Soil Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Research Articles

Effect of mixed plant roots on saturated hydraulic conductivity and saturated water content of soil in the loess region

Soil hydraulic properties are essential for understanding soil hydrological and erosion processes. The importance of roots on soil hydraulic parameters has been widely recognized, but current studies have focused mainly on the root effect of a single plant species. However, few studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of mixed plant roots on soil hydraulic parameters. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from three natural sampling sites with single plant types and four sites with mixed plant types. Both soil hydraulic parameters were measured: soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and soil saturated water content (SW). Then the root effects on Ks and SW were subsequently evaluated. The results showed that the Ks and SW at the sites with mixed plants were higher than those at the sites with a single plant species. At all the sites, Ks and SW both exhibited a decreasing-increasing-decreasing trend with increasing root density. The critical root density for the above change was quantified. When fibrous roots were mixed with tap roots, Ks was mainly affected by tap roots, while SW was mainly affected by fibrous roots. The influence of roots on Ks and SW was mainly achieved by affecting soil organic matter, not by directly affecting Ks and SW. Based on the root density, the herbaceous coverage with optimal saturated hydraulic conductivity and water content was estimated to be 66.71%.

Interactive effects of environmental factors and fertilization practices on soil nitrate leaching and tea productivity in Tianmu Lake Basin, China

Although the effects of fertilization practices and environmental factors on tea yield and NO3−–N leaching have been acknowledged, the interactive effects of these influencing factors remain unknown. These effects were investigated in this study using the denitrification–decomposition (DNDC) model, which was validated using field data collected from a typical tea garden hillslope in the Tianmu Lake Basin, China. Environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation intensity, slope, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and fertilization practices (fertilizer amount and type) were combined to construct 1080 scenarios. The results revealed that DNDC achieved acceptable performance in simulating NO3−–N leaching under the application of a compound fertilizer (CF) and a slow-release fertilizer (SF). During the calibration period, the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values were 0.48 and 0.24. During the validation period, the NSE values were 0.71 and 0.67. Scenario analysis indicated that precipitation intensity (p < 0.001), saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) (p < 0.001), fertilizer amount (p < 0.001), and fertilizer type (p < 0.001) significantly influenced the leaching flux of NO3−–N and tea yield. The interactive effects of different factors also varied across the different types of fertilizers. The amount of fertilizer had the most significant impact on NO3−–N leaching, with relative contribution rates of 70% and 53% for compound and SFs, respectively. As CF application increased, there was a significant increase (93%) in the average flux, whereas SF application resulted in an increase of only 76%. The highest contribution rate in terms of tea yield was observed for the amount of fertilizer under CF application at 44%. However, the highest contribution rate under SF application was attributed to Ksat at 51%. The application of SFs resulted in a higher yield improvement rate than that of CFs as the fertilizer amount increased, with respective rates of 15% and 8%. Additionally, environmental factors, excluding temperature, exerted opposite effects on tea production and NO3−–N leaching flux. These findings contribute to optimizing fertilization management in tea plantations by integrating multiple environmental factors to control nonpoint nitrogen loss. Future research should conduct long-term monitoring of tea garden yield and nitrogen loss to accurately assess the impact of SF application on the ecological and economic benefits of tea gardens.

Converted paddy to upland in saline-sodic land could improve soil ecosystem multifunctionality by enhancing soil quality and alleviating microbial metabolism limitation

Soil salinization is one of the major soil degradation threats worldwide, and parameters related to soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) are crucial for evaluating the success of reclamation efforts in saline-sodic wasteland (WL). Microbial metabolic limitation is also one of the main factors that influences EMF in agricultural cropping systems. A ten-year localization experiment was conducted to reveal the key predictors of soil quality index (SQI) values, microbial metabolic characteristics, and EMF in different farmland cropping systems. A random forest model showed that the β-glucosidase (BG), cellobiosidase (CBH) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) of the SQI factors were the main driving forces of soil EMF. Compared to monoculture models, such as paddy field (PF) or upland field (UF), the converted paddy field to upland field (CF) cropping system was most effective at improving EMF in reclaimed saline-sodic WL, increasing this metric by 275.35 %. CF integrates practices from both PF and UF planting systems, improved soil quality and relieves microbial metabolic limitation. Specifically, both CF and PF significantly reduced soil pH (by 16–23 %) and sodium adsorption ration (SAR) (by 65–83 %) and significantly reduced the abundance of large macroaggregates. Moreover, CF significantly improved soil saturated hydraulic conductivity relative to PF and UF (p < 0.05), indicating an improvement in soil physical properties. Overall, although reclamation improved SQI compared to WL (0.25), the EMF of CF (0.56) was significantly higher than that of other treatments (p < 0.05). Thus, while increasing SQI can improve soil EMF, it was not as effective alone as it was when combined with more comprehensive efforts that focus on improving various soil properties and alleviating microbial metabolic limitations. Therefore, our results suggested that future saline-sodic wasteland reclamation efforts should avoid monoculture systems to enhance soil EMF.

