Terraced Land Research Articles

Performance evaluation of a novel power-tiller-operated oscillatory tillage implement for dry land tillage

Ploughing is a draught intensive operation that becomes a limitation for small tillage machines like the power tiller due to lower availability of draught. Ploughing is possible using power tiller with the adoption of an implement that requires less draught like oscillatory tillage tool. In order to enable dry land tillage from a small machine, a novel power tiller-operated oscillatory tillage implement was designed and developed. The work included modification of transmission system of power tiller to provide required frequency (9–13 Hz), designing a new rotary shaft to impart oscillation and give required amplitude (15–35 mm). Prototype oscillatory tillage implement thus developed was tested in terraced land field conditions and compared with the same working in non-oscillatory mode of operation. Prototype oscillatory tillage implement having 25 cm tool width operated up to 15.3 cm depth in dry, untilled field conditions. However, the same implement operated only up to 7.4 cm depth in non-oscillatory mode of operation. The volume of soil handled per unit time, fuel consumption and tillage performance index were higher (94.88 m3 h−1, 2.70 l h−1 and 2.99, respectively) with prototype oscillatory tillage implement working at average 15.3 cm depth of operation as compared to the same implement working in non-oscillatory mode of operation.

Integrating water harvesting and gravity-fed micro-irrigation system for efficient water management in terraced land for growing vegetables

Enhancing and sustaining the productivity of hill agriculture in North-West Himalayan Region (NWHR) is a major challenge as it is practised under ecologically fragile environments which include altitudinal, climatic and topographical variations. The present study envisaged the scope for water resources development and its utilization in crop production through gravity-fed micro-irrigation enhancing water use in the terrace land of NW Himalaya. The water was harvested from a distantly located ultra low discharge water source to the lined tank and the micro-irrigation system (MIS) was integrated such that it could be operated by gravity. The system performance was found satisfactory as the flow rate variation, Christiansen uniformity coefficient and distribution uniformity were 26.5%, 86.3% and 87.5%, respectively. The system saved 41.1% and 33.3% irrigation water as compared to check basin irrigation in case of vegetable pea and French bean, respectively. The water use efficiency of the system was significantly higher than check basin irrigation. Economic indicators such as Net Present Value, Benefit Cost Ratio, Internal Rate of Return and payback period were used to evaluate the gravity-fed MIS and were INR 160,523 (1$ = 40.50 INR), 1.78, 12.2% and 3.38 years, respectively. It is recommended that the gravity-fed MIS must be integrated with the water harvesting system to effectively and economically utilize the water in vegetable cultivation in terraced land of the hill farming system.

Effects of mulching and catch cropping on soil temperature, soil moisture and wheat yield on the Loess Plateau of China

Soil management can notably influence crop production under dryland farming in semiarid areas. Field experiments were conducted, from October 2001 to September 2004, with an attempt to evaluate the effects of field management regimes on thermal status at an upland site; and soil water and wheat production in a winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) system at upland, terrace land and bottom land sites on the Loess Plateau, China. The field management regimes tested were: (i) the conventional practice (winter wheat followed by a ploughed summer bare fallow); (ii) conventional management, but a catch crop growing for certain time during fallow period used as green manure (after the wheat harvest, a catch crop were directly sown, instead of ploughing, and then incorporated into the soil roughly one month before wheat sowing); and (iii) wheat straw mulch (0.8 kg m −2), covering the soil throughout the year during the experimental period (no summer ploughing, straw was removed during wheat sowing). Soil temperature under catch cropping was lower during certain period of its growing by about 2 °C, slightly higher for short spells after incorporation and before wheat harvest, no observed effects during the rest time of a year relative to conventional practice at the upland site. Moreover, soil water storage levels under catch cropping were comparable with those of the conventional practice for all three years, but wheat yield substantially declined in the last year. Mulching showed different responses for the three land sites. At the upland site, daily mean soil temperatures under mulching at 10 cm depth were decreased in the warmer period by 0–4 °C, and increased in the colder period by 0–2 °C when compared to those of non-mulched soil. At upland and bottom land sites, mulching conserved an average of 28 and 20 mm more water in the upper 100 cm soil layer at the time of wheat sowing, respectively, than conventional practice. However, at the terrace, mulching had little effect on soil water storage, nor on wheat grain yield, relative to conventional practice. Therefore, considering the limited availability of mulch material in this region and the economic benefits, it is recommended that mulching may be beneficial to upland or bottom land, but not to terraced land. In addition, the application of catch cropping in this study did not show positive effects, the more comprehensive evaluation of this approach would be further needed.

