landform. Two examples from south eastern Australia of the application of these facets of soil capability to on-ground situations are presented. The Cowra Trough Red Soils in the Australian wheat belt are a set of soils, primarily contributing to meeting the global challenge of food security. The major degradation processes threatening the stability of these soils are water erosion and soil acidification. The Kosciusko National Park in the Snowy Mountains region is primarily contributing to meeting the challenges of water security for the irrigation industry in the Murray Darling Basins and energy security through the production of hydroelectricity. The set of soil landscapes also contributes to biodiversity protection and human health and well-being. The major degradation processes threatening the stability of these soils and their capacity to meet the global challenges are water and wind erosion. A major limitation is the poor capacity of these soils to recover once degraded. Identifying the main ecosystem services provided by the two examples, together with the major risks of land degradation can clarify extension, economic and policy aspects of sustainable land management for the two sets of soil landscapes. For the Cowra Trough Red Soils, management of water erosion and soil acidification are essential for maintaining the contribution of the area to food security. For the Kosciusko National Park, the control of water and wind erosion are essential to maintain the contribution of the area to water and energy security.

Gendered climate change adaptation practices in fragmented farm fields of Gamo Highlands, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to assess the existence of gendered climate change adaptation practices of smallholder farmers in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia. We hypothesized that smallholders’ adaptation practices are gendered because of land fragmentation and gendered division of labour. To explore this, we considered sustainable land management practices as a tool for sustainable adaptation and assessed the effect of land management practices deployed and land fragmentation on intra-household time allocation. The results indicate that although land fragmentation increased hours worked by men and women significantly, fragmentation increased the working hours of men more than women. Application of a larger number of sustainable land management practices increases the mean working hours of women, but leaves unaffected the working hours of men, implying that adaptation practices are gender-biased. Therefore, this study can guide land management decisions by pointing out that fragmentation results in long working hours and adaptation practices may disproportionately affect women.

Scanning Mode Application of Neutron-Gamma Analysis for Soil Carbon Mapping

Soil carbon mapping is extremely useful in assessing the effect of land management practices on soil carbon storage. Applications of neutron-gamma analysis in scanning mode for mapping of soil carbon are discussed. A Global Positioning System (GPS) device and softwares required to simultaneously acquire gamma signals and geographical positions during scanning operations were added to an existing measurement system. The reliability of soil carbon measurements in scanning mode was demonstrated to be in agreement with results acquired from static mode. The error analysis indicated that scanning measurements can be conducted with the same accuracy as static measurements in approximately one fourth the time. To obtain results suitable for mapping analogous to traditional chemical analyses (i.e., ± 0.5 in weight percent or ± 0.5 w%), scanning time over a given site should be ca. 15 min using the current measurement system configuration. Based on this measurement time, a reasonable towing speed of 3–5 km h–1, the necessity for complete site coverage during scanning, the number of sites (within the surveyed field), and the required total measurement time can be estimated. Soil carbon measurements for 28 field sites (total area ca. 2.5 ha) were conducted in ca. 8 h. Based on acquired data, a soil carbon distribution map was constructed utilizing various softwares. The surveyed field area included an asphalt road that had carbon readings higher than the surrounding land. The clarity with which these carbon-rich zones were delineated on the constructed map represents evidence supporting the veracity of this method. Neutron-gamma analysis technology can greatly facilitate timely construction of soil carbon maps.