Watershed scale soil moisture estimation model using machine learning and remote sensing in a data-scarce context

Soil moisture content can be used to predict drought impact on agricultural yield better than precipitation. Remote sensing is viable source of soil moisture data in instrument-scarce areas. However, space-based soil moisture estimates lack suitability for daily and high-resolution agricultural, hydrological, and environmental applications. This study aimed to assess the potential of the random forest machine learning technique to enhance the spatial resolution of remote soil moisture products from the SMAP satellite. Models were built using random forest for spatial downscaling of SMAP-L3-E, then visually and statistically evaluated for disaggregation quality. The impact of topography, soil properties, and precipitation on the downscaled soil moisture was examined. The relationship between downscaled soil moisture and in-situ soil moisture was analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed method demonstrated spatial and hydrological coherence, along with a satisfactory downscaling quality. Statistical validation indicated suitable generalization error for scientific and practical use (RMSE &lt; 0.05 cm3 cm-3). Random forest effectively achieved spatial downscaling of SMAP-L3-E in the study area. Principal component and spatial analysis revealed dependence of downscaled soil moisture on elevation, soil organic carbon content, clay content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity, mainly under near-saturation conditions. Regarding validation against in-situ data, downscaled soil moisture explained in-situ soil moisture well under low soil water content ( = 0.624). Downscaling performance deteriorates for water contents between 0.40 to 0.50 cm3 cm-3, suggesting inadequacy under near saturation conditions at a daily temporal frequency. However, coarser temporal aggregations (7 to 10 days) yielded an average 0.98 correlation coefficient, regardless of saturation conditions. These results could potentially be applied in irrigation planning, soil physics studies and hydrology monitoring, to forecasting the occurrence of droughts, leaching of contaminants, surface runoff modeling, carbon cycle studies, soil's capacity to store and provide nutrients.

The time validity of Philip's two‐term infiltration equation: An elusive theoretical quantity?

AbstractThe two‐term infiltration equation is commonly used to determine the sorptivity, , and product, , of the dimensionless multiple and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity from cumulative vertical infiltration measurements (L) at times (T). This reduced form of the quasi‐analytical power series solution of Richardson's equation of Philip enjoys a solid physical underpinning but at the expense of a limited time validity. Using simulated infiltration data, Jaiswal et al. have shown this time validity to equal about 2.5 cm of cumulative infiltration. The goals of this work are twofold. First, we investigate the extent to which cumulative infiltration measurements larger than 2.5 cm bias the estimates of and . Second, we investigate the impact of epistemic errors on the inferred time validities and parameters. Partial infiltration curves up to 2.5 cm of cumulative vertical infiltration improve substantially the agreement between actual and least squares estimates of and . But this only holds if the data generating infiltration process follows Richardson's equation and experimental conditions satisfy assumptions of soil homogeneity and a uniform initial water content. Otherwise, autocorrelated cumulative infiltration residuals will bias the least squares estimates of and . Our findings reiterate and reinvigorate earlier conclusions of Haverkamp et al. and show that epistemic errors deteriorate the physical significance of the coefficients of infiltration functions. As a result, the parameters of infiltration functions cannot simply be used in storm water and vadose zone flow models to forecast runoff and recharge at field and landscape scales unless these predictions are accompanied by realistic uncertainty bounds. We conclude that the time validity of Philip's two‐term equation is an elusive theoretical quantity with arbitrary physical meaning.