Soil-erosion and runoff prevention by plant covers. A review

Soil erosion is a critical environmental problem throughout the world’s terrestrial ecosystems. Erosion inflicts multiple, serious damages in managed ecosystems such as crops, pastures, or forests as well as in natural ecosystems. In particular, erosion reduces the water-holding capacity because of rapid water runoff, and reduces soil organic matter. As a result, nutrients and valuable soil biota are transported. At the same time, species diversity of plants, animals, and microbes is significantly reduced. One of the most effective measures for erosion control and regeneration the degraded former soil is the establishment of plant covers. Indeed, achieving future of safe environment depends on conserving soil, water, energy, and biological resources. Soil erosion can be controlled through a process of assessment at regional scales for the development and restoration of the plant cover, and the introduction of conservation measures in the areas at greatest risk. Thus, conservation of these vital resources needs to receive high priority to ensure the effective protection of managed and natural ecosystems. This review article highlights three majors topics: (1) the impact of erosion of soil productivity with particular focus on climate and soil erosion; soil seal and crust development; and C losses from soils; (2) land use and soil erosion with particular focus on soil loss in agricultural lands; shrub and forest lands; and the impact of erosion in the Mediterranean terraced lands; and (3) the impact of plant covers on soil erosion with particular focus on Mediterranean factors affecting vegetation; plant roots and erosion control; and plant cover and biodiversity.

자연 친화적 하천정비를 위한 호안평가기법의 개발 및 적용

과거 치수적 목적에 의해 진행하던 하천정비방식이 최근에 친환경적 개념의 정비방식으로 전환되면서 하천살리기 운동을 비롯해 하천의 환경기능을 개선하려는 노력이 진행중이며 전국적으로 자연형 하천정비 또는 친환경적 하천 복원 등의 사업이 활발히 시행되고 있다. 호안공법 또한 자연형 하천정비 개념의 도입이후 다양한 호안공법이 시공되고 있는 상황에서 보다 적합한 호안공법의 적용을 위해서는 하천의 환경특성을 고려할 필요가 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 자연 친화적 하천정비를 위한 호안의 평가지표 및 기법의 개발에 대한 선행연구로서 현장조사에 의한 세부조사항목들을 활용한 평가방법을 제안하였다. 수리적 안정성 부분의 평가 항목은 유선형태, 하상경사, 유속, 소류력비의 4개 항목이며, 환경성 부분은 호안식생, 하천수의 상태, 고수부지의 토지이용, 고수부지 재료, 고수부지 식생의 5가지 항목이다. 평가방법은 각 평가 항목별로 1<TEX>$\sim$</TEX>5점의 점수를 부여하여 평가하였고 수리적 안정성과 환경성 부분의 평균 점수를 산정하였다. 제안된 평가방법의 적용결과 다수의 기존 호안이 수리적 안정성에 과도하게 편중되어 있고 환경성의 고려는 매우 미흡한 양상을 보이고 있음을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 연구에서 제안된 방법은 향후 하천의 호안설계 및 시공을 위한 가이드라인 제시를 위한 초석으로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. Recently, existing river improvement methods for flood control purpose have changed into nature friendly river improvement methods and the efforts to improve the river environment including river restoration have been made, and close-to-nature river improvement and nature friendly river restoration are actively conducted all over the country. In the present situation where various revetment methods are used after the introduction of the concept of close-to-nature river improvement, the environmental characteristics of rivers need to be considered to apply more suitable revetment methods. Therefore, as a precedent study for the development of revetment evaluation techniques and methods for close-to-nature river improvement, the present study suggested evaluation techniques using detailed survey items through field survey. Evaluation items of hydraulic stability consist of mode of streamline, stream bed gradient, flow velocity and tractive force ratio and those of environmental efficiency consist of revetment of vegetation, state of river water, land use of the terrace land on the river, vegetation and materials of the terrace land on the river. Each item was graded with the point 1 through 5. Hydraulic stability and environmental efficiency was evaluated by the points which were averaged in each items. As the result of the application of the proposed evaluation technique, it was found that a number of existing revetments excessively focus on hydraulic stability with little consideration about environmental term. It is expected that the proposed technique in the present study can be used as a base for providing guidelines to construct the design and construction of revetments in the future.

