Selecting indicators for assessing soil quality and degradation in rangelands of Extremadura (SW Spain)

Fernández, Manuel Pulido; Schnabel, Susanne; Contador, Joaquín Francisco Lavado; Lozano‐Parra, Javier; Gutiérrez, Álvaro Gómez

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.11.016

Cited by 73 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Therefore, good knowledge of SQ is important for developing appropriate conservation measures (Tesfahunegn et al, 2011). Since soil degradation and soil quality are interlinked through many processes (Lal, 2015), scholars have suggested that soil degradation can be assessed using soil quality assessment strategies (Tesfahunegn, 2014;Pulido et al, 2017). However, an essential step when assessing soil degradation based on soil quality assessment strategies is the careful selection of appropriate indicators relevant to degradation processes under investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although many of these soil properties are regularly used as indicators of soil degradation (Trabaquini et al, 2015), the use of single soil characteristics often provides an incomplete representation of soil degradation (De la Rosa, 2005;Puglisi et al, 2005Puglisi et al, , 2006Sione et al, 2017). To overcome this shortcoming, an integration of soil properties into numeric indices has been proposed (Doran and Parkin, 1994;Leirós et al, 1999;Bastida et al, 2006;Gómez et al, 2009;Puglisi et al, 2005Puglisi et al, , 2006Sharma et al, 2008;Xu et al, 2016;Pulido et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, major processes include accelerated erosion (Lal, 2001;Cerda et al, 2009;Bindraban et al, 2012;Rodrigo Comino et al, 2016a, b;Xu et al, 2016), deforestation (De la paix et al, 2013), poor pasture management (De Souza Braz et al, 2013), decline in soil structure (Cerda, 2000), salinization associated with inadequate irrigation management (Prager et al, 2011;Ganjegunte et al, 2014), alkalinization and sodification (Condom et al, 1999), depletion of soil organic matter (SOM; Jordán et al, 2010), reduction in the activity of soil microorganisms (Lal, 2009), soil compaction (Pulido et al, 2017), and unsustainable agricultural practices (Krasilnikov et al, 2016). For sustainable soil management in agricultural regions, it is essential for farmers and scientists to identify major dominant degradation processes and their indicators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, Sánchez-Navarro et al (2015) developed an overall SQI suitable for monitoring soil degradation in semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems. Pulido et al (2017) developed a soil degradation index for rangelands of Extremadura southwestern Spain based on six indicators, namely CEC, available potassium, SOM, water content at field capacity, soil depth, and the thickness of the Ah horizon. Another example is Gómez et al (2009), who developed three soil degradation indexes (obtained through a PCA) of soils under organic olive farms in southern Spain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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Abstract. Cocoa agroecosystems are a major land-use type in the tropical rainforest belt of West Africa, reportedly associated with several ecological changes, including soil degradation. This study aims to develop a composite soil degradation assessment index (CSDI) for determining the degradation level of cocoa soils under smallholder agroecosystems of southwestern Nigeria. Plots where natural forests have been converted to cocoa agroecosystems of ages 1-10, 11-40, and 41-80 years, respectively representing young cocoa plantations (YCPs), mature cocoa plantations (MCPs), and senescent cocoa plantations (SCPs), were identified to represent the biological cycle of the cocoa tree. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm in each plot and analysed in terms of their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Factor analysis of soil data revealed four major interacting soil degradation processes: decline in soil nutrients, loss of soil organic matter, increase in soil acidity, and the breakdown of soil textural characteristics over time. These processes were represented by eight soil properties (extractable zinc, silt, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available phosphorus, total porosity, pH, and clay content). These soil properties were subjected to forward stepwise discriminant analysis (STEPDA), and the result showed that four soil properties (extractable zinc, cation exchange capacity, SOM, and clay content) are the most useful in separating the studied soils into YCP, MCP, and SCP. In this way, we have sufficiently eliminated redundancy in the final selection of soil degradation indicators. Based on these four soil parameters, a CSDI was developed and used to classify selected cocoa soils into three different classes of degradation. The results revealed that 65 % of the selected cocoa farms are moderately degraded, while 18 % have a high degradation status. The numerical value of the CSDI as an objective index of soil degradation under cocoa agroecosystems was statistically validated. The results of this study reveal that soil management should promote activities that help to increase organic matter and reduce Zn deficiency over the cocoa growth cycle. Finally, the newly developed CSDI can provide an early warning of soil degradation processes and help farmers and extension officers to implement rehabilitation practices on degraded cocoa soils.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

