The Effectiveness of Soil and Water Conservation Terrace Structures for Improvement of Crops and Soil Productivity in Rainfed Terraced System

Rashid, Muhammad; Obaid-ur-Rehman,; Alvi, Sarosh; Kausar, Rahina; Akram, Muhammad

doi:10.21162/pakjas/16.1502

Cited by 24 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Relationship between fertilizer, water-retaining agent, and nutrient runoff in substrate material: F1-F5 and W1-W5 represent 5 different gradients of fertilizer and content of water-retaining agent, respectively; uncertainty is represented as the standard deviation of the mean of 3 replicated plots. a) b) [27]. In contrast, the water-retaining agent treatments decreased the potassium concentration in the runoff samples.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth and Nutrient Loss

Sun

Wang

et al. 2018

Pol. J. Environ. Stud.

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The number of road engineering and construction projects that create rock slopes has been increasing year by year, instigating a series of geologic hazards and ecosystem destruction such as landslides, mudflows, and so on. The ecosystems are thus in an urgent need for recovery and reconstruction. However, ecological restoration processes of rock slopes are more challenging compared to those of clay slopes because rock slopes are highly heterogeneous and do not provide favorable soil conditions for plant growth, especially due to the lack of nutrient accumulation and lower heat and moisture capacity [1]. Thus, rock slopes present complex and varied ecosystems that do not support plant growth.Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 27, No. 6 (2018), 2821-2832 AbstractWe investigated substrate material and the effects of different fertilizers and water levels as variable factors for slope restoration. A field rainfall monitoring experiment was carried out to explore morphological changes in Amorpha fruticosa L., the water-holding capacity of its leaves under different water and nutrient gradients, and the nutrient losses from the substrate. The results showed that nutrient loss by runoff was significantly affected by fertilizer use and they increased with the increased application of fertilizers. The concentration of nitrogen in runoff was insignificant, the concentration of phosphorus was increased, and the runoff concentration of potassium was decreased after increasing water-retaining agent levels in the substrate. The concentration of nutrients in runoff from rainfall generally followed a trend of slight fluctuations, then a rise, and finally a decrease. The addition of F2 fertilizer produced the lowest nitrogen losses from substrate material and reduced the leaf area where the addition of phosphate fertilizer had a significant effect on crown diameter. At greater content of the water-retaining agent, the water in substrate material increased, resulting in increased water absorption by the plants and increased relative water content of leaves. Ultimately, W3F4 was the most favorable combination of water-retaining agent and fertilizer concentration for plant growth, which may be related to runoff losses. This combination provides optimal conditions under which the plant can maintain a perfect balance of nutrients and thus improve plant growth indices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth and Nutrient Loss

Sun

Wang

et al. 2018

Pol. J. Environ. Stud.

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“…In addition, several studies indicated how terraces, especially those made with stones, favor drainage, water conservation (Chow et al, 1999), and groundwater recharge (Liu et al, 2004). Schiettecatte et al (2005) and Rashid et al (2016) considered terraces very effective water harvesting techniques.…”

Section: Provisioning Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Terraces can reduce water erosion significantly, provided they have been properly planned, constructed, and maintained; otherwise, they can cause land degradation and increase erosion (Dorren & Rey, 2004;Romero Díaz et al, 2007). The important role of terraces in water regulation has been shown on numerous occasions, from the ancient Mayan terraces (Beach et al, 2002) to those of Pakistan (Rashid et al, 2016), China (Liu et al, 2004), andSpain (Reynes Trias, 2006). One consequence of the regulation of runoff, increased infiltration, and enhanced recharge of aquifers (Liu et al, 2004) is the reduction of floods (Wei et al, 2016).…”

Section: Regulating Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hass et al, 1966;Hammad et al, 2004;Hammad & Børresen, 2006;Wei et al, 2016;Rashid et al, 2016Water Hass et al, 1966Thomas et al, 1980;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2004Liu et al, , 2011Schiettecatte et al, 2005;Rashid et al, 2016;Reynes Trias, 2006;Wei et al, 2016 REGULATING Erosion Thomas et al, 1980;Wheaton & Monke, 1981;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Sharda et al, 2002;Dorren & Rey 2004;Hammad et al, 2004;Gebrernichael et al, 2005;Reynes Trias et al, 2006;Romero Díaz et al, 2007;Chen et al, 2012;Pietsch & Mabit, 2012;Kagabo et al, 2013;Dumbrovsky et al, 2014;zhang & Li, 2014;Arnaez et al, 2015;Mekonnen et al, 2015;Kovár et al, 2016;Rashid et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2016;Arévalo et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2017 Water Thomas et al, 1980;Sandor & Eash, 1995;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2004…”