Changes in soil hydraulic and physio-chemical properties under treated wastewater irrigation: A meta-analysis

Treated wastewater (TWW) is increasingly used for irrigation, but its higher salt content compared to conventional water sources can induce soil salinization and sodification. This, in turn, may result in structural degradation and deterioration of soil hydraulic properties. The practice of using TWW for irrigation is not new, and it has long been applied in arid countries, with limited other water resources, while in recent years it is also getting used elsewhere given the worldwide influence on water resources. However, comparing and extrapolating results from existing studies on the use of TWW for irrigation is challenging due to the heterogeneity between experimental setups in terms of water quality, irrigation techniques applied, and pedo-climatic conditions. To explore the effect of TWW quality on soil hydraulic and physio-chemical following TWW irrigation and to examine to what extent these effects are soil type dependent, we compiled a database with results from 24 peer-reviewed studies across different soil types containing information on the link between TWW irrigation, and hydraulic and physio-chemical properties through various measurements. The meta-analysis revealed that application of TWW significantly increases sodium adsorption ratio (on average 71 ± 6%) and electrical conductivity (on average 51 ± 5%) of soil as compared to the use of conventional water source. Overall, there were no significant effects on the soil pore space (bulk density, soil total porosity) or pH. Interestingly, the application of TWW significantly increased soil organic carbon and aggregate stability, potentially even benefiting soil structure. In addition, the organic compounds in TWW also might lead to hydrophobicity. Yet, the effects of TWW on soil hydraulic and physio-chemical properties are not consistent across different TWW types and soil classes. A larger number of studies is required to draw sound conclusions on this topic. Anyway, this analysis already indicated that different soil textures might react differently to TWW irrigation. While in medium-textured soils, salt accumulation was observed and TWW significantly increased soil organic carbon and saturated hydraulic conductivity, fine-textured soils are more prone to clogging and reduced in saturated hydraulic conductivity. We also noticed an impact of the type of TWW, since the degree of treatment has a big impact on the remaining components added to the soils together with the water. Primary TWW, from which settleable and floatable solids are removed, resulted in the highest accumulation of salts and significantly increased soil organic carbon and improved soil aggregate stability. However, the elevated biochemical oxygen demand or chemical oxygen demand in this type of TWW leads to an accumulation of organic materials in the soil, negatively affecting its permeability and reducing soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. This study stresses the need for more standardized experiments quantifying the effect of TWW not only in terms of transfer of contaminants and biosafety, but also an effect on soil quality, and more specifically soil physical quality, especially at the longer term.

ESTABLISHING THE FIRST DATABASE OF SOIL HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES IN TUNISIA BASED ON PEDOTRANSFER FUNCTIONS

Soil hydraulic properties play a crucial role in the unsaturated soil water supply process. Currently, Tunisia lacks a database containing essential values for soil retention properties and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. The main objective of this study is to create the inaugural soil hydraulic properties database through the utilization of open-access data and pedotransfer functions (PTFs). To achieve this goal, the harmonized world soil database (FAO) was employed to identify 752 measurement points across Tunisia. Subsequently, the soil texture, organic carbon content, and bulk density were determined at each point. These acquired values were then entered into the CalcPTF software to estimate the van Genuchten soil retention parameters. The calculation of soil saturated hydraulic conductivity was accomplished using two widely recognized pedotransfer functions (Saxton and Rosetta). The outcomes facilitated the creation of a catalog containing soil hydraulic parameter value for each soil texture. Significance of discrepancies between values obtained from the PTFs was assessed using a Tukey test. The spatial variability of each soil hydraulic property was studied using the simple kriging. In conclusion, the establishment of this significant soil hydraulic properties database holds diverse applications in agricultural, hydrological, and environmental studies in Tunisia.

SOIL PHYSICAL QUALITY INDICES OF MINING-INDUCED DISTURBANCES IN SOIL WITHIN THE LOESS REGION OF WESTERN CHINA

Soil sampling and in situ measurements were conducted at 24 locations at three time points from May 2015 to April 2016. The statistical analysis showed that the variabilities of soil water content and soil penetration were moderate, while particle size and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity varied considerably. Rainfall before measurements contributed positively to the mean soil water content and negatively to particle size. This was mainly due to the soil aggregates and large soil particles being broken into smaller particles from rain splash. The detached small-sized soil particles could coalesce into larger-sized ones and even soil aggregates. Stressors in zones differ, resulting in variations between soil physical quality indices. The point-to-point comparisons indicated that the mean measured soil water content and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity were similar, if the measurements for these two indices were conducted under similar weather conditions during the same period between years. The investigation on the relationships among soil physical quality indices showed a negative relationship between the measured soil water content and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. A positive correlation was also found between soil particle size and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. Lower soil strength resulted in higher soil saturated hydraulic conductivity.

