Padidehossadat Sadeghi; Abdulvahed Khaledi Darvishan
Abstract
Extended abstractIntroductionFire, as one of the important and common occurrences in all forest and rangeland ecosystems, in addition to affecting the physical characteristics of the soil, generally causes the soil to become hydrophobic and thus reduce water permeability. The set of these changes can ...
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Extended abstractIntroductionFire, as one of the important and common occurrences in all forest and rangeland ecosystems, in addition to affecting the physical characteristics of the soil, generally causes the soil to become hydrophobic and thus reduce water permeability. The set of these changes can affect the stability of soil aggregates and splash erosion as the first stage of soil erosion. Therefore, investigating the effect of fire on soil erosion can lead to a better understanding of post-fire processes in ecosystems. Accordingly, the present study was planned with the aim of investigating the effect of fire on soil aggregates stability and splash erosion components in laboratory conditions on the rangeland soil in Kajur watershed located in the north of Iran. Materials and methodsThe corresponding experiments were done in three control plots and 12 plots covered with dry residues of rangeland species with four densities (250, 500, 750 and 1000 g m-2) based on the mass of plant residue per unit area and cpnsequently with four different fire intensities in three replications. Then, splash cups were placed on the soil surface and rainfall with an intensity of 60 mm h-1 and a duration of 30 minutes was simulated, and the splash erosion components including upward, downward, total and net splash were measured. The soil aggregate stability was also investigated by comparing the mean weighted diameter of the soil aggregates before and after the rainfall simulation in all plots. Results and discussionThe results showed that the effect of fire treatment on reducing total and net splash variables and increasing soil aggregate stability was significant at 95% and 99% confidence levels, respectively. With the increase in the intensity of the fire treatment, in general, the trend of changes in soil aggregate stability and splash components was increasing and decreasing, respectively. The fire treatment with an intensity of 250 g m-2 of the dry residues of the rangeland species reduced total and net splash by 35 and 44%, respectively, while the treatment of fire with the intensities of 500, 750 and 1000 g m-2 of the dry residues of the rangeland species reduced total and net splash more than 95%. Although the soil aggregate stability increased significantly with increasing the intensity of the fire treatment, the reduction of the total and net splash in the fire treatments with an amount of >500 g m-2 of the dry residues of the rangeland species was no longer significant. The significant participation of small particles of the soil surface without aggregation in the splash changed the intensity of the effect of fire treatment. The percentage of reduction of total and net splash due to the fire treatment with different intensities was not the same, which shows that the splash in the upstream and downstream directions did not decrease in the same proportion. The soil aggregate diameter from the control treatment to fire treatments with low to high intensities had a decreasing trend, generally. ConclusionsAccording to the results of the present research and the importance and recognition of the effect of fire on soil stability, the effect of fire treatment on soil stability should be done in soils with different textures and organic matter contents, especially considering the fire treatment with lower and higher intensities and shorter and longer dutations. It is suggested that the use of suitable tools to measure soil surface temperature during fire treatments should also be considered in future studies.
Iman Saleh; Majid Khazayi; Hamidreza Peyrowan; Behrouz Vaezi
Abstract
Soil erosion and sedimentation is one of the main problems in most of watersheds in Iran and a fundamental limitation against sustainable development. The usage of vegetation cover is the cheapest and most suitable approach for soil conservation. In the present study, the height, vegetation cover and ...
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Soil erosion and sedimentation is one of the main problems in most of watersheds in Iran and a fundamental limitation against sustainable development. The usage of vegetation cover is the cheapest and most suitable approach for soil conservation. In the present study, the height, vegetation cover and density of Vicia Dasicarpa and Villosa Vicia investigated on reducing runoff and sediment. The experiments conducted using standard plots with dimensions of 22×1.8 m, slope of nine percent and east direction; so that, nine experimental plots including three treatments and three replications installed and performed in the form of randomized complete block design. Runoff sampling was conducted from the tanks installed at the end of each plot, and the parameters of vegetation surface cover, vegetation density and plant height were measured at each sampling time. Then, the means of measured parameters were statistically analyzed and compared using Duncan Test. According to the results, the maximum runoff (97%) and sediment (94%) reduction were observed for Vicia Dasicarpa during the experiment. Also, it was detected that plant properties such as vegetation cover and density have a great correlation with runoff and sediment reduction which means soil and water conservation. Therefore, selecting the cultivar and plant species is an important step to increase the efficiency of this biological method. Based on the findings, in order to conserve soil and water as well as assisting the livelihood of the watershed residents, the use of legumes compatible with rainfed conditions having appropriate properties such as strong root, stem system and coverage along with initial irrigation at important growth stages of the plant in drought conditions is recommended.
