黄土丘陵区土地利用与土壤水分的时空关系

论文根据连续两年土壤水分的定点和观测数据,对黄土丘陵区不同土地利用类型及其结构与土壤水分的时空关系进行了分析。结果表明:①在欠水年,土地利用间土壤水分的差异显著,而在丰水年,土地利用间土壤水分的差异不显著;②在丰水年,土壤水分的年内变化只有灌木地为消耗型,间作地、果园、林地、草地、撂荒地和农地等6种土地利用类型为平衡型或增长型,欠水年所有土地利用均为消耗型;③从丰水年到欠水年,土壤水分的剖面结构类型降低型向波动型转化,波动型向增长型转化;④单一土地利用结构的土壤水分从坡顶到坡脚具有增长的趋势,而土地利用结构复杂的土壤水分沿坡面分布复杂。     

黄土丘陵沟壑区苜蓿地土壤水分环境效应

根据田间试验资料,分析研究了黄土丘陵沟壑区苜蓿地土壤水分的周年变化规律,并以休闲地和几种一年生作物地作为对照进行对比研究,得出以下主要结论:①雨季降水对苜蓿地土壤水分的补给起着重要的作用,其土壤贮水量动态与年内的降雨周期相吻合,但总体上朝着土壤不断干化的方向发展;②经过一个雨季,苜蓿地的土壤贮水量与平均含水量分别呈不同程度的下降,而休闲地与4月份持平;③相同的降水对不同作物地的补给效果不同,以3m土层计算,苜蓿地的农田蒸散量与谷子、玉米相当,比豆子地高,但要低于高粱地;④长期种植苜蓿引起的深层土壤干化问题必须引起足够的重视,干化土地的水分恢复不是一朝一夕的事情。     

Increasing land pressure in East Africa: The changing role of cassava and consequences for sustainability of farming systems

Increasing land pressure during the past three to four decades has transformed farming systems in the mid-altitude zone of East Africa. Traditional millet-, cotton-, sugarcane- and/or banana-based farming systems with an important fallow and/or grazing component have evolved into continuously cultivated cassava or cassava/maize-based systems. Within three to four decades, cassava cultivation increased from 1–11 to 16–55% of cropped fields in our six study sites. Declining soil fertility, and not labour or food shortage, was apparently the primary trigger for this transformation. The land use changes have increased nutrient offtakes and reduced nutrient recycling rates. Cassava and maize now account for 50–90% of nutrient removal. Whereas single-season fallows were the most important source of nutrient recycling on cropped fields in the past, currently cassava litterfall and maize stover contribute roughly 70% of nutrient recycling, with 50–70% of N, P and K recycled in cassava litterfall. This may explain why many farmers reason that cassava ‘rests’ the soil. With increasing land use pressure farmers progressively use cassava as an ‘imitation fallow’ throughout their farm. Farmers increasingly target cassava to poor fertility fields characterized by low pH and available P. High cassava intensities are nonetheless maintained on more fertile fields, probably to guarantee regeneration of soil fertility on all fields. Once cassava is targeted to poor fertility soils, farmers have run out of low-input management options and need to intensify management to maintain system productivity. As cassava is now used by more farmers and on a larger acreage than fallowing in the studied farming systems, cassava cropping could perhaps serve as an excellent entry point to strengthen system sustainability.     

Impact of land clearing methods and cropping systems on labile soil C and N pools in the humid zone Forest of Nigeria

