Effects of wheat stubble on runoff, infiltration, and erosion of farmland in the Loess Plateau, China subjected to simulated rainfall

Abstract

Abstract. Soil and water losses in agriculture are major environmental problems worldwide, especially on the Loess Plateau, China. Summer fallow management may help to control soil erosion and conserve water. This study investigated the effects of wheat stubble on runoff, infiltration, and soil loss in laboratory plots under simulated rainfall. The treatments comprised wheat stubble cover (WS) and traditional plowing (TP) in runoff plots (4.0 m × 1.0 m) with three slope gradients (5°, 10°, and 15°) under simulated rainfall at 80 mm h−1 for 1 h. The runoff volume from WS plots was significantly less than that from TP. The runoff reduction with WS ranged from 91.92–92.83 % compared with TP. The runoff rates varied with the runoff volume in the same manner. Under WS, sediment losses (2.41–3.78 g m−2) were reduced dramatically compared with TP (304.31–731.23 g m−2). The sediment concentration was also significantly lower with WS than TP. The infiltration amount was higher with WS (94.8–96.2 % of rainwater infiltrated) than TP (35.4–57.1 %). Thus, stubble cover can help to control erosion and conserve soil and water resources.

Effect of soil management on soil erosion on sloping farmland during crop growth stages under a large-scale rainfall simulation experiment

“…Consequently, rainfall was more likely to infiltrate into soil and generated lesser runoff. However, hoeing tillage loosed soil surface and decreased soil resistance, as reported by Wang et al (2017b) and Engel et al (2009). Ultimately, this may explain a higher sediment yield in R1-R3 stages.…”

“…The rainfall events were performed between June and August 2010. A 60-min rainfall simulation at an intensity of 80 mm/h was applied since it represented natural rainfall events based on the long-term monitoring result (Huang et al, 2014;Wei et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2017b). After starting a rainfall simulation, we recorded the time to runoff initiation, which was determined when runoff started to continuously flow from plot outlet.…”

Field measurement of effects of individual and combined application of biochar and polyacrylamide on erosion variables in loess and marl soils

“…Soil erosion is accelerated as a result of increased runoff on soil surface that results in soil vulnerability with respect to reduced permeability, crusting, and slacking (Liu et al, 2014;Gholami et al, 2019). Approximately 60% of the total runoff and sediment loss that happen in various ecosystems of watersheds are caused by natural and anthropogenic factors such as rainfall intensity, geomorphology and soil management practices (Keesstra et al, 2016;Zhao et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2017). Therefore, soil conservation and erosion control are among the most important measures that need special attention in all countries.…”

The influence of wheat straw mulching and straw length on infiltration, runoff and soil loss

“…Slope coverage is an effective measure used to improve the infiltration capacity of a slope and reduce runoff and sediment yield intensities (Wang et al, 2017). Slope mulching increases the infiltration capacity of the slope and reduces the runoff intensity because straw mulching effectively dissipates runoff energy and reduces the impact of raindrops on the soil surface, thus protecting the soil structure and improving the infiltration properties of the soil.…”

“…However, summer tillage tends to destroy the topsoil, creating bare soil on sloping land, and rainfall on the Loess Plateau is mostly concentrated during this period. When this bare sloping farmland is struck by raindrops during the rainy season, the soil structure is highly susceptible to damage and forms a soil crust, resulting in a reduced soil infiltration capacity and a surge in runoff; these conditions greatly increase the potential occurrence of soil erosion (Li et al, 2020; Wang et al, 2017). Studies have shown that approximately 60% of watershed runoff and sediment are sourced from sloping farmland due to natural and anthropogenic influences (Keesstra et al, 2016).…”