Saeed Najafi; Habib Nazarnejad; Hedieh Mohammadnezhad
Abstract
Since most of soil erosion studies in the watersheds are conducted by consultant and executive companies (as contractors) using the semi-quantitative MPSIAC model under the supervision of provincial natural resources and watershed administrations (as employers), so in this study, the results and findings ...
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Since most of soil erosion studies in the watersheds are conducted by consultant and executive companies (as contractors) using the semi-quantitative MPSIAC model under the supervision of provincial natural resources and watershed administrations (as employers), so in this study, the results and findings of the aforesaid studies in West Azerbaijan Province were considered. Analysis of the studies showed that in the last three decades a total of 76 watersheds of the province with an approximate area of 4100 km2 have been studied in terms of soil erosion and sediment yield states using the MPSIAC Model. Estimated mean annual soil erosion was 13.95, 16.30, and 15.59 t.ha−1.yr−1 for northern, central, and southern sections, respectively. Meanwhile, based on the model, the mean sediment yield of mentioned sections has been calculated equal to 5.39, 5.64, and 6.09 t.ha−1.yr−1. Nevertheless, a detailed investigation based on the resistance of different lithology units to erosion in the studied watersheds, as well as land use and vegetation cover as the two most important factors of the MPSIAC Model showed less reliability of the reported results. It seems one of most important reasons for such unreliable results refers to one of the most important weaknesses of the MPSIAC model which estimation of the soil erosion is depended on the estimated amounts of sediment yields and sediment delivery ratio. According to our findings, it can be concluded and suggested that the Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization should replace the MPSIAC Model, with USLE family models, especially RUSLE, at least in estimating the soil erosion, in the services description of consultant and executive companies. Implementation of this change should also be taken seriously by the provincial natural resources and watershed management administrations.
Leila Gholami
Abstract
In severely eroded areas, especially steep slopes, establishment of vegetation cover is not possible. The application of organic and inorganic amendments can therefore improve the conditions leading to establish vegetation cover through playing an effective role in runoff control. Accordingly, in the ...
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In severely eroded areas, especially steep slopes, establishment of vegetation cover is not possible. The application of organic and inorganic amendments can therefore improve the conditions leading to establish vegetation cover through playing an effective role in runoff control. Accordingly, in the present study, woodchips as a soil organic amendment was applied to control runoff variables including time to runoff, runoff volume and coefficient. For this purpose, three levels of woodchips treatment of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kgm-2 were used in three replications at in 1 m2- plot scale. The plots were located in 30% slope in accordance with field conditions under simulated rainfall of 60 mmh-1 and duration of 15 min. The results showed that application of woodchips in 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kgm-2, time to runoff increased 97.50, 192.38 and 203.31%, respectively. The runoff volume decreased 35.23, 55.11 and 60.43% and runoff coefficient also decreased 42.43, 67.40 and 72.14% in three levels of woodchips treatments, respectively. The results of GLM showed that woodchips treatment had a significant increasing effect on time to runoff (p≤0.01) as well as a significant decreasing effect on runoff volume and coefficient (p≤0.05). The application of woodchips as a conservation treatment on the soil surface showed that this amendment can be used for runoff control especially where large quantities of woodchips are simply available.
Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi; Zeinab Karimi; Zahra Hashemiarian
Abstract
Annually, high amount of soil is washed out by erosion from the watershed. Implementation of appropriate management methods to control soil erosion is therefore essential. Application of economically-effective and environmentally friendly amendments to soil is one of the solutions and new technologies ...
