Land use effects on soil quality indicators in north-eastern Iran

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Golchin ◽  
H. Asgari
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Eastern Iran ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Dispersible Clay ◽  
Cultivated Soils

Forest and grassland soils in north-eastern Iran are being degraded and destroyed by inappropriate agricultural activities. This study investigated effects of land-use changes on several indicators of soil quality (SQ) in this area. We found higher organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) contents in virgin soils (under forests and pastures) than in cultivated soils. Distribution of OC throughout the soil profile was influenced by the type and length of tillage operations performed at different sites. Cultivation reduced OC content of the subsoil (0.50–1.00 m) and contributed to a more uniform distribution of organic matter in the plough layer (0–0.50 m) by mixing upper and lower horizon soils and incorporating of organic inputs to a greater depth. In 4 of 5 sites, tilled soils had lower ECe and SAR values than the virgin soils, but when the water table was near the soil surface, the ECe and SAR values were higher in cultivated sites. This suggests that when the water table is deep, the quality of salt-affected virgin soils may be improved by cultivation and leaching of excess salts to deeper layers. In 4 of 5 sites, the virgin soils had slightly greater clay content than the tilled soils, but these soils also had 41–89% less dispersible clay than their cultivated counterparts. The virgin soils had 2–31-fold greater aggregate stability, 4–33% lower bulk density, 6–31% higher water-holding capacity (at 0.3 bar suction), higher cation exchange capacity (CEC), and higher respiration rate than the cultivated soils. The results of this study indicate that frequent tillage and use of summer fallow deteriorates SQ by decreasing SOC and enhancing soil erosion through decreased structural stability and increased mechanically dispersible clay. The results stress the need for farming practices that preserve OC in soils in order to reduce flooding and erosion risks.

scholarly journals Peat soil quality index and its determinants as influenced by land use changes in Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 535-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROSSIE WIEDYA NUSANTARA ◽  
ASRIPIN ASPAN ◽  
ABDUL MUJID ALHADDAD ◽  
URAY EDI SURYADI1 ◽  
MAKHRAWIE MAKHRAWIE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Peat Soil ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Ash Content ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
West Kalimantan ◽  
Water Table Level

Nusantara RW, Aspan A, Alhaddad AM, Suryadi UE, Makhrawie, Fitria I, Fakhrudin J, Rezekikasari. 2018. Peat soil quality index and its determinants as influenced by land use changes in Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 535-540. Tropical peatland is continuously damaged in large area in Indonesia, caused by deep and wide drains which change the ecosystem. This research was conducted to evaluate the soil quality index (SQI) based on peatland use. The research was conducted in Kubu Raya District, West Kalimantan Province, in secondary peat forest, shrubland, oil palm plantation and corn field. The variables observed in this research were subsidence, water-table level, depth of peat, bulk density, water content, porosity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total potassium, cation exchange capacity, base saturation, ash content, available phosphorus, and exchangeable calcium, magnesium, sodium, C/N ratio and soil acidity. The results showed that SQI in secondary peat forest, shrubland, corn field and palm oil plantation were 0.40, 0.37, 0.37 and 0.37 respectively. The stepwise regression analyses showed that the variables influencing SQI were the depth of peat, water-table level, and ash content. Secondary forest had the highest level (0.74) for the depth of peat with 509 cm depth while the other sites had average level (0.41-0.43) with 108.4 cm-115.5 cm mean depth. SQI of peatland increased with the increasing depth of peat and ash content. The differences showed that land use change of peatland, from forest to plantation area would decrease its SQI.

scholarly journals Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Zornoza ◽  
J. A. Acosta ◽  
F. Bastida ◽  
S. G. Domínguez ◽  
D. M. Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality Index

Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.

scholarly journals Effect of Land Use on Soil Quality in Afaka Forest Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
H. Haruna
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Soil Fertility Management