Testing the hydrodynamic behavior of a loam soil by beerkan infiltration runs with six heights of water pouring

Interpreting and simulating rainfall partition into infiltration and surface runoff has to consider that surface soil hydraulic properties, including saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and sorptivity (S), could change even at very short temporal scales. Soil deterioration due to water impact can be tested in the field by the multi-height beerkan (MHB) method, that is, by pouring water on the infiltration surface from different heights. Soil hydraulic properties can be estimated coupling the MHB method with the steady version of the Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters procedure (BEST-steady). The MHB method with six heights of water pouring (H) in the range 0.03–2 m was applied on a relatively dry loam soil to investigate height of water pouring effects on i) the established infiltration process, and ii) Ks, S, the scale parameter of the water retention curve (hg) and the characteristic microscopic pore radius (λm). Higher heights of water pouring generally induced a slowdown of the infiltration process, smaller S, Ks and λm values and higher |hg| values. The S, Ks, |hg| and λm vs. H relationships were statistically significant but the fitted relationships for S and Ks were stronger than those for |hg| and λm, indicating a different sensitivity of the considered parameters to the height of water pouring. Small or negligible soil deterioration was observed for both small (H ≤ 0.25 m) and large (H ≥ 1.5 m) heights. Between these two extremes, the soil deteriorated as H increased, suggesting that the external solicitations were high enough to overcome the resistance of the porous medium but not so high to determine a complete soil alteration. The tested methodology appears promising to determine the effects of water impact on the soil hydrodynamic behavior and it could be applied to perform a soil hydraulic characterization usable for modelling hydrological processes.

Temporal variations in soil aggregate re‐formation behaviors after disturbance by tillage

AbstractAggregate re‐formation after a disturbance is important for maintaining soil hydraulic status and carbon stabilization. A study investigating the re‐formation of aggregates after disturbance by spring tillage was conducted at a site located on a south‐facing (6%) slope with a silt‐loam soil at Arlington‐Wisconsin in 2018 and 2019. Treatments were conventional tillage (CT) and no‐tillage (NT) with winter application of solid manure (SM) and no manure in a complete randomized design. Soils under NT had a higher proportion of larger aggregates (&gt;1 mm), whereas the proportion of smaller (&lt;1 mm) aggregates was greater under CT. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, bulk density, soil water retention, and micropores of NT treatments were higher compared to CT systems at 0‐ to 5‐cm depth. However, the impacts of manure application on soil properties were not significant, except for those of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen. Harvesting in 2018 decreased the relative proportion of aggregates smaller than 1 mm and hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil. These results indicate that the immediate effect of tillage is to decrease larger aggregates, SOC, and total porosity, whereas harvesting decreases the proportion of smaller aggregates. Comparatively, aggregates smaller than 1 mm were mainly influenced by the long‐term effects of the management operations. It appears that larger aggregates can recover on an annual basis, but aggregates smaller than 1 mm do not. In long‐term studies, there is a need to monitor aggregates, including their size distribution and pore structures, to identify aggregate turnover time and rate, which will augment our understanding of aggregate formation.

Pyrolysis of different organic feedstock combinations as soil amendments enhances the reclamation of saline-sodic soil

Utilizing agricultural wastes (e.g., straw, bagasse, manure) as amendments to remediate saline-sodic soils can be beneficial for improving soil quality and better waste management. In this study, we investigated the impact of raw and pyrolyzed feedstocks on salt leaching potential and physical and chemical properties in a saline-sodic silt loam soil. Utilizing a column experiment within a completely randomized design, we evaluated five feedstock combinations (i.e., rice husk, pine wood, cow manure, sugarcane bagasse) as amendments (69 Mg ha–1), including variations of raw feedstock and feedstock pyrolyzed at 300 and 500 °C, alongside a control (CT). For both the amended soil and the leachate, we measured electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), pH and cations. Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (KS) and bulk density (BD) were also measured. The BWR treatment (i.e., sugarcane bagasse, pine wood, and rice husk) exhibited notable improvements in soil physical quality (i.e., decreased BD and enhanced KS). Raw feedstock significantly (p < 0.01) increased soil leachate EC SAR, except for WM (i.e., pine wood and cow manure). The BWR treatments expedited the reduction of soil salinity and sodicity, evident in lower SAR/SARmax and EC/ECmax ratios, indicative of increased leaching potential. The amendments consistently demonstrated a trend of reducing soil SAR compared to the control, with raw feedstock exhibiting a more pronounced effect. Soil ECe decreased after amending with feedstock pyrolyzed at 500 °C compared to raw feedstock and pyrolyzed at 300 °C. Feedstock pyrolyzed at 300 °C did not significantly alter soil pH after leaching, and there was a decrease in the soil Na+/K+ ratio, especially with pyrolyzed feedstock. After leaching, the pyrolyzed feedstock treatments showed better soil aggregate stability (Mg2+/Ca2+<1) compared to raw feedstock. Based on the aggregated amelioration score for each amendment combination, BWR treatments consistently outperformed other combinations, with BWR300 being the most favorable option due to its lower production cost compared to BWR500. This study highlights BWR pyrolyzed at 300 °C as a suitable amendment for improving soil conditions, reducing salinity and sodicity, and increasing leaching potential.

