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The impact of water harvesting on soil properties in the island of Fuerteventura, Spain
Author(s) -
Jiménez C.,
Tejedor M.,
Díaz F.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2004.tb00341.x
Subject(s) - soil water , surface runoff , environmental science , silt , arid , hydrology (agriculture) , soil salinity , soil fertility , salinity , agronomy , soil science , geology , biology , ecology , oceanography , paleontology , geotechnical engineering
. In the extremely arid island of Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain), a traditional water harvesting practice has evolved in slightly sloping areas, which receive runoff water from time to time. The system is particularly effective in the rehabilitation of saline–sodic soils where the improved fertility allows certain crops to be grown, which would not be possible without water harvesting. The influence of the water harvesting on soil fertility was investigated by comparing the properties of the cultivated soils receiving periodic runoff with those of natural control soils that did not receive runoff. The saline–sodic characteristics of the four uncultivated soils were absent from the four cultivated soils which, on average, contained only one quarter of the exchangeable sodium and more than twice the exchangeable calcium content. The clay and silt content of all four of the cultivated soils had been substantially enhanced relative to the control soils, by sediment contained in the runoff.