Land use changes from forest into cultivated ecosystems result in negative impact on soil structure and quality. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of land use on soil quality in Afaka forest northern guinea savannah of Nigeria. Land use systems, including natural forest and cultivated land were identified. Eighteen (18) composite disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected from depth of 0-5 and 5-10 cm for analysis of pertinent soil properties in the laboratory using grid procedure. Most physical and chemical properties show relative variations in response to land use types and geomorphic positions. Results  indicate  that the soils had  high degree of weathering potentials, low  to moderate  bulk density at 0-5cm depth values between 1.42 to 1.49 Mg m-3 in  forest and  cultivated land, bulk density of  1.34 and 1.46 1.Mg m-3at 5 -1ocm depth   for forest and  cultivated land respectively. The soil water at 0-5cm depth is from 4.20 to 2.63 cm3/cm3, while at 5-10 cm depth these values vary from 4.32 to 2.13 cm3/cm3 under forest and cultivation land use. The pH (H2O) is 6.9 to 7.16 with low electrical conductivity of 0.13 dS/m(forest) and 0.12 dS/m (cultivation). The CEC of soils is recorded as 8.60 cmol kg-1 (forest) to 8.54 cmol kg-1 (cultivated)whereas  total nitrogen content of 1.21 g kg-1 and 1.11 g kg-1 and available phosphorus of 8.78 mg kg-1 (cultivated) and 5.47 mg kg-1 (forest).. Results indicate that soil fertility parameters were moderate to low for cultivated land and at all slope positions, suggesting that soil fertility management is required in order to make agriculture sustainable on Afaka area.

Modelling the Hydrologic Regime of Arid Inland Wetlands: Non-linear Relationship Between Root-uptakes of Water and Underground Water Table

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Li ◽  
Hu Liu ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Wenzhi Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Wetland Ecosystem ◽  
Soil Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Inland Wetlands ◽  
Moisture Dynamics

<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Wetlands remaining in the arid inland river landscapes of northwestern China suffer degradation and their resilience and ability to continue functioning under hydrologic and land use changes resulting from climate change may be significantly inhibited. Information on the desert-oasis wetlands, however, is sparse and knowledge of how ecological functioning and resilience may change under climate change and water-resource management is still lacking. Research in oasis wetland areas of the Northwestern China identified linkages between subsurface flow, plant transpiration, and water levels. In this study, we present an ecohydrological analysis of the energy and water balance in the wetland ecosystem. A process-based stochastic soil moisture model developed for groundwater-dependent ecosystems was employed to modelling the interactions between rainfall, water table fluctuations, soil moisture dynamics, and vegetation, and to investigate the ecohydrology of arid inland wetlands system. Field measured groundwater levels, vertical soil moisture profiles, soil water potentials, and root biomass allocation and transpiration of pioneer species in the wetlands were used to calibrate and validate the stochastic model. The parameterized model was then running to simulate the probability distributions of soil moisture and root water uptake, and quantitative descript the vegetation–water table–soil moisture interplay in the hypothesized scenarios of future. Our analysis suggested the increasing rates of water extraction and regulation of hydrologic processes, coupled with destruction of natural vegetation, and climate change, are jeopardizing the future persistence of wetlands and the ecological and socio-economic functions they support. To understand how climate change will impact on the ecohydrological functioning of wetlands, both hydrological and land use changes need to be considered in future works.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Wetland ecosystem, groundwater, soil moisture dynamics, water balances, Heihe River Basin</p>

scholarly journals Effects of Afforestation on Plant Diversity and Soil Quality in Semiarid SE Spain

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1730
Author(s):  
Carmen Segura ◽  
María N. Jiménez ◽  
Emilia Fernández-Ondoño ◽  
Francisco B. Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Semiarid Environments ◽  
Edaphic Variables