Forms of Phosphorus and Soil Acidity in Different Land Management Systems of Meghalaya

Distribution pattern of different forms of phosphorus and acidity were studied in surface soil samples collected from important land management systems viz., Bun cultivation, Terrace cultivated Land and Natural forest on hill slopes of Ri-bhoi District, Meghalaya. Total, exchangeable and pH dependent acidities decreased after closed burning of plant biomass under Bun farming, maximum decrease (87%) being recorded in exchangeable acidity, but the values of acidities after two years of Bun cultivation were in the same range to their initial values. Soils under terrace land recorded the highest values of all kinds of acidity. Closed burning under bun cultivation resulted manifold increase in Ca-P and Saloid-P and 38.3 per cent increase in Fe-P while Ai-P decreased by more than 9 times. The dominant form of inorganic P were Fe-P, reductant soluble P and occluded-P (97%) and existed in the order of reductant soluble P&gt; occluded P&gt; Fe-P under various land use systems on sloppy lands.

Land abandonment and slope gradient as key factors of soil erosion in Mediterranean terraced lands

An important land use change recorded in the Mediterranean basin comprises the abandonment of agricultural lands due to economic and social changes, which is followed by significant impacts on soil erosion. Observed land abandonment may have positive or negative impacts on soil protection from erosion because fundamental ecosystem processes are influenced by changes in agricultural practices and soil resources management. Olive groves comprise a typical example of traditional, extensive cultivation, which is abandoned. The olive groves are spread on marginal areas and located mainly on sloping terraced lands with low productivity soils. A field study was conducted for two years in order to monitor the change through time of natural resources such as soil and vegetation, following land abandonment, considering three land uses, cultivation, short-time abandonment and long-time abandonment. Experimental plots were established on two specific slope gradients so that results could be comparable. The study was based on the determination of water erosivity measuring parameters such as rainfall characteristics, sediment losses and water runoff volume, and on the determination of soil erodibility, measuring parameters related to vegetation, soil, slope profile description and drystone terraces. Results show that abandonment of traditional extensive cultivation in the Mediterranean basin has different impacts on soil sediment losses according to slope gradient. When slope gradient is steep (25%), soil erosion is increasing significantly probably because the dense protective cover of annual plants decrease and shrubs' vegetation cover increases. At the same time, bare soil surface below the shrubs' foliage increases as well, while drystone terraces supporting soil material and runoff water collapse. When slope gradient is very steep (40%), soil sediment losses remain at the same high levels after cultivation abandonment because slope gradient is the main factor controlling soil erosion, although soil and vegetation properties are changing.

Soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation within hillslope vegetation restoration sites in Jinshajing hot-dry river valley

Soil seed bank plays an important role in the composition of different plant communities, especially in their conservation. Although soil seed bank, aboveground vegetation and their relationship have been the subject of much recent attention, little is known about the size and species composition of the soil seed bank and about the aboveground vegetation in the semiarid hillslope grasslands. There is limited understanding of how these components interact to determine the importance of seed banks in regeneration. In this study, the size and species composition of a soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation have been assessed in an experiment using 36 vegetation quadrats and 108 soil samples in terrace, slope, gully, and grazing land. This land represents a range of habitats within a hillslope grassland in Jinshajing hot-dry river valley of Yunnan, China. Terrace, slope, and gully represent restored sites and grazing land typifies unrestored sites. Twenty-one taxa in the seed bank were identified with a median and median density of 7 species/m 2 and 5498 seeds/m 2, respectively, whereas in the aboveground vegetation, 19 species were observed with a median and median density of 6 species/m 2 and 1088 plants/m 2, respectively. Both seed bank density and aboveground vegetation density among grazing land, gully, slope, and terrace differed significantly. There was an absolutely high proportion of herbaceous species in the seed bank and aboveground vegetation. Gramineae predominated over both seed bank and vegetation. The most frequent seeds and plants were Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv that had the highest individual number, importance value, and biomass. In the seed bank, the seeds of Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv accounted for 50.68% and 33.10% of the total seeds, respectively. In the aboveground vegetation, the individual number of Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv accounted for 55.66% and 29.86% of the total, respectively. The biomass of Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv accounted for more than 70% of the total, reaching 206.71 g/m 2 and 147.76 g/m 2, respectively. Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv had the highest importance value of 193.01 and 159.99, respectively. Density, biomass, species richness, species diversity, and evenness were the highest in terrace land, whereas these were lowest in grazing land. Similarities between the seed bank and the aboveground vegetation were moderately high and not very different among slope, gully, and terrace lands, while for grazing land, they tended to increase when the restorative stage progressed. This result contrasts with some other studies where the seed bank contributes very little to the seedling flora and the vegetative growth clearly overwhelms sexual reproduction. The hypothesis about significant functional correlation between soil seed bank density and aboveground vegetation density is conformed. Correlation between soil seed bank density and aboveground vegetation density can be described in quadratic and cubic curves. The strong similarity between the vegetation and the seed bank is attributed to a large proportion of the species Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus and Heteropogon contortus (L.) Beauv., which are seed profusive and whose seeds have a significant viability in the ground. The high density, biomass, species richness, species diversity, and uniformity of the reclaimed site are related to the sufficiency of heat and water supplies for species establishment and growth in the site, which partly reflects the effective efforts for hillslope grassland restoration. It is believed that the efforts for vegetation restoration have altered the microhabitat conditions of the site and have provided a favorable habitat for species to establish and grow.

Land accretion of the yellow river delta as influenced by drainage basin factors

The land accretion processes of the Yellow River delta, with its quantities of sediment transport, are dominated by drainage basin factors. Since the tidal and the sea wave processes are weak, the delta provides an ideal site to study the response of land accretion to the changing climate and human activities. Firstly, by using sea charts and remote sensing images, the annual land accretion area has been identified and is related to annual precipitation and human activities in the drainage basin. It is found that the rate of land accretion of the delta is positively correlated with precipitation, but negatively correlated with the areas of erosion control measures and with the quantity of water diversion. Secondly, a multiple regression equation has been established between the rate of land accretion of the delta and the influencing factors: the area of terrace land building and tree‐ and grass‐planting, the area of the land created by the sediment trapped by check dams, the annual precipitation and the annual quantity of water diversion. The regression indicates that the changing precipitation contributes most to the land accretion rate of the delta, the contribution made by erosion control measures ranks the second, and the contribution made by water division the third.