Section: Foodunclassified

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Evaluación de los servicios ecosistémicos proporcionados por las terrazas agrícolas

2019

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Agricultural terraces have been widely used, throughout the world, since ancient times. Their scenic interest is undeniable and some are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. They are a very effective practice for soil and water conservation through the control of runoff and erosion, and provide farmers and society with important Ecosystem Services (ES). Here, we present a study based on 36 examples of terraces documented in detail in the WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) database, complemented with a review of the scientific literature on the impacts of terraces, the objective being to assess the multiple ES they provide. The results show that the most important ES provided by terrace construction relate to regulating services, like control of erosion, runoff, and other off-site natural risks. In addition, terraces contribute to provisioning services like the supply of food, fiber, and water (quantity and quality), and to cultural services through the maintenance of cultural landscapes. Here, we verify the environmental, geomorphological, and hydrological functions of the terraces, as well as the improvement in the quality of life for the local inhabitants. However, technological advances in agriculture have led to the abandonment of this type of construction, with significant risks of erosion and loss of ES. Our assessment highlights the importance of preserving and restoring terraces as part of regenerative agriculture, with multiple benefits for the functioning of cultural landscapes and for society.KEY WORDS: Agricultural terraces; ecosystem services; WOCAT; sustainable land management. RESUMEN:Las terrazas agrícolas son ampliamente utilizadas en todo el mundo desde la antigüedad. Su interés paisajístico es innegable y algunas de ellas forman parte del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. Son prácticas muy

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“…Sloping terraces in Sichuan Province of southern China reduced runoff and sediment yield by 41% and 80.1%, respectively (Zhang et al, 2008). In general, terracing was considered a successful approach to the control of water erosion in those regions with steep slopes and erodible soils (Rashid et al, 2016;Kovar et al, 2016). However, terraced landscapes subject to abandonment can progressively increase gully erosion and cause terrace failure (Tarolli et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of terracing practices on water erosion control in China: A meta-analysis

Chen

Wei

Chen

2017

Earth-Science Reviews

179

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A B S T R A C TTerracing has long been considered a strategy for soil and water conservation in many mountainous regions of the world. However, the effectiveness of terracing is limited by many factors, such as climate, soil properties, topography, land use, culture, demography and socioeconomic status. The aim of this critical review is to evaluate the roles of terracing on water erosion control in China. A meta-analysis of 601 runoff and 636 sediment observations involving a diversity of terrace structures was conducted. These 1237 observations involved level terraces, slope-separated terraces, slope terraces, zig terraces, fanya juu terraces and half-moon terraces, wide geographical locations within China, a diversity of land uses from forests to bare land, and a slopes ranging from 3°to 35°. The results confirmed that terracing significantly and positively affected water erosion control. In terms of different terrace structures, bench terraces were superior with respect to runoff and sediment reductions. Land use also played a crucial role in the efficiency of erosion control; terraces associated with tree crops and forests conserved the greatest amount of soil and water. In addition, a significant positive correlation between slope gradient (3°-15°and 16°-35°) and the effect of terracing on water erosion control was observed with the greatest decreases in water erosion occurred at slopes of 26°-35°and 11°-15°. This study revealed the effectiveness and variations of terracing with respect to water erosion control at the national scale and can serve as a scientific basis for land managers and decision makers. However with increasing urbanization, terrace abandonment increases as does the loss of place-based knowledge regarding terrace construction and maintenance.

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The Effectiveness of Soil and Water Conservation Terrace Structures for Improvement of Crops and Soil Productivity in Rainfed Terraced System

Abstract: FPWOS). Results of this experiment revealed that TS has increased the wheat grain yield significantly (20%) through conservation of soil moisture contents (16 %) and soil fertility level. TS had decreased the gullies/rills formation through the efficient removal of excess rainwater.

Cited by 24 publications

References 17 publications

Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth and Nutrient Loss

Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth and Nutrient Loss

Evaluación de los servicios ecosistémicos proporcionados por las terrazas agrícolas

Effects of terracing practices on water erosion control in China: A meta-analysis

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