Waste Land Use Research Articles

Impact of Land Use Changes on Soil Erodibility in the Outer Himalayas

Land use change hurts soil characteristics such as permeability, soil texture and aggregate stability, soil erodibility etc. which make soils susceptible to erosion and degradation. The outer Himalayan region is prone to large-scale soil erosion by water owing to the vast disparity in the slope gradient, undulating relief, largely mountainous joined with high-intensity rainfall and lithological characteristics of these rocks. Soil erodibility, one of the key factors affecting the rate of erosion can be estimated by using various soil erodibility indices. In examining erodibility indices across various land use changes, it was evident that both the clay ratio (CR) and modified clay ratio (MCR) escalated as land use shifts from forest to more disturbed environments. As we transit from forest to agriculture, these ratios increased and were even more marked in the transition from forest to wasteland. The erosional behaviour as per CR and MCR in agriculture land use transitions could be arranged in the order that forest < agriculture <builtup< wastelands. Among wasteland use transitions, the high CR and MCR indicated potential challenges in soil management, while the lower CR and MCR in transitions to agriculture and forest suggested more favourable soil conditions for these specific uses. The CR and MCR ratios indicated that the lower the ratio, the more would be the clay accumulation and lesser the erosion. This information is crucial for understanding the implications of land use changes on soil erosion and health and for guiding effective land management practices in diverse ecological settings.

Suitability of urban waste land use in relation to heavy metal and micronutrient influence on soil and green amaranth production in Southeast Nigeria

An assessment of the impact of long term (>20 years) MSW disposal on soil properties and their suitability for crop productivity was carried out in Anambra and Enugu States of southeast Nigeria. Four dumpsites were selected (two in each state) and, 12 soil auger samples (2 sampling points at 3 depths and 2 repeated measures) each were collected at incremental depth intervals of 0-20, 20-30, and 30-40cm were collected at the dump sites and adjacent non-dumpsites situated 100 meters away from the dumpsites; The auger samples were used for the determination of Fe, B, Pb and Zn content of the soil. Forty Amaranthus spinosus biomass samples were collected from both dump and non-dumpsites in the four locations and also assayed for Fe, B, Pb, and Zn content. Results showed that the mean values of Fe concentration in the dumpsites are between 4.48 – 11.57 mg kg-1 whereas B ranged from 1.19 – 6.73 mg kg-1; Pb ranged from 0.36 – 2.19 mg kg-1 and Zn averaged from 17.2 – 54.0 mg kg-1. The values of these elements were higher than those of the corresponding non-dump sites by between 6-100 %. Pb and Zn with values of 2.0 and 0.06 mg kg-1 respectively in the amaranth plants in the dumpsite soils were higher than the permissive limits for heavy metals in vegetables. Despite the toxicity variance of the elements in the dumpsites and non-dumpsite soils and vegetables, the calculated hazard quotient (ecological risks) values of these elements were less than unity (Q.H.Q < 1), suggesting that harmful effects are not likely to occur in the study areas. Public awareness creation of the dangers of plant cultivation in the unmanaged dumpsite, including health implication of heavy metal pollution and entry into the food chain as well as controlling sources of municipal wastes with appropriate legislations are recommended.

Variability assessment in SOC stocks influenced by different cropping systems and landuse using geographic information systems (gis) techniques in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh

The soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a pivotal role in soil biodiversity, nutrient and water recycling, agricultural productivity and sustainability of land use and cropping systems through climate change mitigation and adaptation. The main objective of current study is to assess the variability influenced by existing major land use and cropping systems of the Chittoor district during 2018. The study area located between 12°37’ to 14°08’ N latitude and 78°03’ to 79°55’ E longitude. The major land use and cropping systems identified were rice based cropping system, sugarcane based cropping system, vegetable based cropping system, groundnut based cropping system, casuarina and eucalyptus plantations, mango orchards, mulberry based cropping system, Perennial fodder crops, flower crops, forest land use, fallow and waste land use etc. Soil organic C content was highest under forest land use (10.0 g kg−1) followed by paddy-tomato (9.9 g kg−1), mango orchards >15 years (9.2 g kg−1), eucalyptus plantations (9.2 g kg−1) and sugarcane-vegetable (9.0 g kg−1). Similarly, carbon sequestration rate was highest in forest land use (28.2 Mg ha−1) followed by mango orchards >15 years age (21.1 Mg ha−1), sugarcane-vegetables (20.4 Mg ha−1) and paddy-tomato (19.9 Mg ha−1) cropping systems. The organic carbon status was very low (0.2-0.4%) in rainfed groundnut, current fallows and sugarcane-sugarcane cropping systems; medium (0.6-0.8%) in mango<5 years, sugarcane-paddy, paddy-groundnut and eucalyptus plantations; and high (>0.8%) in sugarcane-vegetables, forest land use, paddy-tomato, mango >15 yrs and perennial fodder plantations.

Common Property Wasteland-Use Planning for Sustainable Resource Development in Ramgad Catchment, Kumaun Himalaya

The Lesser Himalayan region is the most densely populated area of all the Himalayan ranges and deserves specific and adequate attention for the development of its scarce and precious common property wasteland resource in view of the fact that a large number of rural poor households in the region depend on common property wastelands for the fulfillment of their own basic needs, such as, fodder, fuel-wood, grazing etc. Of late, the region is experiencing extensive environmental problems like deforestation, landslides, soil erosion, owing mainly to the over-utilization of common property resources. This is consequent to the misuse and mismanagement of the common property land resources by villagers in Himalayan region. This paper attempts to evolve an optimal wasteland use framework for the Ramgad catchment situated in the Lesser Himalayan ranges of district Nainital located in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Recognizing the drastic changes that have taken place in traditional common property wasteland use, the watershed area has been proposed to be marked for fodder development, horticultural development and medicinal plant conservation. Key words: Wasteland; Natural resource; Households; Kumaun Himalayas. DOI: 10.3126/sw.v7i7.3823 Scientific World Vol.7(7) 2009 pp.41-46