Terrace Construction and Productivity on Loessal Soils in Zhongyang County, Shanxi Province, PRC

Abstract Erosion is a pressing problem throughout rural China, but the problem is most severe within the Loess Plateau of north central China. The Loess Plateau is losing an average of one centimeter of soil each year due to erosion and related environmental problems. The eroded loess clogs irrigation systems, restricts navigation on all rivers within the region, fouls urban and industrial water systems, and for agriculture represents a loss of a vital resource that this very poor area cannot afford. While land stabilization in the region has been given a very high priority by regional and national planners for economic and environmental reasons, the selection of the most appropriate measures for land stabilization remains controversial. This research, based on a survey of 330 households in Zhongyang County, Shanxi Province, PRC, estimates the increases in gross production and yields which can reasonably be expected from improvements to cultivated slopeland through land stabilization using two different types of terrace construction. The first of these involves the construction of terraces built almost entirely with human labor. The second replaces most of this human labor with earth-moving equipment used to construct broader and considerably more expensive terraces. We estimate and compare differences in yields and production costs for common crops grown on these two types of terraced land as well as two types of unstabilized land. Specifically, the types of land evaluated in the study include: 1) terraces constructed by human labor alone (rengong titian); 2) terraces constructed using earth-moving equipment (jixie titian); 3) flat unterraced land (yuandij not yet severely affected by erosion; and 4) by way of a control, un-improved slopeland (podi]. The crops evaluated are corn, millet, soybeans, sunflower, white potatoes, and sor-ghum-the main subsistence and economic crops in the region. These data are used to generate production functions for each of the six crops to determine the contribution of terrace construction to gross production. Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) is used to determine if mean yields for these six crops are significantly different on different land types. Results of these analyses indicate that yields for all crops grown on mechanically constructed terraces are significantly higher than yields for crops grown on terraces constructed by hand, while yields of crops grown on both types of terraces remain lower than for crops grown on flat land which has not yet faced serious erosion. From the perspective of farm households living in this region, the proper management of existing flat land and the increased construction of mechanically constructed terraces are the best strategies for improving output and farm income while also helping to slow erosion. Government agencies beyond the region, however, continue to favor terraces constructed by hand owing to lower costs. The implications for local, regional, and national policy directives are discussed.

EXPERIENCES IN DEVELOPING A VILLAGE AGROFORESTRY PROJECT IN GARHWAL HIMALAYA, INDIA

SUMMARY A short-term pilot project was initiated to demonstrate agroforestry on rainfed agricultural and abandoned terraced lands at Sumari village in Garhwal Himalaya. The aim was to involve local people and to seek their help and cooperation in raising multi-purpose trees in their own fields to meet their requirements for fuel, food and small timber. Nineteen multi-purpose tree species, most of them native, were selected. The project commenced in July, 1989 but could not be completed because of local problems. This paper describes in detail the results obtained and experiences gained in the two years of the project and analyses the reasons for its failure.

Agricultural terrace abandonment in the alpujarra, andalucia, spain

AbstractThe environmental impact of recent changes in land use is assessed in a part of Andalucia, southern Spain, where the deintensification and abandonment of low productivity upland areas is taking place. In the uplands of the Alpujarra, the traditional landscape most at risk is that of the irrigated cultivation terraces. These have often been established centuries ago and rely on water abstracted from streams draining the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The causes of this deintensification include labour shortages, with many Alpujarra municipios reporting population decreases of up to 50 per cent since 1950. Landsat Thematic Mapper digital data from May and August 1992 have been used to identify the various land cover components of the Alpujarra. Ground verification undertaken in September 1992 and April 1993 has confirmed that deintensification of terraced areas around the villages of Trevélez (at 1500m, the highest village in Spain) and Pórtugos (1300 m) can be identified as either grassland or matorral. It is recognized that many classes of land cover are mosaics with several elements at a subpixel scale (e.g. terrace risers with fruit trees). However, the output from image processing has allowed areal estimates of the main land covers representing deintensification within the terraced zone. The pattern of deintensification of terraced land is fairly complex. It can be assumed that all terraces were irrigated and cropped at some stage. Land which is no longer cropped is usually grazed and the invasion of matorral species is common, particularly when irrigation ceases. Unirrigated tree crops and vines are sometimes planted on terraces no longer used for cropping. A model of deintensification of farming on terraced land in the Alpujarra is presented.

