Simulation and 137Cs tracer show tillage erosion translocating soil organic carbon,phosphorus, and potassium

Research on how tillage‐induced soil redistribution affects soil properties is limited for complex slopes in nonmechanized agricultural areas. The objectives of this study are (1) to examine the vertical redistribution of soil organic C (SOC), extractable P and K induced by tillage on a complex slope, (2) to assess the effects of tillage erosion on soil profile properties, and (3) to elucidate the variations in soil properties induced by both vertical mixture and downslope transport of soil within the landscape. Simulated tillage was conducted in the Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. The ¹³⁷Cs data showed that intense tillage caused the soil vertical mixture and downslope transport. The redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs and soil constituents varied with the number of tillage passes and location in relation to curvature. SOC was completely depleted with the disappearance of soil profiles at the summit position, while SOC concentrations decreased by 26% for the till layer and increased by 29% for the sublayer at the toeslope position for the 15‐tillage operation, as compared with those of pretillage. The vertical redistribution of extractable P and K followed a similar pattern to that of SOC. The gap and variation in soil constituents between the till layer and sublayer declined after tillage, suggesting that the mixing effect of tillage attenuates the variability of soil properties in the vertical direction. Net loss and gain of soil constituents occurred at the summit and toeslope positions, respectively, suggesting that the downslope transport of soil induced by tillage accentuates the variability of soil properties in the lateral direction.     

龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀对有机碳迁移的影响

坡耕地土壤再分布对土壤有机碳(SOC,soil organic carbon)迁移的作用机制研究已成为土壤侵蚀学研究的热点,然而目前极少有研究关注地震后生态脆弱的龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀机理及其导致的土壤有机碳再分布规律。该研究选择龙门山地震带内(都江堰市)一块陡坡耕地和一个梯田系列,采用137Cs法和野外调查,对比分析强震导致田埂垮塌和未受损情况下坡耕地土壤侵蚀空间变化特征和有机碳运移变化机理。结果表明,该区黄棕壤有效137Cs背景值为1 473 Bq/m2;坡度较小的坡式梯田内部上坡表现为侵蚀,下坡表现为沉积,同时,上部梯田的侵蚀速率高于下部梯田,但整个梯田系列净侵蚀量非常小,这表明梯田之间由于缺乏田埂的保护,水力也起着侵蚀、搬运上坡梯田土壤的作用,但是整个坡式梯田系列可以起到较好的保土作用,同时,坡式梯田内部主要以耕作侵蚀为主,是造成梯田上部坡位土壤流失严重的主要原因;陡坡耕地的地形为复合坡,由于田埂垮塌导致其土壤侵蚀速率显著高于坡式梯田系列,在整个坡面上,除了坡顶土壤侵蚀速率高之外,下坡坡度变大(曲率较大)的部位土壤侵蚀速率也非常高,同时,土壤沉积也发生在2个坡位(中下坡坡度较缓的部位和坡脚部位);在梯田系列和陡坡耕地上,SOC与土壤137Cs的空间变化规律较为一致。研究结果表明,在龙门山地震带,质量较好的石埂梯田仍然发挥着较好的土壤保持效果,同时,耕作侵蚀是该区坡耕地上一种重要的土壤侵蚀形式,在制定相应的土壤保持措施时,必须充分考虑耕作侵蚀的作用,才能有效地控制土壤侵蚀,此外,该研究结果还表明采用137Cs核素示踪技术可以比较科学地解释该区域的土壤侵蚀速率和SOC的空间变异规律。     

Modelling tillage erosion in the topographically complex landscapes of southwestern Ontario, Canada

A tillage erosion model was developed for southwestern Ontario based on the relationship between tillage translocation and slope gradient and slope curvature. Two studies of tillage translocation and tillage erosion were used to calibrate this model, one a comparison of upslope and downslope tillage translocation on shoulder slopes, the other an examination of tillage translocation throughout topographically complex landscapes. Two field sites were used for validation of the model. For both sites, past tillage practices were known and past soil erosion was determined using ¹³⁷Cs as an indicator of soil redistribution. The model accurately predicted the pattern of soil redistribution that had occurred within the two field sites. Severe soil loss was observed and predicted on convex landscape positions and soil accumulation was observed and predicted on concave landscape positions. The model accounted for almost all of the soil lost from the convex upper slope positions where tillage erosion was expected to be the dominant erosion process. There was considerable soil loss and accumulation elsewhere in the landscapes which could not be accounted for by the model and was presumed to be primarily the result of water erosion. It was concluded that tillage erosion must be incorporated into soil erosion modelling for the purposes of soil conservation.     