Application of Dynamic Model for Designing Zero Runoff System to Control Erosion in Cocoa Fields

Land degradation in cocoa plantations is mainly caused by surface runoff erosion. Surface runoff can be reduced by applying a Zero Runoff (ZRO) system. This system effectively reduces runoff when its size sufficiently infiltrates all surface runoff. This study aims to determine the size, dimensions, and location of a ZRO system that effectively increases infiltration and prevents surface runoff. The size and dimensions of the system were designed using a water balance approach, where all surface runoff is collected in the ZRO system and then infiltrated. Surface runoff was calculated using the Soil Conservation Services (SCS) method. The potential infiltration rate is a function of the soil's saturated hydraulic conductivity and the system's surface area. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil was determined using the falling head method. The size and dimensions of the system were determined through model simulation based on field physical condition data using a dynamic model. The research results showed that the size and dimensions of the system depend on the amount of rainfall, the area of the catchment area, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil. From the dynamic model simulation, all surface runoff will be infiltrated if the dimensions of the zero runoff system are 1 x 1 x 0.5 m. This size can accommodate a water volume between 0 – 0,006 m3, so with a system depth of 1,000 mm, there is no surface runoff.

Application of Compost and Manure in the Biopore Infiltration Hole to Improve Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Shc) of Soil in the Coffee Root Zone

Coffee is one of the primary sources of foreign exchange in Indonesia. The factors causing fluctuations in coffee production are climate change, high soil density, less organic material, which causes coffee roots to be unable to absorb water and nutrients optimally. The soil water movement measured by saturated hydraulic conductivity which represents the soil ability to transmit water. The application of compost and manure in the biopore infiltration hole (BIH) is an effective technology in reducing surface-runoff and organic wastes management, as well as soil characteristics improvement. This study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design with four treatments and four replications. The treatments were P1 as control (without BIH), P2 (BIH without compost), P3 (BIH+compost), and P4 (BIH+goat manure). Data analysis was carried out using the Ftest (ANOVA), and continued with Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at 5% level, when there was a significant difference. Observations of soil characteristics were carried out every two months in three depth of root zone, 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm, and 40-60 cm. While the observation of the Auger hole at a depth of 0-30 cm and 0-60 cm. Research variables include soil texture, soil bulk density, Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of soil by Auger-Hole, Soil Organic Matter (SOC), pH, Cation Exchange Capasity (CEC), and coffee yield. Results showed that treatment of BIH+goat manure gave the best results, measured by improving soil hydraulic conductivity up to 40%. The highest coffee yield was found in the BIH+manure treatment to 3.29 t ha-1.

Assessment and development of pedotransfer functions to estimate soil saturated hydraulic conductivity in arid soils with application to GIS mapping in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia

Assessment and development of pedotransfer functions to estimate soil saturated hydraulic conductivity in arid soils with application to GIS mapping in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia

The rainfall threshold of forest cover for regulating extreme floods in mountainous catchments