Instalation of vegetation on slopes produced by public works in arid zones

This article describes the need of an especial treatment for clearance and terraced land attained in arid and semi-arid areas with a particular reference to South-East Spain. The extreme conditions of these areas because of the weather and substratum put obstacles in the way of tracing the human action. This paper underlines the main difficulties and suggests some solutions, treatments and a selection of easy propagation species and till that allow keeping harmony with landscape.

Dehydrogenase and urease activities of maize (Zea mays L.) field soils

Dehydrogenase and urease activities, bacterial and fungal populations and physicochemical characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) field soils have been studied for one crop cycle. A comparison has been made among soils of three different agricultural systemsviz permanent agriculture on plain lands in valleys, recently introduced terrace land agriculture and age old ‘slash and burn’ type of shifting agriculture on slopes. Results demonstrate that the enzyme activities, microbial population as well as most of the physico-chemical characteristics of soils followed the trend permanent agriculture on plain lands>terrace land agriculture>‘slash and burn’ type of shifting agriculture. Moisture and nutrient levels and topography of the lands were found to be major factors responsible for the trend.

STUDY OF THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN THE KINOKAWA PLAIN

The Kinokawa Plain spreads gradually below Hashimoto City in Wakayama Prefecture ; it lies delta-shaped ranging about 40 kilometers eastward to westward ; it reaches about 2.5 to 5km in width on the right bank area, but only about 0.5km on its left. Here follows a study of historical geography of the Kinokawa Plain to give some regional characteristics of its irrigation system ; however, this study is stressed about the right bank area. The features of irrigation in the Kinokawa Plain are as follows: 1. The Kinokawa Plain yields the highest rice crop in Wakayama Prefecture. The lower parts along the banks of the Kinokawa were cultivated into the paddy fields by using brooks and ponds in the early days, but later around the middle of the Tokugawa Era, when of the Kinokawa began to be used for irrigation, there were also more and more paddy fields developed in the terraced area. Thus, the paddy fields now stretch long and narrow from east to west along the Kinokawa, the lower being applied to river-irrigation and the upper to pond-irrigation. 2. The Kinokawa is the second greatest river in Wakayama Prefecture. The water of the Kinokawa began to be utilized for transportation and irrigation in early days. Dams were built for utilization of the water in agriculture and the long flumes running from them supply the water of the Kinokawa from upstream to downstream or from the upper to the lower. Long flumes and a wide area of irrigated land are characteristic of the irrigation of the terraced land ; the Kinokawa is its typical example. The earliest water-supply by dam was afforded when ‘Mlyal Dam’ was constructed down-stream of the Kinokawa from 1346 to 1361. It irrigated the neighborhood of Wakayama City. After that, ‘Arai Dam’ was built in 1667, ‘Fujisaki Dam’ in 1696, ‘Rokko Dam’ in 1697, ‘Oda Dam’ in 1707 and, thus, ten of them were made in all. They were, however, so imperfect that they were destroyed every time when the Kinokawa was flooded. The reparation for flood damages caused a lot of labour and expense to the farmers. Each flume was often extended after the construction, and therefore, the area of irrigated land gradually increased. It was after the middle of the Tokugawa Era, when civil engineering advanced, that the great Kinokawa itself began to be utilized. By dint of civil engineering works there was a rapid cultivation of paddy fields along the Kinokawa, and thus, the Kinokawa Plain came to yield the highest rice-crop in Wakayama Prefecture and attained economical prosperity. 3. Every flume runs long and crooked along the higher part of the irrigated land ; the flume flowing from ‘Oda Dam’ is 32 km long, the longest one from ‘Fujisaki Dam’ 18km, and the shortest one from ‘Anrakugawa Dam’ is 3.5km ; it takes a great deal of labor to keep up these long flumes. ‘Oda Dam’ irrigates the largest area of land i.e. 1, 072 h. a. and ‘Shichigo Dam’ the smallest i.e. 126 h. a. The flumes run on such a sandy and conglomeratic land that they lose 37.5% to 50% of the water on their way ; therefore famers have invented all the possible devices to keep the water of paddy field from being lost. In making the plan for reconstruction of many dams destroyed by the flood in 1953, they decided to give a complete improvement on the old dams. These old dams were integrated into the present four ones of modern concrete type; moreover, the flumes are also being rebuilt into concrete type to prevent water-escaping. 4. The water-supply from the Kinokawa starts on June 15 and lasts to the middle of September. There is a strict provision on sharing of the water-supply. The flumes are equipped with a lot of facilities for distribution of the water. The share of the water-supply is decided by special persons.