等高犁耕朝向对紫色土坡面土壤再分布的影响

选择一块坡长15 m、坡度14.16%的坡地,采用磁性示踪法分析等高向下犁耕（向下坡方向翻垈）和等高向上犁耕（向上坡方向翻垈）的土壤再分布特征,利用模拟耕作（15次）检验两种等高犁耕的长期作用下对土壤剖面和微地貌演化的影响。结果表明:等高向下犁耕导致土壤发生向下坡移动,土壤位移量为15.62～28.70 kg/m,坡度对其影响不显著（p=0.93）;等高向上犁耕导致土壤同时发生向下坡和向上坡移动,土壤净位移量为-10.91～8.23 kg/m,坡度对其有显著影响（p < 0.001）,土壤净位移方向随着坡度的增大由向上坡转为向下坡,本研究条件下临界坡度为14%;等高向下犁耕15次后坡顶侵蚀深度是原土层深度的132%,耕作后土层深度与耕作深度相当,表明等高向下犁耕加速土壤侵蚀和促进母岩成土的双重作用共同维持着坡顶土层深度的稳定;等高向上犁耕15次后坡顶土层深度增加了12.7%,表明等高向上犁耕具有保护坡顶土层深度的作用。等高向上犁耕是一种防治类似紫色土的薄层土壤耕作侵蚀和土壤退化的有效措施。     

Re-defining tillage erosion: quantifying intensity–direction relationships for complex terrain

Abstract. Current tillage erosion models account for the influence of tillage direction in the magnitude of the soil (tillage) transport coefficient. It is argued here that this is counter-intuitive and causes significant problems in modelling tillage erosion in areas of complex terrain. This article examines whether a re-modelling of tillage erosion is possible that separates tillage direction (an interaction with the landform) from the soil transport coefficient (a measure of tillage intensity representing the combination of implement erosivity and soil erodibility). Experimental data for mouldboard ploughing upslope, downslope and cross-slope at Coombe Barton Farm, Devon are examined. Integration of data for all directions into a single relationship, which relates translocation in the direction of tillage to slope in the direction of tillage and translocation perpendicular to tillage to slope perpendicular to tillage, is not possible using previously published methods of analysis. However, when total translocation distance is regressed against the tangent of the slope at 45° to the tillage direction (bisecting the tillage direction and the direction of overturning) it is found that a single relationship can be used to describe tillage in all three directions. Therefore, this relationship is used to determine a single value of the soil transport coefficient ( k _fTa) for constant soil and implement conditions but different tillage directions. This redefinition of tillage is important both for true estimation of tillage erosion severity, the adirectional coefficient being 40% larger than the directional coefficient, and for modelling of tillage erosion in complex terrain. These improvements are vital when tillage erosion simulation is used to direct soil conservation strategies.     

东北黑土区典型坡面耕作侵蚀定量分析

东北黑土区水土流失主要集中在坡耕地,以往研究多关注水蚀而忽略了耕作侵蚀的存在。为印证并定量描述黑土耕作侵蚀,该文采用物理示踪法,测定了典型坡耕地耕作位移量及其分布格局。结果表明:铧式犁耕作后示踪剂沿耕作方向发生扩散,上坡耕作示踪剂集中分布在0~20 cm范围,而下坡耕作示踪剂集中分布在0~20和50~150 cm。一次耕作引起的耕作位移量为32.68~134.14 kg/m,耕作迁移系数234 kg/m。坡度是影响耕作位移的重要因素,二者呈显著的正相关关系,且对上坡耕作的影响大于下坡耕作。研究区耕作年侵蚀速率0.4~11.0 Mg/(hm2·a),凸起的坡背、坡肩处及坡度较大的位置侵蚀严重。虽然黑土区坡度较小,但由于耕作深度大,速度快,耕作侵蚀严重,应引起足够重视。     