Floods frequently occur in mountainous regions and threaten lives and property worldwide. Forest cover usually plays an important role in regulating and preventing floods. However, the rainfall thresholds for forest cover to effectively regulate extreme flood are still unclear. In this study, we developed the topography-based subsurface storm flow hydrological (Top-SSF) model, which generally exhibited precise simulation performances in five typical mountainous catchments in southwest China. Then, the Top-SSF model was combined with a frequency analysis method to set different forest cover scenarios, investigating the relationship between rainfall threshold and forest cover in mountainous catchments. The results showed that under the control of soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and maximum soil water storage capacity (Szm), the rainfall threshold of an extreme flood (the 100-year return period) increased significantly, especially when forest cover was larger than 70% of a catchment. Under the same forest cover, high initial soil water content (Swi) weakened the mitigating effect of forest cover on the extreme flood. In addition, a non-linear regression relationship between forest cover and rainfall threshold of a catchment was developed considering the impacts of Ks, Swi and annual mean precipitation (P¯) of the catchment. The significant impact of forest cover change on extreme floods was not only due to changing the amount of forest cover but also the soil properties. These results contribute to the understanding of the impact of forest cover changes on extreme floods and may provide valuable insights for flood defence in mountainous catchments.

Magnetically treated water drip irrigation combined with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) application: A regulating strategy for enhancing the jujube yield and quality in southern Xinjiang of China

Developing effective regulation strategies for improving the efficiency of irrigation water and fertilizers, and preventing further expansion of desertification in southern Xinjiang, China, is crucial. Magnetically treated water (MTW) has been shown to have a positive effect on plant growth. The carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has been widely used as an efficient soil amendment to improve soil aggregation and hydraulic properties. This study aimed to explore the optimal mode of combining MTW drip irrigation and CMC application for high-quality jujube production. Conventional freshwater irrigation was set up in both 2021 and 2022 (control group, CK). CMC treatments under MTW drip irrigation included C0 (0), C150 (150 kg/ha), C250 (250 kg/ha), C350 (350 kg/ha), and C450 (450 kg/ha) in 2021, and C0 (0), C150 (150 kg/ha), C300 (300 kg/ha), C450 (450 kg/ha), and C600 (600 kg/ha) in 2022. The results showed that CMC significantly increased soil porosity, water-holding capacity, and decreased soil bulk density and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. CMC contributed 2.88 % to 27.96 % of large aggregates (>0.25 mm), significantly improving soil aggregate stability. Water and fertilizer (N, P, K) productivity increased by 4.5 % to 11.0 % and 1.9 % to 11.3 %, respectively. Jujube yield increased by 2.75 % to 15.98 %, and MTW increased jujube yield by 3.10 % compared to the CK. The recommended optimal CMC application rate was approximately 430 kg/ha. This mode provides a reliable theoretical reference for jujube industry development and soil desertification improvement in southern Xinjiang, China.

Divergent shift of normal alpine meadow exacerbated soil loss of hillslope alpine meadows based on field experiments

Global climate change and overgrazing are driving shifts in the plant composition of grassland communities, which may profoundly affect the function of grassland ecosystems in regulating runoff and soil erosion. Here, we examined the shift effects of normal hillslope alpine meadow to shrub and severely degraded meadow states on runoff and sediment generation under natural rainfall conditions, and determined the contributions of plant and soil properties changes to soil erodibility, runoff and sediment generation by in situ rainfall experiment and monitoring on the hillslope of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that normal meadow shift into severely degraded meadow state, mean weight diameter, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil cohesion and soil erodibility K-factor at the topsoil decreased by 70.3%, 73.1%, 80.3% and −13.1%, respectively, and when normal meadows shift into shrub meadow state, they reduced by 49.1%, −1.3%, 49.4%, and −8.3%, respectively. Runoff and soil loss significantly changed by - 40.0% and 177.8% when normal meadow shifted into a severely degraded meadow state, while runoff and soil loss significantly changed by + 65.0% and +77.8% when normal meadow shifted into a shrub meadow state. Our findings highlight that the two divergent shifts both increased soil loss compared to the normal hillslope alpine meadows. Overall, our results indicate that the divergent shifts of normal alpine meadows exacerbated soil erodibility and soil loss of hillslope alpine meadows. These results obtained here offer a novel perspective on the regulation of runoff and soil erosion in the alpine meadow ecosystem.