Effect of land management practices on the concentration of dissolved organic matter in soil: A meta-analysis

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) are important components of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil. A change in the concentration of soil DOM leads to changes in the soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools and the emergence of potential pollution. Many studies have reported that the concentrations of soil DOM could be significantly influenced by land management practices. However, the results obtained from these studies are inconsistent, and the effects of environmental factors on the responses of DOM concentrations to such management practices remain unclear. The aims of this study were to: (1) synthesize the available datasets and elucidate the general patterns of changes in soil DOM concentrations in response to different land management practices; and (2) probe how the responses of DOM concentrations to management practices were affected by environmental factors (e.g., altitude, climate, and soil properties). Data from 942 observations in 184 publications were collected, integrated, and statistically analyzed. The meta-analysis result shows that overall, N fertilization, liming, organic amendment addition, and vegetation cover significantly increased the concentrations of soil DOM, whereas tillage decreased DOC concentrations. The magnitude of all positive and negative effects was driven by implemented management practices. Generally, a threshold range might exist for the application rate and duration of the management measures that could cause significant changes in DOM concentrations. In addition, DOC concentrations were more responsive to N fertilization and liming than were DON concentrations, indicating that the changes in the two variables were not correlated in each management practice. The results also indicate that the responses of DOM concentrations to management practices could be regulated by the altitude, climate (e.g., mean annual temperature and precipitation), and soil property factors (e.g., total C, total N, C:N ratio, clay content, and initial soil pH). In conclusion, our study suggests that in order to maintain proper soil DOM concentrations in an ecosystem, not only the type and implementation of management practices but also the local environmental factors should be considered when proposing a land management plan.

Effects of integrated use of grass strip and soil bund on soil properties, Southern Ethiopia

Soil degradation is the major environmental and agricultural production problem in the highlands of Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were to examine farmers’ use of grass strip and soil bund to minimize soil degradation, and effects of grass strip and soil bund on basic soil properties. Structured questionnaire survey and field observations were conducted to collect data on farmers’ use of grass strips and soil bund to minimize soil erosion, improve soil fertility and crop productivity. Simultaneously, composite soil samples were collected from croplands treated with both grass strip and soil bund, and the adjacent lands treated with soil bund only. The statistical result indicates respondents sex, marital status, educational level, erosion degree, access to conservation information, contact with extension workers, and trainings were significantly (P < 0.05) and positively affect the use of grass strips while livestock and land holding sizes were significantly (P < 0.05) and negatively affect farmers use of grass strip. The interaction of land management practices (grass strip and soil bund) and slope positions was significantly (P < 0.05) affects soil clay fractions and moisture, the highest amounts was observed at lands managed with grass strip situate at lower slope position. Similarly, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and cation exchange capacity were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by the combined effects of land management practices and slope positions, highest quantity of these properties were observed lands managed with a grass strip and soil bund in lower slope position. Hence, integrated use of soil bund with grass strip has a meaningful contribution for selected soil property improvement that enhances soil fertility and crop productivity.

Can economic and environmental benefits associated with agricultural intensification be sustained at high population densities? A farm level empirical analysis

Boserup’s pioneering theory holds that rising population density can be accompanied by sustainable agricultural intensification. But can this positive relationship be sustained indefinitely, or are there conditions under which rising population density can lead to declining agricultural productivity? This study utilizes survey data on farm households in Kenya and soil samples on their main maize plots to assess whether Boserupian agricultural intensification is sustainable at high population densities. The study employs econometric estimation methods to assess the effect of land management practices and population density on soil quality and then determines the effect of soil quality on crop productivity. Results show evidence of endogenous sustainable agricultural intensification accompanied by improvements in soil quality and crop yields at low population densities. However, as population densities exceed roughly 600 persons/km2, we observe a deterioration in indicators of soil organic and reactive carbon, soil pH, and plant available phosphorous. Deterioration in soil quality leads to binding nutrient constraints associated with reduced crop yield response to inorganic fertilizer application that further reduces crop productivity. These results raise the specter of unsustainable forms of agricultural intensification associated with deteriorating soil capital, and point to the imperative of identifying and implementing effective strategies for increasing farmers’ use of sustainable land management practices in rural areas facing already high and rising population densities.

