Erosion and Principles of Soil Conservation

Valentin, Christian; Rajot, Jean Louis

doi:10.1002/9781119438298.ch3

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…When they include gravels, structural or erosion crusts become a gravel crust [51]. Additionally, we assessed the percentage areas of soil corresponding to pedestal features [5].…”

Section: Surface Runoff Soil Loss and Soil Surface Features Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The percentage of erosion crust is one of the main drivers of soil erosion [30]. At the plot scale, soil detachment firstly depends on splash [5]. The packing of the soil particles, which is due to the compaction by large drops, leads to crust forming [5].…”

Section: Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Erosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On-site effects of increased soil erosion include the reduction of soil quality impacting the sustainability of agricultural production [5], and economics, due to the loss of ecosystem services [6]. The tremendously higher rate of soil loss compared to its formation rate threatens food production and environmental quality (water, soil, and air) [7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Off-site effects comprise floods, depletion of groundwater recharge, degradation of stream environments, and downstream sedimentation [5,10]. In addition, the adsorption of organic and inorganic matter on soil particles and suspended sediments plays a leading role in the transport of nutrients [11], radionuclides [12], metals [13], pesticides [14], and bacterial pathogens [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The amount of water and the kinetic energy of drops corresponding to throughfall is lower than that of rainfall, thus reducing soil erosion. Kinetic energy is the main factor initiating soil erosion; raindrops hit the soil surface and disaggregate the soil structure [26] resulting in redistribution of soil material by splash effect [5]. Kinetic energy is controlled by rainfall (amount, drop size, fall velocity), vegetation characteristics (height, cover, residues) [27], and slope [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Song

Boithias

Sengtaheuanghoung

et al. 2020

Water

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Many mountainous regions of the humid tropics experience serious soil erosion following rapid changes in land use. In northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the replacement of traditional crops by tree plantations, such as teak trees, has led to a dramatic increase in floods and soil loss and to the degradation of basic soil ecosystem services such as water filtration by soil, fertility maintenance, etc. In this study, we hypothesized that conserving understory under teak trees would protect soil, limit surface runoff, and help reduce soil erosion. Using 1 m2 microplots installed in four teak tree plantations in northern Lao PDR over the rainy season of 2017, this study aimed to: (1) assess the effects on surface runoff and soil loss of four understory management practices, namely teak with no understory (TNU; control treatment), teak with low density of understory (TLU), teak with high density of understory (THU), and teak with broom grass, Thysanolaena latifolia (TBG); (2) suggest soil erosion mitigation management practices; and (3) identify a field visual indicator allowing a rapid appraisal of soil erosion intensity. We monitored surface runoff and soil loss, and measured teak tree and understory characteristics (height and percentage of cover) and soil surface features. We estimated the relationships among these variables through statistics and regression analyses. THU and TBG had the smallest runoff coefficient (23% for both) and soil loss (465 and 381 g·m−2, respectively). The runoff coefficient and soil loss in TLU were 35% and 1115 g·m−2, respectively. TNU had the highest runoff coefficient and soil loss (60%, 5455 g·m−2) associated to the highest crusting rate (82%). Hence, the soil loss in TBG was 14-times less than in TNU and teak tree plantation owners could divide soil loss by 14 by keeping understory, such as broom grass, within teak tree plantations. Indeed, a high runoff coefficient and soil loss in TNU was explained by the kinetic energy of rain drops falling from the broad leaves of the tall teak trees down to bare soil, devoid of plant residues, thus leading to severe soil surface crusting and soil detachment. The areal percentage of pedestal features was a reliable indicator of soil erosion intensity. Overall, promoting understory, such as broom grass, in teak tree plantations would: (1) limit surface runoff and improve soil infiltrability, thus increase soil water stock available for both root absorption and groundwater recharge; and (2) mitigate soil loss while favoring soil fertility conservation.

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“…When they include gravels, structural or erosion crusts become a gravel crust [51]. Additionally, we assessed the percentage areas of soil corresponding to pedestal features [5].…”

Section: Surface Runoff Soil Loss and Soil Surface Features Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Erosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Song

Boithias

Sengtaheuanghoung

et al. 2020

Water

Self Cite

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Development of the critical zone environment in the highly dynamic landscape of the Forni Glacier forefield: Winds, tree vegetation, pedogenesis and surface waters after glacier retreat

Leonelli,

Masseroli,

Trombino

et al. 2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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The expansion of glacier‐free forelands after glacier retreat is emerging as a typical climate change‐dependent feature that is widely studied for assessing biogeomorphic feedbacks and analysing the vertical processes and changes occurring in the critical zone (CZ). However, the horizontal processes occurring in the CZ environment are still poorly understood. Here, we comprehensively analyse the development of the CZ environment over time in the Forni Glacier forefield, Italian Alps, since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) by considering different sectors (air, forest, water and soil) in two portions of the glacier forefield: the lower portion, which occurs below the glacier‐forefield treeline (GFT), where a fully functioning CZ environment has developed, and the upper portion, which occurs above the GFT, in the proglacial area (PA), where only an incipient CZ exists. The early stages of CZ development in the PA are highly influenced by katabatic winds, which impact the colonisation patterns of saplings and young trees, and characterised by high‐energy geomorphic processes that cause sediment reworking and initial stages of soil development. Below the GFT, the minimum tree ecesis interval after glacier retreat reaches a median value of 38 years (n = 8), and the fully developed CZ environment (with trees reaching at least 2 m in height after 20 years) formed after ~60 years following glacier retreat and is characterised by forest cover, soils organised in a chronosequence and contrasting isotopic signatures of surface and running waters. The correlation with the isotopic signatures of tree rings allowed us to estimate a groundwater flow period of approximately 2 months from the slopes into the CZ of the valley floor. By analysing the horizontal processes driving the geomorphic and biotic evolution patterns of a glacier forefield, this work introduces a novel approach for assessing the development of the CZ environment over time.

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Remediation mechanism of high concentrations of multiple heavy metals in contaminated soil by Sedum alfredii and native microorganisms

Wang,

Zhang,

Xiong

et al. 2025

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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Erosion and Principles of Soil Conservation

Cited by 4 publications

References 96 publications

Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Understory Limits Surface Runoff and Soil Loss in Teak Tree Plantations of Northern Lao PDR

Development of the critical zone environment in the highly dynamic landscape of the Forni Glacier forefield: Winds, tree vegetation, pedogenesis and surface waters after glacier retreat

Remediation mechanism of high concentrations of multiple heavy metals in contaminated soil by Sedum alfredii and native microorganisms

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