Labile soil C and N play vital roles in soil–plant nutrient dynamics, especially in the low input cropping system and are vulnerable to perturbation. Surface (0–0.15 m) soils from three land clearing methods (slash and burn, bulldozed non-windrowed and bulldozed windrowed) and each with two cropping systems (5-and 4-year cropping/2-year cassava fallow) were collected in the humid forest ecosystem of Nigeria.The soils were analysed for total C and N, microbial biomass C and N (SMB C and N), particulate organic matter C and N (POM C and N), water-soluble C, potentially mineralizable N (PMN) and mineral N. The size of the labile C and N and their relative contributions to the organic C and total N differed significantly among land clearing methods, irrespective of the cropping system. Soils under slash and burn had a significantly (p > 0.05) higher particulate organic matter C, N (10.80 and 0.16 g kg⁻¹, respectively) and microbial biomass C and N (1.07 and 0.12 g kg⁻¹) compared to the bulldozed windrow, regardless of the cropping system. Four years cropping/2-year cassava fallow resulted in a significant higher labile C and N, relative to 5-year cropped plots across the land clearing methods. Effect of the treatments on the concentration of PMN and mineral N mirrored the SMB N and POM N. However, the quantity of most of the labile C and N pool and crop yield obtained from the slash and burn and bulldozed non-windrowed treatment did not differ significantly. Hence, bulldozed non-windrowed clearing could be a viable alternative to slash and burn in the case of large-scale farming in ensuring reduced losses of soil organic matter and nutrient during land clearing in the humid tropics.     

黑龙江省土地退化类型特征及其驱动力分析

随着经济发展,资源开发规模和强度不断加大,黑龙江省的生态环境日趋脆弱,生态功能逐渐减弱,土地退化问题十分严重。本文分析了黑龙江省土地退化的主要类型特征,并从自然与人文两个方面对黑龙江省土地退化的驱动力进行了探讨,并提出相应的对策建议。黑龙江省土地退化主要表现为水土流失、土地沙化、土地盐渍化等方面,其土地退化是在地形地貌复杂、土壤侵蚀、自然因素组合不够协调等自然因素和水资源的不合理利用、破坏植被,水土流失严重、不合理的耕作制度等人为因素双重作用的结果。     

Organochlorine pesticides in soils under different land usage in the Taihu Lake region, China

A field study was conducted in the Taihu Lake region, China in 2004 to reveal the organochlorine pesticide concentrations in soils after the ban of these substances in the year 1983. Thirteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed in soils from paddy field, tree land and fallow land. Total organochlorine pesticide residues were higher in agricultural soils than in uncultivated fallow land soils. Among all the pesticides, ΣDDX (DDD, DDE and DDT) had the highest concentration for all the soil samples, ranging from 3.10 ng/g to 166.55 ng/g with a mean value of 57.04 ng/g and followed by ΣHCH, ranging from 0.73 ng/g to 60.97 ng/g with a mean value of 24.06 ng/g. Dieldrin, endrin, HCB and α-endosulfan were also found in soils with less than 15 ng/g. Ratios of p,p'-(DDD DDE)/DDT in soils under three land usages were: paddy field ＞ tree land ＞ fallow land, indicating that land usage inlfuenced the degradation of DDT in soils. Ratios of p,p'-(DDD DDE)/DDT ＞1, showing aged residues of DDTs in soils of the Taihu Lake region. The results were discussed with data from a former study that showed very low actual concentrations of HCH and DDT in soils in the Taihu Lake region, but according to the chemical half-lives and their concentrations in soils in 1980s, the concentration of DDT in soils seemed to be underestimated. In any case our data show that the ban on the use of HCH and DDT resulted in a tremendous reduction of these pesticide residues in soils, but there are still high amounts of pesticide residues in soils, which need more remediation processes.     

黄土高原沟壑区小流域土壤NO3--N的积累特征及其影响因素

以小流域为单元,分析了黄土高原沟壑区化肥投入、土壤NO₃^--N积累及其影响因素。结果表明,化肥投入是流域土地利用结构调整的重要支撑和保证因素,而流域土地利用结构的变化进一步拉动了化肥的投入。目前施肥条件下,流域内坡地果园存在显著的NO₃^--N积累,其积累量高于农田土壤,应作为今后重点监测对象。农田系统中,小麦或玉米连作土壤中NO₃^--N的积累最显著,通过作物之间的轮作可显著降低剖面中NO₃^--N的深层积累。土壤NO₃^--N的积累是小流域治理过程中产生的问题,与流域氮肥投入、氮肥吸收利用和土壤水分演变密切相关。     

