Evaluation of the degree of sloping cropland degradation in black soil regions of China is essential for the sustainable use of sloping cropland. However, the existing methods used to evaluate sloping cropland degradation are mostly based on point or management levels, and information at the regional scale is lacking. In this paper, we employed bibliometrics and frequency analysis to identify high-frequency indicators to construct a total index set (TIS) for evaluating the degree of sloping cropland degradation. Soil measurement data from sloping cropland in typical black soil regions in Northeast China were used to construct a minimum data set (MDS). The TIS included 10 indexes: A-horizon thickness, clay content, organic matter content, pH, slope gradient, ridge-slope angle, gully density, bulk density, large water-stable aggregate content, and cation exchange capacity. The first six of these were included in the MDS.Undegraded soil, mildly degraded soil, moderately degraded soil, severely degraded soil, and extremely severe degradation soil accounted for 11.6%, 28.7%, 34.1%, 22.9%, and 2.7% of investigated sampling plots, respectively. Ridge-slope angle and slope gradient were the main factors affecting soil degradation. Soil degradation was mainly presented as worsening soil physicochemical characteristics and soil acidification. The significant positive correlation between ridge-slope angle and soil degradation degree might indicate that the contour tillage management, which is usually adopted when slope gradient is steep, would lead to severer degradation level than the downslope tillage applied commonly where slope is gentle.
For years, Accra has been facing huge environmental challenges. Efficient policy frameworks coupled with prudent urban management are deemed as reasonable balance to environmental benefits. Research reveals urban areas in Ghana are confronted with the rapid loss of natural resources as urbanization increases. This synthesis report examines the ramifications of major issues faced by the Greater Accra region based on existing literature by (i) highlighting contemporary environmental problems in Accra (ii) probing into human-induced and natural factors that alterate environmental harmony in the study area (iii) discussing measures on safeguarding the environment through a sustainable approach in Accra, and (iv) presenting policy implications of environmental problems in Accra. Findings indicated urbanization, poverty and inappropriate urban planning systems influence environmental degradation in the study domain. Anthropogenic activities such as pollution and natural hazards like: flooding, drought and windstorms events have altered the physical properties of Accra. This paper reveals the assumption and execution of values to safeguard environmental resources in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
Soil microorganisms are the main driving force in soil ecological and biogeochemical processes, such as carbon mineralization, humus formation, and nutrient cycles. Soil erosion may dramatically alter microbial properties. However, it is still unclear how soil microbial characteristics affected by soil erosion. In hilly areas, soil erosion is highly attributed to topographic characteristics such as slope position and slope gradient. Herein, we compared the soil microbial characteristics between different slope gradients and positions in the farmland in the typical black soil area of Northeast China. The relative abundances of major microbial phyla are illustrated. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Planctomycetes, and Actinobacteria accounted for 83% of the total bacterial sequences, and Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and chytridiomycosis accounted for 78% of total fungal sequences in the studied area. Microbial alpha-diversity (Bacteria and Fungi) was similar among the slope gradients or slope positions. The bacterial and fungal community composition was only affected by slope gradient, which was significantly lower in the highest slope gradient level than in others. This study suggests that slope gradient but not slope gradient affecting microbial community composition in the cropland of black soil region.
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