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Annually, high amount of soil is washed out by erosion from the watershed. Implementation of appropriate management methods to control soil erosion is therefore essential. Application of economically-effective and environmentally friendly amendments to soil is one of the solutions and new technologies to control soil erosion. However, the comprehensive assessment of the impact of commonly used soil amendments on soil erosion has not been conducted. The present study therefore aimed to assess the performance of combined application of polyacrylamide powder (6 gm-2) and vermicompost (24 gm-2) in comparison with individual application of the polyacrylamide and vermicompost as well as control (without amendments) condition to control runoff and soil erosion under laboratory condition and on a clay-loamy soil. The study variables of runoff, soil loss and sediment concentrations were measured under a simulation rainfall intensity of 80 mm.h-1 and duration of 8 minutes. The results indicated a statistically significant effect (p=0.00) of all study treatments on the reduction of runoff, soil loss and sediment concentration from the study small plots. The combined effect of polyacrylamide and vermicompost on runoff and sediment concentration was also found greater than that recorded for soil loss.
Reza Siahmsnsour; Hossein Arzani; Mohammad Jafari; Seyed Akbar Javadi; Ali Tavili
Abstract
The fire is one of the factors that have effect on the natural cycle of ecosystem. This project was established to deal with the effect of the fire on quality features of habitat in the research site of rangelands plants of Zagheh Gorge.It was occur at Khoramabad northeast 35 Km with 33° 29" N, and ...
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The fire is one of the factors that have effect on the natural cycle of ecosystem. This project was established to deal with the effect of the fire on quality features of habitat in the research site of rangelands plants of Zagheh Gorge.It was occur at Khoramabad northeast 35 Km with 33° 29" N, and 48° 42" E, being at 1960 meters above the sea level. This study was formed by travel method, We Used Transects 200 m and plots 1 m that chose vegetation type and plants morphology Both Control area and treatment in Comparison Conclusion show that there are difference significant between canopy cover in the control area, and the fire (p<0.01). Also, after two years, there are not difference significant between organic matter, litter, pebble and rock (p<0.01). But there are significant difference between Soil Conservation level inside and outside of the fire area (p<0.01).This Statistics show that there are difference between the plant production of Class I and III in the control area and the fire with 30.32 and 5.54 in control area and 24.84 and 2.72 gr/m2 in the fire area (p<0.01). The Control area with 69.32 Percent of Canopy Cover is better than the fire area with 51.6(p<0.01) so, high percent of Canopy cover in the Control treatment caused heap of crucibles and numerous branches in this area. Forbs plants, decreased from 46.8 % in the control Canopy Cover area to 35.6 % in the fire area; whereas, grasses increased from 53.2 percent in the control area to 64.4 percent in the fire area. So, the fire is effective on increase of grasses and decrease of forbs.
Abbas Pourmeydani; Abolfazl Khalilpour; Hossein Tavakoli Neku; Mohammad Hassan Marefat
Volume 2, Issue 2 , July 2010, , Pages 95-101
Abstract
One of the important problems is erosion and soil degradation in watershed areas. Polymer usage is a way for both erosion control and soil and water conservation. In this research the effects of the BT53 polymer application for moisture storage in soil, reduction of runoff and erosion and prevention ...
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One of the important problems is erosion and soil degradation in watershed areas. Polymer usage is a way for both erosion control and soil and water conservation. In this research the effects of the BT53 polymer application for moisture storage in soil, reduction of runoff and erosion and prevention of loss soil are studied for 1998-2001. The research plan was CRBD and factorial method. First factor included polymer levels of 0, 2 and 4 gr/m2. Second factor included Secale montanum species planted and not-planted. After every rainfall event both runoff volume and sediment amount were measured. Analysis of variance showed there was significant difference between polymer levels and sediments amount (P<0.01). Compression of averages by Duncan's method in first factor showed all polymer levels fall in one group from runoff volume point of view, and in three groups based on sediment amounts. The most effect of polymer usage was on sediment amounts reduction rather than runoff. This means that polymer BT53 is suitable more for soil protection besides runoff reduction. Polymer level 1 had most amounts and polymer level 2 had least amounts of sediment. So application of polymer BT53 in level 2 (4 gr/m2) was suggested for sediment control. Polymer level 2 with non-planted treatment had least effects on runoff volume and sediment amounts among six treatments of polymer levels and planted or non-planted.