The conversion of overgrazed pastures to almond orchards and alfalfa cropping systems may favor microbial indicators of soil quality in Central Iran

Land use changes may have a major influence on soil quality that is important in sustaining ecosystem productivity. Yet, the effects of these changes on soil quality are not well understood, particularly in poor heterogeneous pastures overgrazed by sheep. The aim of this study was to determine the short-term response of soil quality indicators to changes in land use from permanent pastures overgrazed to almond orchards and then to alfalfa cropping systems occurring in Saman plain, Central Iran. Soil quality indicators were evaluated in four land use systems including permanent pastures (PP) overgrazed by sheep, pastures converted to almond orchards (AO) for more than 45 years, almond orchards converted to alfalfa fields for 5 years (FA) and almond orchards converted to alfalfa fields for 2 years (TA). Composite soil samples from each of the four random replicates of the land use systems were sampled to a depth of 30 cm, and analyzed for soil bulk density, total N, total organic C, wet aggregate stability, C mineralization, microbial biomass C, and phosphatase activities. Land use changes (i.e. conversion of pastures to almond orchards and then to alfalfa fields) resulted in significant increases in soil bulk density, and total organic C and N contents. Similarly, total organic C and N pools were far greater in TA and FA compared to PP and AO land use systems. The soil porosity and aggregate stability (MWD) in PP and AO land use systems were significantly greater than those in TA and FA land use systems. Carbon mineralization and microbial biomass C and the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatases were substantially higher in the alfalfa fields than those in overgrazed pastures and almond orchards. The microbial metabolic quotient (qCO₂) increased in alfalfa fields, although the increases were marginal. It would appear that (1) the conversion of poor pastures to alfalfa cropping systems favors soil microbial properties, (2) microbial properties are the most sensitive soil quality indicators responding positively to short-term changes in land use. It is also concluded that improvement in soil quality and enhanced biological activity in alfalfa fields demonstrated the gradual resilience of the poor and overgrazed pastures once converted to a fast growing and N₂ fixing legume crop.     

Runoff and sediment losses from 27 upland catchments in Southeast Asia: Impact of rapid land use changes and conservation practices

Rapid changes in upland farming systems in Southeast Asia generated predominantly by increased population pressure and ‘market forces’ have resulted in widespread land degradation that has been well documented at the plot scale. Yet, the links between agricultural activities in the uplands and downstream off-site effects remain largely unknown because of the difficulties in transferring results from plots to a larger scale. Many authors have thus pointed out the need for long-term catchment studies. The objective of this paper is to summarize the results obtained by the Management of Soil Erosion Consortium (MSEC) over the last 5 years from 27 catchments in five countries (Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The purpose of the study was to assess the impacts of cultivation practices on annual runoff and erosion rates. Initial surveys in each catchment included topography, soils and land use. Monitoring included climatic, hydrologic and erosion (total sediment yield including bed load and suspended sediment load) data, land use and crop yields, and farmers’ income. In addition, new land management options were introduced through consultations with farmers and evaluated in terms of runoff and erosion. These included tree plantations, fruit trees, improved fallow with legumes, maize intercropped with legumes, planted fodder, native grass strips and agro-ecological practices (direct sowing and mulch-based conservation agriculture). Regressions analyses showed that runoff during the rainy season, and normalized runoff flow coefficient based on erosive rainfall during the rainy season (rainfall with intensity exceeding 25 mm h⁻¹) increase with the percentage of the catchment covered by maize. Both variables decrease with increasing soil depth, standard deviation of catchment slope (that reflects terrain roughness), and the percentages of the catchment covered by fallow (regular and improved), tree plantations and planted fodder. The best predictors of sediment yield were the surface percentages of maize, Job's tears, cassava and footpaths. The main conclusions generated from this study were: (i) soil erosion is predominantly influenced by land use rather than environmental characteristics not only at the plot scale but also at the catchment scale; (ii) slash-and-burn shifting cultivation with sufficiently long rotations (1 year of cultivation, 8 years of fallow) is too often unjustly blamed for degradation; (iii) in its place, continuous cropping of maize and cassava promotes high rates of soil erosion at the catchment scale; (iv) conservation technologies are efficient in reducing runoff and total sediment yield at the catchment scale; (v) the adoption of improved soil management technologies by upland farmers is not a function of the degree of intensification of their farming system and/or of their incomes. The results suggest that if expansion of maize and cassava into already degraded upland systems were to occur due to increased demand for biofuels, there is a risk of higher runoff and sediment generation. A failure to adopt appropriate land use management strategies will result in further rapid resource degradation with negative impacts to downstream communities.     