Impacts of soil erosion on organic carbon and nutrient dynamics in an alpine grassland soil

The impact of soil erosion on the nutrient dynamics in alpine grassland soils is still an essential problem. Selecting a grass-covered hillslope in eastern Tibet Plateau, the cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) technique was used to determine the impacts of soil erosion on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK). The ¹³⁷Cs data revealed that there were distinct soil redistribution patterns in different hillslope positions because of the influences of slope runoff, plant coverage and grazing activity. For the upper slope, soil erosion first decreased downward, followed by soil deposition in its lower part. In contrast, for middle and toe slopes, there was an increasing soil erosion along a downslope transect. Across the lower slope, soil erosion showed an irregular variation. Influenced by the selective transport of water erosion, SOC, TN and TP storage decreased with increasing soil erosion in upper, middle and toe slopes. In contrast, SOC, TN and TP storage varied little with soil erosion in the lower slope. On the whole hillslope, TK storage also varied little with soil erosion due to the large amount of potassium elements derived from soil parent materials. Particularly noteworthy was the greatest storage of SOC, TN and TP in the lower slope where most obvious net soil erosion occurred, which is closely related to the humus accumulation combined with gravel separation as well as weathering and pedogenesis of parent rocks induced by soil freeze-thaw.     

耕作侵蚀及其对土壤肥力和作物产量的影响研究进展

在坡耕地景观内，由于农耕工具和重力作用而引起的耕作位移使土壤发生向下坡运动或向上坡运动(依赖于耕作方向)，导致净余土壤量向下坡传输、堆积，重新分配，从而形成耕作侵蚀。试验研究表明耕作侵蚀是坡耕地的主要侵蚀形式之一，耕作侵蚀发生最严重的区域是坡度较大、坡体短的坡耕地。该文就耕作侵蚀的概念、发生机理、典型的耕作侵蚀模型的发展，以及耕作侵蚀对土壤肥力和作物产量影响的研究现状作了简要论述，特别总结了针对中国的地貌和耕作工具特征而进行的耕作侵蚀的研究成果。指出在一定的景观范围内，耕作侵蚀是十分严重的，甚至其严重程度已经超过了水蚀。但是相对于水蚀而言，耕作侵蚀研究还很少，因此加强耕作侵蚀的研究是十分必要的。只有这样才能正确评价农耕地侵蚀状况，准确制定土壤保持措施和采用减少耕作侵蚀力的耕作工具，从而有效地控制土壤侵蚀。     

匈牙利半湿润气候地区田间尺度下土壤侵蚀引起的土壤有机碳再分布

Soil organic carbon(SOC) has primary importance in terms of soil physics, soil fertility and even of climate change control. One hundred soil samples were taken from an intensively cultivated Cambisol to quantify SOC redistribution triggered by soil erosion under a subhumid climate, by the simultaneous application of diffuse reflectance(240–1 900 nm) and traditional physico-chemical methods.The representative sample points were collected from the solum along the slopes at the depth of 20–300 cm with a mean SOC content of 12 g kg~(-1). Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed based on the determined SOC results. The spatial pattern of the groups created were similar, and even though the classifications were not the same, diffuse reflectance had proven to be a suitable method for soil/sediment classification even within a given arable field. Both organic and inorganic carbon distributions were found to be a proper tool for estimations of past soil erosion processes. The SOC enrichment was found on two sedimentary spots with different geomorphological positions. Soil organic matter composition also differed between the two spots due to selective deposition of the delivered organic matter. The components with low-molecular-weight reached the bottom of the slope where they could leach into the profile, while the more polymerised organic matter compositions were delivered and deposited even before on a higher segment of the slope in an aggregated form. This spatial difference appeared below the uppermost tilled soil layer as well, referring the lower efficiency of conventional ploughing tillage in soil spatial homogenisation.     

