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Modelling Soil Detachment of Different Management Practices in the Red Soil Region of China
Author(s) -
Wang Yi,
Cao Longxi,
Fan Jianbo,
Lu Huizhong,
Zhu Yayun,
Gu Yalan,
Sun Bo,
Liang Yin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.2658
Subject(s) - rill , environmental science , red soil , soil conservation , erosion , hydrology (agriculture) , mulch , stream power , tillage , soil structure , soil science , agronomy , soil water , agriculture , geology , geotechnical engineering , geography , archaeology , paleontology , biology
Soil erosion from cropland is a primary cause of soil degradation in the hilly red soil region of China. Soil characteristics and the resistance of soil to erosion agents can be improved with appropriate management practices. In this study, hydraulic flume experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of five management practices [manure fertilizer (PM), straw mulch cover (PC), peanut–orange intercropping (PO), peanut–radish rotation (PR) and traditional farrow peanut (PF)] on soil detachment. Based on the results, three conservation management practices (PC, PM and PO) increased the resistance of soil to concentrated flow erosion. The rill erodibility of different treatments was ranked as follows: PC (0·001 s m −1 ) < PM (0·004 s m −1 ) < PO (0·007 s m −1 ) < PF (0·01 s m −1 ) < PR (0·027 s m −1 ). The rill erodibility was affected by soil organic content, aggregate stability and bulk density. The soil detachment rate was closely correlated with the flow discharge and slope gradient, and power functions for these two factors were developed to evaluate soil detachment rates. Additionally, the shear stress, stream power and unit stream power were compared when estimating the soil detachment rate. The power functions of stream power and shear stress were equivalent, and both are recommended to predict detachment rates. Local soil conservation can benefit from the results of this study with improved predictions of erosion on croplands in the red soil region of China. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.