The effects of land use and its patterns on soil properties in a small catchment of the Loess Plateau

Due to relatively strong human activities in the hilly area of Loess Plateau,the natural vegetation has been destroyed,and landscape pattern based on agricultural land matrix was land use mosaic composing of shrub land,grassland,woolland and orchard.This pattern has an important effect on soil moisture and soil nutrients.The Danangou catchment,a typical small catchment,was selected to study the effects of land use and its patterns on soil moisture and nutrients in this paper.The results are as follows:The comparisons of soil moisture among seven land uses for wet year and dry year were performed:(1)the average of soil moisture content for whole catchment was 12.11% in wet year,while it was 9.37% in dry year;(2)soil moisture among seven land uses was significantly different in dry year,but not in wet year;(3) form wet year to dry year,the profile type of soil moisture changed from decreasing type to fluctuation-type and from fluctuant type to increasing type;(4)the increasing trend in soil moisture from the top to foot of hillslope occurred in simple land use along slope,while complicated distribution of soil moisture was observed in multiple land uses along slope.The relationships between soil nutrients and land uses and landscape positions were analysed:(1)five nutrient contents of soil organic matter(SOM),total N(TN),available N(AN),total P(TP) and available P(AP) in hilly area were lower than that in other areas.SOM content was less than 1%,TN content less than 0.07%,and TP fallow land and cropland,and higher level in soil fertility was found in crop-fruit intercropping land among croplands;(3)soil nutrient distribution and responses to landscape positions were variable depending on slope and the location of land use types.     

稻油不同轮作模式对农田甲烷和氧化亚氮排放的影响

以南方稻区不同轮作模式为研究对象,采用静态箱-气相色谱法研究水稻-油菜轮作处理的甲烷（CH₄）和氧化亚氮（N₂O）排放特征,并估算稻田增温潜势（GWP）和温室气体排放强度（GHGI）.结果表明,双季稻田、一季中（晚）稻田、油菜地和休闲地CH₄平均排放量分别为135.25,55.64、5.05和1.89 kg ·hm^-2,稻季CH₄排放占不同轮作周年CH₄排放的91.8%~98.5%,稻田土壤水溶性有机碳与CH₄排放呈显著正相关,常规晚稻稻田CH₄排放比杂交晚稻高18.7%（P<0.05）;双季稻田、一季中（晚）稻田、油菜地和休闲地N₂O平均排放量分别为0.94、0.64、1.38和0.24 kg ·hm^-2,油菜地的N₂O排放占周年排放的57.2%~70.2%,双季稻和一季稻处理的冬闲农田N₂O排放占周年排放的17.8%和30.6%,杂交稻和常规稻稻田N₂O排放无显著性差异;双季稻-冬闲和双季稻-油菜的GWP处理高于稻-油和稻-冬闲处理,稻季排放CH₄的GWP占轮作周年GWP排放的71.2%~90.9%;GHGI以稻-稻-油菜最高,稻-油和稻-冬闲处理较低,综合环境效益和经济效益,建议南方稻区选择杂交晚稻-油菜的种植模式,有利于南方多熟制稻田的温室气体减排.     