137Cs tracing of the spatial patterns in soil redistribution,organic carbon and total nitrogen in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which profoundly affects East Asia by helping to maintain the stability of climate systems, biological diversity and clean water, is one of the regions most vulnerable to water erosion, wind erosion, tillage erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing under global climate changes and intensive human activities. Spatial variations in soil erosion in terraced farmland (TL), sloping farmland (SL) and grassland (GL) were determined by the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method and compared with spatial variations in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (total N). The ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the GL was higher in the 0–0.03 m soil layer than in the other soil layers due to weak migration and diffusion under low precipitation and temperature conditions, while the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the soil layer of the SL was generally uniform in the 0–0.18 m soil layer due to tillage-induced mixing. Low ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the summit and toe slope positions in the SL due to soil loss by tillage erosion and water erosion, respectively, while the highest ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the middle slope positions due to soil accumulation under relatively flat landform conditions. In the GL, the ¹³⁷Cs data showed that higher soil erosion rates appeared at the summit due to freeze–thaw erosion and steep slope gradients and at the toe slope position due to wind erosion, gully erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing. The ¹³⁷Cs inventory generally increased from upper to lower slope positions within each terrace (except the lowest terrace). The ¹³⁷Cs data along the terrace toposequence showed abrupt changes in soil erosion rates between the lower part of the upper terrace and the upper part of the immediate terrace over a short distance and net deposition on the lower and toe terraces. Hence, tillage erosion played an important role in the soil loss at the summit slope positions of each terrace, while water erosion dominantly transported soil from the upper terrace to the lower terrace and resulted in net soil deposition on the flat lower terrace. The SOC inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL, and significant correlations were found between the SOC and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in these slope landscapes. The total N inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the inventories of ¹³⁷Cs and SOC, and significant correlations were also found between the total N and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL. Therefore, ¹³⁷Cs can successfully be used for tracing soil, SOC and total N dynamics within slope landscapes in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.     

Measurement and modelling of the effects of initial soil conditions and slope gradient on soil translocation by tillage

Tillage erosion studies have mainly focused on the effect of topography and cultivation practices on soil translocation during tillage. However, the possible effect of initial soil conditions on soil displacement and soil erosion during tillage have not been considered. This study aims at investigating the effect of the initial soil conditions on net soil displacement and the associated erosion rates by a given tillage operation of a stony loam soil. Tillage erosion experiments were carried out with a mouldboard plough on a freshly ploughed (pre-tilled) soil and a soil under grass fallow in the Alentejo region (Southern Portugal).

The experimental results show that both the downslope displacement of soil material and the rate of increase of the downslope displacement with slope gradient are greater when the soil is initially in a loose condition. This was attributed to: (i) a greater tillage depth on the pre-tilled soil and (ii) a reduced internal cohesion of the pre-tilled soil, allowing clods to roll and/or slide down the plough furrow after being overturned by the mouldboard plough.

An analysis of additional available data on soil translocation by mouldboard tillage showed that downslope displacement distances were only significantly related to the slope gradient when tillage is carried out in the downslope direction. When tillage is carried out in the upslope direction, the effect of slope gradient on upslope displacement distances was not significant. This has important implications for the estimation of the tillage transport coefficient, which is a measure for the intensity of tillage erosion, from experimental data. For our experiments, estimated values of the tillage transport coefficient were 70 and 254 kg m⁻¹ per tillage operation for grass fallow and pre-tilled conditions, respectively, corresponding to local maximum erosion rates of ca. 8 and 35 Mg ha⁻¹ per tillage operation and local maximum deposition rates of ca. 33 and 109 Mg ha⁻¹ per tillage operation.     

Variation of chemical properties as affected by soil erosion on hillslopes and terraces