A Recent Collection of Fissidens neonii

Fissidens neonii (Bartr.) Grout has been found for the first time since the original collection in 1931. Growth studies show that new plants commonly arise from buried sterile stems and from rhizoids. Male, female, and sterile plants are morphologically distinct and are independent at maturity; all three types may originate from the same leaf axil or rhizoid. Fissidens neonii does not appear to be closely related to any other North American species of the genus. Fissidens neonii (Bartr.) Grout was described as a Moenkemeyera by Bartram (1931) from a collection made by Brother N6on in the vicinity of Lafayette, Louisiana. Because of its entire peristome teeth Bartram placed the species in Moenkemeyera although noting that the spores (20-25/ in diameter) were unusually large for the genus. The species was subsequently treated as a Fissidens by Grout (1936, 1941, 1943). This distinctive little moss had apparently not been found since Brother Nion's original collection in 1931. Serious searches for it in Lafayette Parish over the past few years were unsuccessful until January, 1965, when I found it just east of the Lafayette city limits near the Vermilion River. The minute, closely gregarious plants were restricted to an area of only a few square feet; they were growing with Philonotis sp., Ditrichum pallidum, and Fissidens viridulus on the steep sides of a cow path leading into an oak-dominated coulee. Surrounding the coulee are broad meadows that slope gently into it, suggesting that it occupies the bottom of an ancient river meander. The coulee now drains Pleistocene terrace lands with a maximum elevation of 35 feet above sea level (Howe & Moresi 1933) and leads into the Vermilion River about 1,500 feet from the site of the recent collection. Brother N6on did not include any specific locality or habitat data with his collection but Bartram noted in his description that the soil with the specimen was light and loamy; this is the type of soil at the present site. Although the area was searched carefully, no other colonies of F. neonii were found. Brother N6on, now at the Pennsionat de Notre Dame, Le Puy, France, responded to inquiries about the circumstances of his collection of F. neonii that he did not recall which particular location around Lafayette had yielded the species. The de la Salle Provincial House in Lafayette, where Brother Nion was stationed in 1931 and which was the starting point for his collecting walks, is on the west bank and upriver about two miles from the present site. It is on the same terrace and is cut by similar meander scars. Most of the original 1 Department of Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.128 on Tue, 06 Sep 2016 05:30:03 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 3Zii~iOidB iijji~iii~~,~j!iiidiiii iiji::jiii::iiliiilj~ :':~:':`:':':':`:':':'-':'''~:':':': iiiiCFiiiB)iiiiii':ljr i.ii'~i. i:?:~;~iiiiii~ I~ili~lil~

SOILS OF WESTLAND

THE soils of Westland are, in general, a sad-looking lot 'at the present time. Over large areas of the lowlands their native robes of timber trees have been taken away or torn to shreds. Some small areas have acquired a new flimsy garment of pasture or foreign trees, but large areas of flat and undulating terrace lands are a ragged quilt of rushes, ferns, mosses and burnt tree sturnps. Hills previously in tall forests now have a mass of small trees, shrubs and ferns without timber value. If the soils could speak, they would complain that they had been treated like gold or coal (which to a soil is worse than dirt). Gold and coal are .I inert, diminishing resources of only temporary value to Westland. Soil, on the other hand, has living components that give it powers of recuperation so that it can be used over and over again. It need not be a diminishing asset. With assistance from man, soil can increase its natural productivity and maintain this at a certain level indefinitely. Hence, the soils are potentially a far more important asset to Westland than gold or coal. But this is not apparent either to the resident of Westland nor to the visitor. Along the highways or runways they see derelict farms and wonder if the soils are inherently poor or whether the timber trees took all the "good" out of the soil. On the other hand, the abundant growth of unpalatable plants would indicate a potential source of productivity in the soils.