Insecticide and tillage effects on pest and non-pest arthropods in corn agroecosystems

Effects of carbamate and organophosphate insecticides, tillage and previous cropping history on pest and non-target soil arthropods in corn are reported. Also, degradation patterns of organophosphate insecticide were quantified in plowed and no-tillage systems. Overall, tillage and cropping sequence had greater effects on arthropod communities than did insecticide treatments. Rootworm (Diabrotica sp.) damage was less in no-tillage than in plowed systems. There was no significant difference between insecticides in affecting rootworm damage. The organophosphate-treated corn had less black cutworm (Agrostis ipsilon) damage than did the carbamate-treated corn. Cryptostigmata mite density was highest in no-tillage systems. In contrast, non-cryptostigmata mite density was highest in fallow—plowed systems. The carbamate insecticide had a greater negative effect on overall mite density than did the organophosphate compound. With respect to soil macroarthropods, herbivore numbers were highest in plowed systems and lowest in no-tillage systems. Spider numbers were highest in the no-tillage systems. The organo-phosphate insecticide degraded more rapidly in the no-tillage compared to the plowed systems; however, this difference did not appear to affect arthropod numbers.     

黄淮海平原水浇地、旱地不同熟制的气候资源利用

为了合理利用气候资源,提高土地生产力,探索适合我国国情与黄淮海平原的种植制度,1980—1984年期间在平原北部(北京)水浇地上连续进行了五年田间试验,1983年和1984年两年又增加了水浇地与旱地对比,并在平原中部黑龙港地区的北京农业大学曲周试验站及平原南部属黄淮平原的河南省淮阳县增加了两个点。试验设水浇地和旱地两部分,各有一年一熟(冬小麦、春玉米和春大豆)和一年两熟(冬小麦复播玉米、冬小麦套播玉米和冬小麦复播大豆)。栽培管理按当地中上水平进行。     

Diagnosis on the sustainability of an upland cropping system of southern Haiti

An impact assessment of current upland cropping systems in Haiti was carried out using a combined experimental and agronomic survey approach on fields that were chosen as being representative of the diversity of land use practices and intensities. These cropping systems were mostly developed on ferralsols with differing degrees of weathering owing to the varying depths to the limestone bedrock. Three soil types for which the CEC of the mineral fraction was less than 3, 4–7, or 11–18 cmol₍₊₎ kg⁻¹ were distinguished. The study shows that apart from phosphorus, soil cation availability (K, Mg) is the most limiting factor for a successful bean crop. With the insertion of a fertilized cabbage crop into the rotation, the soil bioavailable P at the sowing of the bean–maize intercrop (BMI) did not significantly increase, whereas the exchangeable K content of the soils increased from 0.22 to 0.38 and led to a significant increase in the bean yield from 654 to 1079 kg ha⁻¹. It is clear that the trend of the cropping systems towards a shorter fallow period, increasing frequency of the BMI and introduction of N–P–K fertilizers, may all increase crop production in the short term. However, these changes are unlikely to lead to sustained benefits. One of the potential risks is the soil Mg depletion due to K fertilization as revealed by a microlysimeter experiment. Another risk is the increased proportion of plants with bean root diseases, due to the shortening of the BMI rotation interval. The proportion of plants with bean root diseases increased from 7 to 22% in 1989 and from 10 to 39% in 1990, when the bean rotation interval was reduced from 3 to 1 years. Another risk is the spatial spread of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) from the plots covered with residues of a preceding maize crop, to the neighboring plots recently sown with maize. Future research should therefore focus on optimizing the K:Mg ratio of fertilizer, breeding bean varieties resistant to Fusarium disease, diversifying the range of crops cultivated, and management of the maize residues. The evolution of the cropping systems in the last 10 years is somewhat consistent with the diagnosis made about 15 years earlier.     