The variation in soil nutrients is crucial to the understanding of productivity of soil undergoing erosion overall, as the latter can result in a decline in soil quality and crop production in the whole landscape. Two toposequences (a long slope and terraced field series) were selected from hilly areas of the Sichuan Basin, China, to determine the effects of soil redistribution rates and topographic changes on P, K and CaCO₃ contents, and examine the contribution of water and tillage erosion to the variation and distribution pattern in these chemical properties within different landscapes. For the long slope, soil loss occurred at upper slope positions and soil accumulation was present at lower slope positions. However, terrace banks create a line of zero downslope transport of soil, and lead to abrupt changes in ¹³⁷Cs inventories over very short distances between the upper (or lower) part of the terrace and the lower (or upper) part of the neighbouring terrace. Extractable K concentrations are significantly related to ¹³⁷Cs inventories on both the long slope and terraced fields, which suggests that the distribution of extractable K is closely linked to soil redistribution. However, it is noticeable that no close relationship between extractable P concentrations and ¹³⁷Cs inventories was found on the terraced fields, while there was a highly significant correlation between the two variables on the long slope. The variation in extractable P by soil redistribution was enhanced on the long slope, but was concealed on the terraced fields due to the presence of CaCO₃. It is suggested that the variation in extractable P not only depends on soil redistribution in relation to fine soil particles, but is also influenced by other factors such as P‐fixation onto CaCO₃, the concentration of which itself is linked to soil erosion and redistribution. Therefore, extractable P dynamics with reference to soil erosion are relatively complex on carbonate‐rich soil and parent materials in areas such as those represented by the Sichuan Basin. Tillage erosion, the dominant soil redistribution process on terraced fields, was found to be a major contributor to the variation in soil chemical properties in the terraced field landscape, while water erosion plays an important role in the variation in soil chemical properties in the long slope landscape. In the case of carbonate‐rich soils or parent materials, however, tillage erosion did not create accumulations of extractable P in depressions, whereas water erosion results in extractable P losses at upper slope positions and accumulation at lower slope positions.     

紫色丘陵区土壤侵蚀对土壤生物学肥力的影响

为更好地理解侵蚀土壤质量变化,该文利用137Cs技术探讨了川中丘陵区紫色土陡坡耕地土壤侵蚀对土壤生物学肥力的影响。结果表明,与无侵蚀的坡地相比,陡坡耕地土壤微生物量碳含量及碱性磷酸酶、蔗糖酶活性分别显著降低41%、44%、17%,土壤生物学肥力退化指数MFDI达-35%。陡坡耕地土壤蔗糖酶活性与137Cs浓度显著正相关（r=0.643,p=0.024）,表明蔗糖酶活性随土壤侵蚀强度增大而降低。耕作侵蚀造成的陡坡耕地上坡土壤损失导致土壤微生物量碳含量、碱性磷酸酶、脲酶及蔗糖酶活性最低,而耕作侵蚀造成的陡坡耕地坡底土壤堆积导致这4个微生物特性最高,结果陡坡耕地这些微生物特性的空间变异分别增大2.8、0.8、1.4、4.5倍。紫色土陡坡耕地土壤生物学肥力退化与空间变异性增大在今后的土地管理中应引起关注。     

Impact of soil redistribution in a sloping landscape on carbon sequestration in Northeast China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in eroded soil can be redistributed from upper slope positions and deposited and sequestered in depressional areas. However, the SOC lost from soil erosion is normally not considered when soil carbon budgets are derived and this could result in an overestimation of SOC loss from the agricultural areas. The impact of soil redistribution on the SOC budget of a sloping landscape in the Black soil region in Northeast China was studied using the presence of the ¹³⁷Cs tracer which has been deposited since 1954 and the fly‐ash tracer, which was deposited in 1903. Five landscape positions (summit, shoulder‐, back‐, foot‐ and toe‐slope) were selected and included in this study. The depths of ¹³⁷Cs and fly ash and the SOC content of the deposition layers were used to calculate the change in C content of the soil in the various landscape positions over the last century. We found that the most severe soil erosion occurred in soils in the shoulder‐slope position followed by the back‐slope and the summit positions. Soil deposition occurred in the toe‐slope position followed by the foot‐slope position. A total of 683 kg C was eroded from the summit, shoulder‐ and back‐slopes (in a 1 m wide strip) over the past 100 years and 418 kg C (about 61·2 per cent) was deposited in the low‐lying areas (foot‐ and toe‐slopes). Over half (61·5 per cent) of the deposition (257 kg SOC) occurred over the past 50 years. Most of the previously reported loss of C from the upper slope positions in the Black soils was in fact sequestered in the deposition areas in the landscape. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ridge tillage and contour natural grass barrier strips reduce tillage erosion

