The influence of vegetation species and plant properties on runoff and soil erosion: results from a rainfall simulation study in south east Spain

Abstract

Abstract. To study the influence of different vegetation species and plant properties on the generation of surface runoff and soil erosion in south east Spain, a series of rainfall simulation experiments was conducted on small (c. 1.5 m2) plots. These were carried out in October 1993 and May 1994 on two sites close to Murcia. Six vegetation types were studied, with some at different stages of maturity, giving a total of nine vegetation treatments and two bare soil treatments. Four replicates of each treatment were exposed to a rainstorm of 120 mm/h for 15 minutes. The results of the experiments show that there are few significant differences in the ability of the vegetation types studied to control runoff or soil erosion. Of the plant properties considered, only plant canopy cover showed a significant relationship with soil loss and runoff with the greatest reduction in soil loss taking place at canopy covers greater than 30%. The implications of this research are that future efforts should be directed at developing ecological successions and revegetation methods which promote a substantial and sustainable canopy cover.

Respuesta hidrológica en los medios semiáridos : las cuencas experimentales en la Sierra de Picarcho, Murcia

“…En el caso que nos ocupa, la vegetación, su grado de cobertura y composición del estrato es el principal factor diferenciador de las tres zonas. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la importancia de la existencia o ausencia de una cubierta vegetal en la respuesta hidrológica de las zonas semiáridas (Wilcox et al, 1988;Castillo et al, 1997;Quinton et al, 1997).…”

Nitrogen use efficiency and fertiliser fate in a long-term experiment with winter cover crops

“…This flexibility makes barley a good NO 3 -catch crop because its growth is adapted to the soil N availability. Nevertheless, if the goal is to reach ground cover > 70% to control soil erosion (Quinton et al 1997), vetch seems to be a better fit when low residual N is left after the main crop. Cereal-legume mixtures are likely a good solution, combining the quick initial growth of the grass with the ground cover provided by vetch in winter (Alonso-Ayuso et al 2014).…”

Trends of streamflow, sediment load and their dynamic relation for the catchments in the middle reaches of the Yellow River over the past five decades

“…Soil erosion and sediment transport are therefore decreased through decreasing surface runoff and increasing water infiltration into the soil (Colman, 1953;Morgan, 1986;Sahin and Hall, 1996;Castillo et al, 1997;Quinton et al, 1997). Huang and Zhang (2004), Mu et al (2007), and Zhang et al (2008) found that changes in streamflow tended to be relatively uniform across the flow spectrum with typical reductions of 30-60 % in catchments in the region due to soil conservation measures.…”