湖南典型农田土壤有机碳含量及其演变趋势

以湖南省沅江市(28°42′～29°11′N、112°16′～112°56′E)为代表,通过典型样区密集取样分析和同一区域的历史资料比较,研究了洞庭湖区农业用地土壤有机碳的演变趋势,发现稻田土壤有机碳在最近25a中稳步增加,而改为旱地的土壤有机碳含量减少.2004年典型样区土壤有机碳均值为(26.66±4.93)g·kg^-1,主要分布区间为20～35g·kg^-1,比1979提高22.64%;其中耕作制度为双季稻的土壤有机碳含量,由1979年的20.29g·kg^-1提高到了2004年的28.12g·kg^-1,年均增加量约313.5mg·kg^-1(年递增率为1.15%);耕作制度为一季稻的土壤有机碳含量,由1979年的20.29g·kg^-1提高到了2004年的27.25g·kg^-1,年均增加量约278.3mg·kg^-1(年递增率为1.16%),耕作制度为水旱轮作的土壤有机碳含量,由1979年的20.29g·kg^-1提高到了2004年的23.90g·kg^-1,年均增加量约144.5mg·kg^-1(年递增率为0.78%),而改为旱地的土壤有机碳含量,由1979年的20.29 g·kg^-1降低到了2004年的18.40g·kg^-1,年均减少量约75.48mg·kg^-1(年递减率为0.37%).方差分析表明,稻田土壤有机碳的增加达到了极显著水平,改为旱地的土壤有机碳含量的减少未达到了显著水平.表明洞庭湖区不同利用类型的土地均是重要的固碳场所,农业用地的土壤有机碳库是大气CO₂循环的“汇”,而不是“源”.     

不同利用方式对江西省农田土壤碳氮磷生态化学计量特征的影响

根据江西省2013年采集的16582个农田耕层(0～20 cm)土壤样点数据,运用实地调查、经典统计学与地统计学等相结合方法,研究了江西省耕地土壤碳氮磷生态化学计量特征的空间变异性及不同农田利用方式对其的影响.研究结果表明:江西省耕地土壤有机碳(SOC)、全氮(TN)和全磷(TP)平均含量分别为17.90、1.58和0.52 g·kg~(-1),土壤碳氮比(C∶N)、碳磷比(C∶P)和氮磷比(N∶P)平均值分别为11.72、38.29和3.38,土壤C∶N∶P比平均值为34.44∶3.03∶1,说明P是江西省耕地土壤主要的限制因素.此外,由于碳、氮、磷三者之间并不存在显著的两两相关性,表明江西省耕地土壤中不存在稳定的"Redfield ratio";半方差函数表明,江西省土壤碳、氮、磷生态化学计量特征具有中等程度的空间变异性,其空间变异特征主要受到随机性因素的影响;经ANOVA检验显示,不同农田利用方式对土壤碳氮磷生态化学计量特征影响显著(p0.05),土壤SOC和TN平均含量依次表现为:两季水田水旱轮作一季水田一季旱地两季旱地,土壤TP平均含量依次表现为:两季旱地两季水田一季水田一季旱地水旱轮作,土壤C∶N依次表现为:两季水田两季旱地一季水田水旱轮作一季旱地,土壤C∶P平均值依次表现为:水旱轮作两季水田一季水田一季旱地两季旱地,土壤N∶P平均值依次表现为:水旱轮作一季旱地两季水田一季水田两季旱地.总体而言,土壤碳、氮、磷生态化学计量比的变化特征是农田利用方式和环境因子综合作用的结果,土壤C∶N∶P比对土壤碳、氮、磷储量及养分的限制性具有重要的指示作用.     

Rural vulnerability to environmental change in the irrigated lowlands of Central Asia and options for policy-makers: A review

Climate change, land degradation and drought affect millions of people living in drylands worldwide. With its food security depending almost entirely on irrigated agriculture, Central Asia is one of the arid regions highly vulnerable to water scarcity. Previous research of land and water use in the region has focused on improving water-use efficiency, soil management and identifying technical, institutional and agricultural innovations. However, vulnerability to climate change has rarely been considered, in spite of the imminent risks due to a higher-than-average warming perspective and the predicted melting of glaciers, which will greatly affect the availability of irrigation water. Using the Khorezm region in the irrigated lowlands of northwest Uzbekistan as an example, we identify the local patterns of vulnerability to climate variability and extremes. We look at on-going environmental degradation, water-use inefficiency, and barriers to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and based on an extensive review of research evidence from the region, we present concrete examples of initiatives for building resilience and improving climate risk management. These include improving water use efficiency and changing the cropping patterns that have a high potential to decrease the exposure and sensitivity of rural communities to climate risks. In addition, changes in land use such as the afforestation of degraded croplands, and introducing resource-smart cultivation practices such as conservation agriculture, may strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions to respond to climate challenges. As these can be out-scaled to similar environments, i.e. the irrigated cotton and wheat growing lowland regions in Central Asia and the Caucasus, these findings may be relevant for regions beyond the immediate geographic area from which it draws its examples.     