Transect from Lake Tahoe, California, to the Pacific Ocean Showing Relationship Between Soils, Physiographic Position, Geology, Climate, Natural Vegetation, and Land Use

AbstractThis transect starts on Highway No. 40, near the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in an area of pine and fir timber. At the beginning of the transect are granitic upland soils of the Holland series; following these are red upland soils of the Aiken series, derived from basic igneous rocks, and next, at a lower elevation, the reddish, grass‐covered Auburn soils. The higher terrace lands of the eastern Sacramento Valley are composed of the cobbly‐hardpan Redding soils, and the gravelly claypan Corning soils; on the lower terraces, the red‐iron hardpan San Joaquin soils with the recent and young alluvial soils of the Columbia and Sacramento series along the Sacramento River; and on the wet‐side alluvial fan, soils dominated by the Yolo series in the vicinity of Davis. Other noncalcic Brown valley, terrace, and upland soils are encountered west of Davis. The western Coast range of higher rainfall gives rise to the lithosolic Maymen series, and the Hugo series having a Douglasfir and redwood cover. The ocean side of the Coast Range, where there is lower rainfall, is represented by the Cayucos and Rohnerville soils having Prairie‐like characteristics.

Glassy volcanic-ash soils in Japan

Abstract In the writer's opinion Japanese volcanic-ash soils may be subdivided into the following four groups based on their morphological and mineralogical characteristics: namely, (1) Brown type (basaltic, Fuji-origin), (2) Yellowish brown type (pyroxene-andesitic, miscellaneous origins), (3) Light yellowish brown type (hornblende-andesitic, miscellaneous origins), and (4) Onji type (glassy, Kirishima-origin ?).(1,2) The last-named glassy volcanic-ash soil, i.e., Onji type, is widely distributed on terrace lands, hills, and mountains of southern Kyushu and western Shikoku. The writer is inclined to consider from his field observation, that although its origin has not yet been confirmed, the glassy ash might be erupted from Kirishima Volcano located in southern Kyushu.

Studies of the Kwanto Loam

The patterns of sedimentation, grain size, and roundness, and mineralogical composition of the Kwanto loam in Shimosa terrace land, Chiba prefecture, Japan were studied., The Kwatno loam is stratified upon the sandy gravel bed which lies on the Narita formation, and mainly consists of rock fragments of weathered basic tuff., The Kwanto loam is classified into two groups, the upper and the lower A pumice bed lies about 20 cm above the bottom of the upper Kwanto loam (Fig., 1)., The mean grain size of the upper Kwanto loam by weight percentage is bout 3., 6∼3., 8 Phi in diameter while the lower Kwanto loam is 2., 8∼3., 2 Phi., The variation in grain size in the upper Kwanto loam is far less than in the lower (Table 2)., The frequency polygons in Fig., 3 show the difference between the upper and lower., The roundness in the upper Kwanto loam varies from 0., 20 to 0., 22 while in the lower from 0., 33 to 0., 37 (Fig., 5)., The two loams can be distinguished fairly well by their mineralogical composition., The upper Kwanto loam rich in mafic minerals, such as olivine and pyroxene, while the lower is rich in felsic minerals (Table 3)., From the evidence just mentioned, it may be inferred that the upper Kwanto loam is aeolian while the lower is aqueous, and there is a time interval of sedimentation between these two loams.,