Large amounts of soil are eroded annually from tilled, hilly upland soils in the humid tropics. Awareness has been increasing that much of this erosion may be due to tillage operations rather than water-induced soil movement. This field study estimated soil translocation and tillage erosion for four tillage systems on Oxisols with slope gradients of 16–22% at Claveria, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Soil movement was estimated using ‘soil movement tracers' (SMT) which consisted of painted 12-mm hexagonal steel nuts. The SMT were buried in three replicate plots of the following tillage treatments: (1) contour moldboard plowing in the open field (MP-open); (2) contour ridge tillage in the open field (RT-open); (3) contour moldboard plowing plus contour natural grass barrier strips (MP-strip); and (4) contour natural grass barrier strips plus ridge tillage (RT-strip). Two hundred SMT were placed at the 5-cm depth at 5-cm spacings on 10 rows and 20 columns in two microplots within each plot. The microplots were oriented with the boundaries running downslope and along the contour of each 8-m-wide × 38-m-long (downslope) tillage plot. After tilling the land for four successive corn (Zea mays L.) crops (20 tillage operations), the SMT were manually excavated and their positions recorded. Recovery of SMT ranged from 82% to 85%. Displacement of SMT was directly related to slope length, percent slope, and tillage method. Mean displacement distance of SMT during the four corn growing seasons was 3.3 m for MP-open, 1.8 m for RT-open, 1.5 m for the RT-strip, and 2.2 m for MP-strip. Based on tillage operations associated with two corn crops per year, mean annual soil flux was estimated to be 241, 131, 158 and 112 kg m⁻¹ for MP-open, RT-open MP-strip, and RT-strip, respectively. Compared to the mean annual soil loss for MP-open of 63 Mg ha⁻¹, soil loss was reduced by 30%, 45%, and 53% for the MP-strip, RT-open, and RT-strip systems, respectively. Both ridge tillage and natural grass barrier strips reduced soil displacement, soil translocation flux, and tillage erosion rates.     

Using Cs and Pbex for quantifying soil organic carbon redistribution affected by intensive tillage on steep slopes

Studying on spatial and temporal variation in soil organic carbon (SOC) is of great importance because of global environmental concerns. Tillage-induced soil erosion is one of the major processes affecting the redistribution of SOC in fields. However, few direct measurements have been made to investigate the dynamic process of SOC under intensive tillage in the field. Our objective was to test the potential of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex for directly assessing SOC redistribution on sloping land as affected by tillage. Fifty plowing operations were conducted over a 5-day period using a donkey-drawn moldboard plow on a steep backslope of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Profile variations of SOC, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex concentrations were measured in the upper, middle and lower positions of the control plot and the plot plowed 50 times. ¹³⁷Cs concentration did not show variations in the upper 0–30 cm of soil whereas ²¹⁰Pb_ex showed a linear decrease (P < 0.05) with soil depth in the upper and middle positions, and an exponential decrease (P < 0.01) at the lower position of the control plot. The amounts of SOC, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex of sampling soil profiles increased in the following order: lower > middle > upper positions on the control plot. Intensive tillage resulted in a decrease of SOC amounts by 35% in the upper and by 44% in the middle positions for the soil layers of 0–45 cm, and an increase by 21% in the complete soil profile (0–100 cm) at the lower position as compared with control plot. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of SOC in soil profile decreased by 18.2% in the upper, 12.8% in the middle, and 30.9% in the lower slope positions whereas CVs of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex decreased more than 31% for all slope positions after 50 tillage events. ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex in soil profile were significantly linearly correlated with SOC with R² of 0.81 and 0.86 (P < 0.01) on the control plot, and with R² of 0.90 and 0.86 (P < 0.01) on the treatment plot. Our results evidenced that ³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex, and SOC moved on the sloping land by the same physical mechanism during tillage operations, indicating that fallout ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex could be used directly for quantifying dynamic SOC redistribution as affected by tillage erosion.     

