Prediction of Soil and Nutrient Losses in A Highland Catchment

Highland catchments in tropical regions are frequently subjected to soil erosion and the transport of chemicals downstream. Any drastic changes in land use will increase the severity of these processes of land degradation. A simulation study using GLEAMS (Groundwater Loading Effects of Agricultural Management Systems) was conducted at a catchment presently under tea farming in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Soil, water and nutrient transport associated with several alternative land uses was studied. In addition, the effect of a disruptive form of land clearing on soil, water and nutrient losses was also investigated. Modelling with GLEAMS required information from field measurements and observations, laboratory analyses, guide tables, industry records, maps and reports published by soil survey and meteorological departments. The most critical step in simulating soil and water movement using GLEAMS is the identification of a representative flow sequence. In the catchment under study, the representative flow sequence was overland flow–channel 1–channel 2. Input data on soil erodibility, porosity and surface roughness were manipulated to represent various degrees and forms of disturbance to the surface soil layer. For all land uses studied, the highest soil loss was predicted for the overland flow area where slope gradient is high and the soil friable. The variations in soil loss, runoff and nutrient loss between landscape elements and between land uses were consistent with soil erosion features observed in the field. Soil and nutrient losses were substantial for crops such as cabbage that required land shaping activities and frequent ploughing of the soil. Predicted data on enrichment ratio of specific surface (ERSS) are consistent with nutrient enrichment processes in the field and could prove to be useful in studies on chemical transport in highland catchments.     

Land-Cover Change Trajectories in Northern Ghana

Land-cover change trajectories are an emergent property of complex human–environment systems such as the land-use system. An understanding of the factors responsible for land change trajectories is fundamental for land-use planning and the development of land-related policies. The aims of this study were to characterize and identify the spatial determinants of agricultural land-cover change trajectories in northern Ghana. Land-cover change trajectories were defined using land-cover maps prepared from Landsat Thematic Mapper dataset acquired in 1984, 1992, and 1999. Binary logistic regression was used to model the probability of observing the trajectories as a function of spatially explicit biophysical and socioeconomic independent variables. Population densities generally increased along the continuum of land-use intensity, whereas distance from market and roads generally decreased along this continuum. Apparently, roads and market serve as incentives for settlement and agricultural land use. An increase in population density is an important spatial determinant only for trajectories where the dominant change process is agricultural extensification. A major response to population growth is an increase in cultivation frequency around the main market. Agricultural intensification is highly sensitive to accessibility by roads. The increase in land-use intensity is also associated with low soil quality. These results suggest the need for policies to restore soil fertility for agricultural sustainability. The models also provide a means for identifying functional relationships for in-depth analyses of land-use change in Ghana.     

ESTIMATING NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT THRESHOLD CRITERIA FOR BIOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: This study employs a simple nonlinear statistical approach to establish nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentration and unit area load thresholds to aid in the evaluation of aquatic biological health of watersheds within the state of Pennsylvania. Flow, nitrogen and phosphorus species, sediment, basin area, land cover, and biological assessment data were assembled for 29 Pennsylvania watersheds. For each watershed, rating curves depicting flow versus load relationships were developed using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) storage and retrieval database (STORET) flow and concentration data, then applied to daily flow data obtained from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) daily flow gauging stations to estimate daily load between 1989 and 1999. The load estimates and concentration data were then sorted into six sets of data: mean annual unit area nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads; and average nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations. Results of Mann‐Whitney tests conducted on each of the six datasets indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the concentrations and unit area loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in impaired and unimpaired watersheds. Concentration thresholds, calculated as the midpoint between the impaired and unimpaired watersheds’ 95 percent confidence interval for the median, were estimated to be 2.01 mg/L, 0.07 mg/L, and 197.27 mg/L for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, respectively. Annual unit area load thresholds were estimated to be equal to 8.64 kg/ha, 0.30 kg/ha, and 785.29 kg/ha, respectively, for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment species.     

Critical Impact Assessment of Organic Agriculture

Based on its productionguideline, organic agriculture has set foritself the goals of minimizing all forms ofpollution and maintaining sustainability of thefarming system. By striving for these goals,organic farming meets the demands of anincreasing number of consumers who are criticalof conventional production methods. This papergives an overview of the present state of theart in the different issues. Possibilities ofand limitations in performing the self-aimedgoals under the basic standards of organicagriculture are discussed. Concerningenvironmental protection, in general, the riskof adverse environmental effects is lower withorganic than with conventional farming methods,though not necessarily so; with reference tosoil fertility and nutrient management, organicfarming is suited to improve soil fertility andnutrient management markedly on the farm level;regarding biodiversity, comparison studies showthat organic farming has more positive effectson biodiversity conservation; in relation toproduct quality, under the basic standards oforganic farming, there is no sufficientevidence for a system-related effect on productquality due to the production method.     