Physical Properties of Retisol under Secondary Pulp and Paper Sludge Application

A positive effect of pulp and paper mill sludges as a rich source of organic substrates on soil properties was previously found for some types of sludge and soil. In this study, the effect of secondary pulp and paper sludge on water characteristics and thermal properties of Retisol, as well as the growth parameters of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), was tested on the basis of a pot experiment when watering plants with a 20 or 40% sludge solution. The sludge application enhanced plant growth with an increase in biomass accumulation of 21 and 53%, respectively, for 20 and 40% sludge treatments. When the sludge dose was increased from 0 to 40%, the number of leaves increased by 25%, and the leaf mass per area value increased by 42%. Due to the accumulation of more biomass in the shoots than in the roots, sludge causes a change in the allocation of plant biomass. A significant effect of the sludge application on soil particle and microaggregate sized compositions, as well as on the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, was not found in this study. However, fitted soil water retention curves showed an increased soil water content in sludge-treated soil at all water content values exceeding field capacity. Secondary sludge application led to an increase in the saturated water content from 0.50 to 0.56 cm3 cm−3. The 40% sludge solution increased soil thermal conductivity from 0.92 to 0.98 W m−1 K−1 under saturated water content and from 0.83 to 0.92 W m−1 K−1 under field capacity. The thermal conductivity was higher in the sludge-treated than untreated soil due to a more pronounced positive effect of increased saturated water content than the negative effect of the increased organic matter content on heat transfer. The positive impact of secondary sludge application on both plant growth parameters and physical properties of Retisol, such as increased soil water-holding capacity and thermal conductivity coefficient confirms the possibility of using it to improve soil characteristics and plant productivity.

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Water Conservation Function and Its Driving Factors in the Upper Yangtze River Basin

The water conservation function (WCF), as one of the most critical ecosystem services, has an important impact on the ecological sustainability of a region. Accurately characterizing the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of WCF and further exploring its driving factors are of great significance for river basin management. Here, the WCF of the upper Yangtze River basin (UYRB) from 1991 to 2020 was calculated using the water yield module in the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Service and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. Also, we innovatively applied emerging hot spot analysis (EHSA), which could describe the location and pattern of historical changes more accurately, to investigate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and evolution of WCF. Based on the Geographical Detector Model (GDM), the main driving factors of WCF and their interactions were revealed. The results showed the following: (1) the WCF in the UYRB experienced a temporal increase at a growth rate of 1.48 mm/a, while remarkable differences were observed across the change rates of sub-watersheds. (2) The spatial variation of the WCF showed a gradual increase from northwest to southeast. Interestingly, the Jinshajing River upstream (JSJU) source area with a low WCF showed an increasing trend (with diminishing cold spots). On the contrary, the downstream regions of the JSJU watershed (with intensifying cold spots) underwent a weakening WCF. (3) Among all driving factors, precipitation (q = 0.701) exhibited the most remarkable prominent impact on the spatial heterogeneity of the WCF. Additionally, the interaction of factors exhibited more explanatory power than each factor alone, such as precipitation and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (q = 0.840). This research study is beneficial to water resource management and provides a theoretical basis for ecological restoration.

Soil-landscape-vegetation relationships in grassland-forest boundaries, and possible applications in ecological restoration

Edaphic influence on plant distribution is essential to community ecology studies, and for vegetation management and restoration in grasslands-forest ecosystems. Pampa biome is a subtropical grassland with high floristic diversity and with an important role in food production in South America, including tree plantations where recent changes in land use soil has been questioned about the impacts on water consumption, soil degradation and potential biodiversity loss. We assessed the relationship of soil physical, chemical and morphological properties with forest and grassland species occurrence, to improve our understanding of soil and landscapes with grasslands-forest mosaics, and contribute to ecological restoration in the biome. Soil physical and chemical properties were determined in different toposequences localized in two forest farms in southern Brazil, both covered with grassland and native forest use. Natural fertility of the studied soils was highest in the lowlands, along with highest moisture and lowest toxic aluminum content. Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity was highest in the summit and backslope soils, influenced by coarser fractions in the granulometry. Soil bulk density, total porosity, microporosity, macroporosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity field capacity, permanent wilting point and available water content, influenced by sand, silt and clay contents, varied among soils and landscape and contributed to vegetation diversity. Some of the plant species occupied specific soils and landscapes. The greatest vegetation frequency was of grassland species (Poaceae and Asteraceae) in both study sites. Grassland-forest area has forest individuals in the middle of the grassland and riparian, while in grassland area the riparian vegetation is composed naturally by grassland. Forest fragments expanded in grassland-forest area during the 15 years prior to our study, but in the grassland area there were no changes in the phyto-physiognomy, demonstrating that the vegetation of grassland occurs naturally in the riparian environment. This study highlights that many of sites covered naturally by grassland, in the Pampa biome, should be protected from disruptive activities and/or recovered with species endemic to the ecosystem, without necessarily by forest enrichment as usually recommended for restoration activities.