The Status of Temporal Changes in Land Suitability for Wheat Production in Musayeb Project Irrigated from Central Iraq Using GIS

Musayeb project in Babylon province has been selected in middle of Iraq to represent the irrigated area in order to study land suitability for wheat production and their temporal changes during 1994 - 2013.Soils of Musayeb project consist of undeveloped belong ,mainly to Entisols order with about 97% from the total area of the project , while the Arid soils occupied about 3 % from the total area .Data about the soils of the project has been collected from previous pedagogical soil survey works done in 1994 and resampling for soil has been done in 2013 in order to show the temporal changes in land suitability values .Land suitability evaluation values are determined according to Sys et.al.1993 and FAO,1985 to soil depth of 100 cm .The results indicate that soil units have high suitability up to 85 % from the total area of the project and within S1 class in 1994. While , 13% of the total area is unsuitable for wheat production which represent N1and N2 classes due to the effect of salt accumulation.Also , the results show that all soil units have low organic carbon content which affect land suitability values. Land suitability values are temporally improved from 1994 to 2013 due to the effect of land management practices leading to decrease salinity level and increase land suitability for wheat production

Eastern massasauga demography and extinction risk under prescribed‐fire scenarios

ABSTRACTThe use of poorly estimated or surrogate population parameter estimates to assess population viability may result in misleading predictions. Consequently, a critical first step to understanding population health and the effects of land management practices on threatened species is estimation of site‐specific demographic parameters. A major threat to the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) is habitat loss due to encroachment of woody vegetation and invasive species. Current land management practices require periodic burning or mowing to maintain habitat suitability. Although these methods improve habitat quality, they may also increase the risk of depredation due to reduced ground cover if burns are too extensive or cause mortality if conducted when snakes are active. We fitted contemporary capture–recapture and matrix models to an 8‐year dataset to estimate population parameters for an eastern massasauga population near the range center of the species, where the largest number of eastern massasauga populations may still persist. From 2009 to 2016, we captured 826 eastern massasaugas 1,776 times. In general, annual survival increased with increasing age (age 0 = 0.38, age 1 = 0.65, age 2 = 0.67, age ≥3 females = 0.71, age ≥3 males = 0.66). Abundance estimates ranged from 84 to 140 adults and annual reproductive frequency was 0.44 (95% CI = 0.29–0.59). We simulated increased mortality due to prescribed burns during spring, fall, and late fall for 50 and 100 years. The baseline model, which incorporated current prescribed‐fire practices, indicated a stable population with only a 0.2–0.6% probability of extinction over 100 years, suggesting that management practices at this site are sustainable if they remain unchanged. Simulations of conservative increases in mortality due to fire changed the probability of extinction little over 50 years (≤0.7%) but increased probability of extinction up to 24.5% over 100 years in the most pessimistic prescribed‐burn scenario. These prescribed‐burn simulations may be comparable to burn regimes used at other eastern massasauga sites. The population parameters estimated here provide information needed for assessing range‐wide population viability and investigating geographic variation in eastern massasauga demography. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Effect of land management practices on soil moisture storage characteristics

A field study was conducted to evaluate moisture storage in soil profile under four tillage-residue management practices namely conventional tillage, no-tillage without residue, no-tillage with residue and deep tillage along with three irrigation regime based on IW/PAN-E ratio 1.2, 0.9 and 0.6 in maize with three replications in split plot design. Significant differences were observed in steady state infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration among different land management practices with maximum value in deep tillage (4.9 cm hr-1 and 33.1 cm) followed by no tillage with residue (4.1cm hr-1 and 28.6 cm), no tillage without residue (4.0 cm hr-1 and 23.0 cm) and conventional tillage (2.8 cm hr-1 and 19.4 cm), respectively. The highest mean weight diameter and water stable aggregates were found under no tillage with residue (0.64 mm and 49.7%) and lowest under deep tillage (0.3 mm and 21.8%), respectively. Higher volumetric soil water content and soil profile moisture storage were recorded under no tillage with residue at different days after sowing. Among different tillage-residue management practices, maximum leaf area index and relative leaf water content were observed in no-tillage with residue. Under moisture stress conditions, no-tillage with residue retention was suitable land management option for reducing evaporation losses and enhancing moisture storage in the soil profile.