Applying the concept of agrodiversity to indigenous soil and water conservation practices in eastern Kenya

Agrodiversity – the diversity of cropping systems, crop species and farm management practices has received increasing attention in recent years as a way of spreading risk and supporting food security in resource-poor farming systems. This paper discusses the dynamic aspects of indigenous soil and water conservation (ISWC) practices in a semi-arid part of Kenya. The objective is to show the range of sources of variability and diversity that prevail in this environment, the responses of farmers to this variability, and the way farmers' rationalise the heterogeneity of soil and water management practices. Methods used included participatory surveys and evaluations, on-farm monitoring, soil and rainfall data analyses, and questionnaire surveys. Sources of variability affecting cropping systems and land management practices included rainfall, soil fertility, farmer resource level and farm productivity. A decision-tree was developed to examine how biophysical and socio-economic variability affected farmers' choice of ISWC. Different ISWC structures dominated on sandy and stony soils, respectively. Low resource farmers tended to choose cheaper and less labour demanding techniques, and constructed smaller ISWC structures than better endowed farmers. The largest diversity of ISWC practices was found on newly-opened land with mixed soils. Moreover, on-farm productivity levels indicated that costly investments in SWC are unfeasible, as this would further increase the risk for negative returns to farming. The wider implications of the results are that SWC interventions in marginal areas should build on the existing agrodiversity and an understanding of the complex interactions between environmental and socio-economic factors that give rise to differences in farming systems and land management practices.     

贵州坡耕地水土保持措施效益研究

对旱坡地水土保持的截流沟措施、横坡种植措施和植物篱措施进行效益研究,结果表明:在裸露耕地上,水土流失十分严重,地表径流达到4 044.4m³/hm²·a、土壤流失高达172.4t/hm²·a,以此速率流失土壤,其耕层(15cm)约在12年后,将被冲刷殆尽。截流沟措施与横坡种植措施相比,可减少地表径流702.6m³ /hm²·a和土壤流失19.2t/hm²·a;但其占地面积大,农作物产量低,收益小。植物篱种植措施与横坡种植相比可减少地表径流345.3m³/hm²·a;土壤流失21.0t/hm²·a。虽然植物篱占据耕地面积,但并不影响农作物产量。植物篱种植下的耕层土壤的酸碱度和质地得到改善,土壤养分含量有所提高,土壤侵蚀速率远低于易风化土壤的成土速率,同时结合人工翻耕,每年平均以17.5cm的速度形成梯坎,以1.1°的速度减缓坡度。该项措施最终可实现坡改梯的目的,实现旱坡地的可持续利用。     

Agricultural management affects earthworm and termite diversity across humid to semi-arid tropical zones

Earthworm and termite diversity were studied in 12 long-term agricultural field trials across the sub-humid to semi-arid tropical zones of Eastern and Western Africa. In each trial, treatments with high and low soil organic C were chosen to represent contrasts in long-term soil management effects, including tillage intensity, organic matter and nutrient management and crop rotations. For each trial, a fallow representing a relatively undisturbed reference was also sampled. Earthworm taxonomic richness decreased in the direction fallow > high-C soil > low-C soil and earthworm abundance was higher in fallow than under continuous crop production. Termite abundance was not significantly different between fallow and high and low-C treatments and termite taxonomic richness was higher in fallow soil than in the two cropping systems. We concluded that fewer species of earthworms and termites were favored under agricultural management that led to lower soil C. Results indicated that the soil disturbance induced by continuous crop production was more detrimental to earthworms than to termites, when compared to the fallow.