Nutrient cycling characteristics of Quercus acutissima and Pinus massoniana mixed forest in the Three-Gorge Reservoir area, China

The cycling characteristics of nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P) and potassium(K) of the Quercus acutissima and Pinus massoniana mixed forest, which is the most common forest type in the Three Gorge Reservoir areas in China, were systematically analyzed. The results showed that N, P and K accumulated in the plant pool and in the litter pool, while total N, P, and K were deficient in the soil pool and in the forest systems. Contents of N in the soil of depth 20-40 cm were the key factor limiting growth of trees. The biological outside cycling coefficients were 8.78, 72.5 and 11.7 times of inside cycling coefficients of N, P and K, respectively. 33.92, 10.26 and 15.88 kg of N, P and K return to the litter pool from branches, leaves and throughfall per year, but, 14.31, 1.32 and 10.48 kg of N, P and K return to the soil from litter pool per year respectively. It is clear that 58% of N, 87% of P, and 34% of K are lost by surface runoff per year. 5.49%, 1.30%, and 8.34% of N, P and K withdraw from leaves to branches, 4.99%, 1.99% and 7.30% of N, P and K withdraw from branches to trunks per year,respectively.     

Evaluation on abundance or deficiency of avai- lable trace elements in soil of middle area in China and the effect of applying trace element fertilizer

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Impacts of earthworms on soil nutrients and plant growth in soybean and maize agroecosystems

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of earthworms on soil N pools and plant growth in soybean and maize agroecosystems. The species and number of individuals in earthworm communities were manipulated in plot-scale field enclosures (2.4 m × 1.2 m) by first reducing earthworm populations within enclosures with carbaryl pesticide, and then adding earthworm treatments to the enclosures. Soybean was grown in the enclosures in the first year and stover maize in the second year.The success of earthworm manipulations in field enclosures was affected by climate conditions and available food resources. The endogeic earthworm species Aporrectodea caliginosa was dominant in all enclosures, while introduced anecic Lumbricus terrestris earthworms had poor survival. In the first season, when climate conditions were favourable for earthworm survival and growth, there was a significant (P < 0.05) linear increase in soil mineral-N and microbial biomass N concentrations in the 0–15 cm depth of enclosures with more earthworms. Similarly, soybean grain and grain-N yield was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in enclosures with the largest earthworm populations than the control which had no earthworms added. In the second season, when climate conditions were less favourable, there was no effect of earthworms on soil N pools or maize plants, probably due to poor survival of introduced earthworms.     

黄河上游南水北调西线工程可调水量及风险分析

南水北调西线工程调水区水资源丰富,生态环境脆弱,当地社会经济用水量很少,生态环境用水是决定调水区可调水量的关键。论文综合分析了引水坝址下游河道生态环境用水,并将其作为主要约束条件,提出了南水北调西线工程可调水量。风险分析表明,该调水方案风险小,可靠性高,实施多库联合调度后,可进一步减少风险。     

中德国际合作磴口县有机农业项目区土壤环境质量现状评价与对策建议

本文按照磴口县生态环境特点，分析测定了该县有机农业发展区域土壤的养分含量状况以及污染元素、微量元素含量和农药残留量，认为土壤有机质在0．76—1．31％之间，含量较低，需要增施有机肥提高土壤有机质含量。土壤中碱解氮、有效磷、有效钾的含量均高于一级指标。肥力水平优良；土壤pH平均8．83，为微碱性。土壤中微量元素不缺，无重金属和农药污染现象。适合于发展有机农业，生产高品质和安全的有机食品。     

三峡库区农田养分动态及非点源污染情势

三峡库区农田坡耕地多，水土流失严重。通过资料调查和室内试验，研究了三峡库区典型淹水区——开县农田系统的养分动态。结果表明，开县施肥具有氮肥施用量大、粪尿肥在有机肥中比例大的特点；由于农用化学物不断施入，引起农田系统中重金属积累，土壤受到污染；养分随水土流失量大，农业非点源污染严重并有加剧的趋势。并指出，在三峡库区建立农业非点源污染数据库和动态监测站，筛选有效控制农田养分流失措施，具有重要意义。