Farmland afforestation has been promoted in recent decades and is one of the main strategies included in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to recover degraded areas. However, the impacts of afforestation on plant diversity and soil quality indicators are still not well-understood in semiarid environments. In this study, we assessed the relationships between plant diversity indicators (abundance, total richness, richness by functional groups, and Shannon diversity) and a large number of variables in 48 afforestation sites in southeast Spain. We considered associated environmental factors, such as geographical, climatic or edaphic variables, age, and land-use history. We compared plant diversity and soil properties following land-use change from cereal cropping to afforestation, which is one of the most common land-use changes in Mediterranean areas. Plant diversity in afforested sites was found to be dependent on previous land use, the proximity of natural vegetation, several soil properties (texture, pH, and total nitrogen), and plantation age. Afforested soils showed higher plant diversity and an improvement in edaphic parameters related to multifunctionality in semiarid ecosystems (i.e., soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium) than arable cropped soils.

scholarly journals Using multiple methods to investigate the effects of land-use changes on groundwater recharge in a semi-arid area

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Shovon Barua ◽  
Ian Cartwright ◽  
P. Evan Dresel ◽  
Edoardo Daly
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Arid Area ◽  
Land Clearing ◽  
Water Table Fluctuations ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Effects Of Land Use ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract. Understanding the applicability and uncertainties of methods for documenting recharge rates in semi-arid areas is important for assessing the successive effects of land-use changes and understanding groundwater systems. This study focuses on estimating groundwater recharge rates and understanding the impacts of land-use changes on recharge rates in a semi-arid area in southeast Australia. Two adjacent catchments were cleared ∼180 years ago following European settlement, and a eucalypt plantation forest was subsequently established ∼15 years ago in one of the catchments. Chloride mass balance analysis yields recharge rates of 0.2 to 61.6 mm yr−1 (typically up to 11.2 mm yr−1). The lower of these values probably represents recharge rates prior to land clearing, whereas the higher likely reflects recharge rates following the initial land clearing. The low pre-land-clearing recharge rates are consistent with the presence of old groundwater (residence times up to 24 700 years) and the moderate-to-low hydraulic conductivities (0.31 to 0.002 m d−1) of the aquifers. Recharge rates estimated from tritium activities and water table fluctuations reflect those following the initial land clearing. Recharge rates estimated using water table fluctuations (15 to 500 mm yr−1) are significantly higher than those estimated using tritium renewal rates (0.01 to 89 mm yr−1; typically <14.0 mm yr−1) and approach the long-term average annual rainfall (∼640 mm yr−1). These recharge rates are unrealistic given the estimated evapotranspiration rates of 500 to 600 mm yr−1 and the preservation of old groundwater in the catchments. It is likely that uncertainties in the specific yield results in the water table fluctuation method significantly overestimating recharge rates, and despite the land-use changes, the present-day recharge rates are relatively modest. These results are ultimately important for assessing the impacts of land-use changes and management of groundwater resources in semi-arid regions in Australia and elsewhere.

scholarly journals STUDI INDEKS KUALITAS TANAH SERTA BIOINDIKATOR KUALITAS AIR DI DAS MIKRO SISIM KOTA BATU

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-213
Author(s):  
Shofie Rindi Nurhutami ◽  
Zaenal Kusuma ◽  
Istika Nita
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Water Pollution Index ◽  
Landuse Change ◽  
The Impact

Landuse change causes the decrease of soil quality, so the hydrological and non-hydrological functions do not run optimally. Sisim Micro Watershed‘s area of ± 933.17 ha with a very steep slope has undergone major land-use changes. Soil Quality Index (SQI) analysis and water quality bioindicators are needed to assess the impact of land-use change. This study used 12 soil sampling plots, i.e. production forest (H2, H3, H4, H5), mixed gardens (KC2, KC3, KC4, KC5), and fields (T2, T3, T4, T5). The numbers behind the code indicate slope; 2 (slope 8-15%), 3 (slope 15-25%), 4 (slope 25-40%), and 5 (slope 40-60%). The results showed that dense vegetation and low intensity of tillage gave the best SQI. The highest SQI value was on H5 (0.63) with a good category, and the lowest was on T5 (0.32) with a bad category. The water quality bioindicator showed water pollution index of 1.97 (dirty water quality and rather heavily polluted). Soil quality which is dominated by low categories with high agricultural intensity and community waste disposal causes health condition of biotic habitats classified as unhealthy with a score of 1.90.

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