2017

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“…Within the scientific field of veterinary medicine, several studies show that the quality, taste and nutritive value of meat and even milk depend directly on the plants that the animals ingest [27]. A poor quality, or a soil that is being affected by degradation processes, finally reduces the production and the quality of the pastures and consequently negatively affect the whole system [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry on the Biophysical Characteristics of Soils in Neotropical Agroecosystems

et al. 2018

Self Cite

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Abstract:The neotropical agroecosystems are important areas in the global scene in terms of livestock production. Therefore, a good conservation of their soils is crucial in order to both guarantee food safety and reduce the impact of land degradation processes. Conservation of neotropical soils used for farming activities could be obtained using veterinary medicine and adopting new grazing systems in the last decades. A wide bibliographical review was carried out which illustrates current issues in neotropical agroecosystems, the importance of their soil properties highlighting the role played by dung beetles within the edaphofauna, and the effects of the most common anti-parasitic practices as well as some natural alternatives. Finally, we present commonly adopted grazing systems and how they are affecting soil properties and animal welfare. The conversion of forest into agricultural and pasture land is altering the biochemical quality of soils. Furthermore, the use of ivermectin is dangerously reducing the total amount of dung beetles that are a key element in nutrient recycling processes. The implementation of new grazing systems (e.g., Voisin, Savory) is progressively fragmenting the habitat of many species. Nevertheless, there are also some benefits in this kind of practices and some natural alternatives to anthelmintics are being tested.

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Effects of livestock grazing on Anemone coronaria L. in drylands: Implications for nature conservation

Stavi

Shuker

Barkai

et al. 2018

Geography and Environment

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Grazing in nature reserves, or other sensitive lands, could affect the abundance of important plant species. In the Mediterranean basin, the Anemone coronaria is considered a flagship geophyte species. Studies conducted in the Mediterranean region of northern Israel showed that livestock grazing increased the abundance of A. coronaria. This was attributed to the consumption of other herbaceous vegetation species, resulting in better accessibility of A. coronaria to sunlight. Also, it was suggested that consumption of this species is limited due to its toxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of livestock on the abundance of A. coronaria, and on specific soil properties in a dryland environment, where primary productivity is determined by water availability. A long-term study was established in the Israeli Negev, where early-, mid-, and late-season grazing treatments took place over the course of a decade, and studied over three consecutive years between 2013/ 2014 and 2015/2016. The study revealed that the abundance of A. coronaria followed the order of non-grazing (control) > late-season grazing > mid-season grazing > early-season grazing. However, this effect was not significant (p = .0668).One way or another, the largest adverse impact of early-season grazing is attributed to consuming fresh and not yet toxic shoots of A. coronaria at that phenological stage. The soil properties were studied in summer 2016. The analysis showed a significant increase in bulk density under all of the grazing treatments compared with those in the control plots. It was concluded that, in drylands, trampling over wet soil during the growing season increases its compactability, degrading the soil-moisture status, and limiting A. coronaria abundance. Recommendations for nature conservation in drylands are, therefore, to negate grazing during A. coronaria's early-growing season, as well as shortly after rain events when the soil moisture level is high.

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Selecting indicators for assessing soil quality and degradation in rangelands of Extremadura (SW Spain)

Cited by 73 publications

References 33 publications

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

Development of a composite soil degradation assessment index for cocoa agroecosystems in southwestern Nigeria

The Impact of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry on the Biophysical Characteristics of Soils in Neotropical Agroecosystems

Effects of livestock grazing on Anemone coronaria L. in drylands: Implications for nature conservation

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