岩溶区坡地耕作侵蚀过程中的土壤再分布研究

对耕作侵蚀引起的土壤空间再分布进行研究,有利于改革不合理的耕作方式和治理坡耕地水土流失。本文以重庆市中梁山为例用示踪法对坡耕地进行试验研究。结果表明:随着坡度的增大,耕作后示踪剂在示踪区的含量越来越少;它的最大值出现的位置离基线越来越远,值越来越小;沿耕作方向移动的距离越来越远。这种规律性以锄头和铁锹顺坡明显,等高和踩锹顺坡不明显。从本区耕作侵蚀的角度考虑,等高耕作方式明显要优于顺坡耕作;在顺坡耕作中踩锹优于锄头和铁锹。最后还结合岩溶山区特殊的自然环境条件,讨论了耕作侵蚀对石漠化的影响。     

Characterization of soil profiles in a landscape affected by long-term tillage

Soil movement by tillage redistributes soil within the profile and throughout the landscape, resulting in soil removal from convex slope positions and soil accumulation in concave slope positions. Previous investigations of the spatial variability in surface soil properties and crop yield in a glacial till landscape in west central Minnesota indicated that wheat (Triticum aestivum) yields were decreased in upper hillslope positions affected by high soil erosion loss. In the present study, soil cores were collected and characterized to indicate the effects of long-term intensive tillage on soil properties as a function of depth and tillage erosion. This study provides quantitative measures of the chemical and physical properties of soil profiles in a landscape subject to prolonged tillage erosion, and compares the properties of soil profiles in areas of differing rates of tillage erosion and an uncultivated hillslope. These comparisons emphasize the influence of soil translocation within the landscape by tillage on soil profile characteristics. Soil profiles in areas subject to soil loss by tillage erosion >20 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ were characterized by truncated profiles, a shallow depth to the C horizon (mean upper boundary 75 cm from the soil surface), a calcic subsoil and a tilled layer containing 19 g kg⁻¹ of inorganic carbon. In contrast, profiles in areas of soil accumulation by tillage >10 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ exhibited thick sola with low inorganic carbon content (mean 3 g kg⁻¹) and a large depth to the C horizon (usually >1.5 m below the soil surface). When compared to areas of soil accumulation, organic carbon, total nitrogen and Olsen-extractable phosphorus contents measured lower, whereas inorganic carbon content, pH and soil strength measured higher throughout the profile in eroded landscape positions because of the reduced soil organic matter content and the influence of calcic subsoil material. The mean surface soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents in cultivated areas (regardless of erosion status) were less than half that measured in an uncultivated area, indicating that intensive tillage and cropping has significantly depleted the surface soil organic matter in this landscape. Prolonged intensive tillage and cropping at this site has effectively removed at least 20 cm of soil from the upper hillslope positions.     

日本北海道地区森林、牧场、草原和玉米田温室气体排放及模型研究

Information on the most influential factors determining gas flux from soils is needed in predictive models for greenhouse gases emissions.We conducted an intensive soil and air sampling along a 2 000 m transect extending from a forest,pasture,grassland and corn field in Shizunai,Hokkaido (Japan),measured CO 2 ,CH 4 ,N 2 O and NO fluxes and calculated soil bulk density (ρ b ),air-filled porosity (f a ) and total porosity (Φ).Using diffusivity models based on either f a alone or on a combination of f a and Φ,we predicted two pore space indices: the relative gas diffusion coefficient (D s /D o ) and the pore tortuosity factor (τ).The relationships between pore space indices (D s /D o and τ) and CO 2 ,CH 4 ,N 2 O and NO fluxes were also studied.Results showed that the grassland had the highest ρ b while f a and Φ were the highest in the forest.CO 2 ,CH 4 ,N 2 O and NO fluxes were the highest in the grassland while N 2 O dominated in the corn field.Few correlations existed between f a ,Φ,ρ b and gases fluxes while all models predicted that D s /D o and τ significantly correlated with CO 2 and CH 4 with correlation coefficient (r) ranging from 0.20 to 0.80.Overall,diffusivity models based on f a alone gave higher D s /D o ,lower τ,and higher R 2 and better explained the relationship between pore space indices (D s /D o and τ) and gases fluxes.Inclusion of D s /D o and τ in predictive models will improve our understanding of the dynamics of greenhouse gas fluxes from soils.D s /D o and τ can be easily obtained by measurements of soil air and water and existing diffusivity models.     

Assessment of tillage erosion by mouldboard plough in Tuscany (Italy)

This study was designed to characterise the soil translocation effect induced by mouldboard ploughing with an implement traditionally used in the Tuscany region (Central Italy). We discuss the results of a set of field experiments performed to measure soil displacement along slopes of varying gradient in different directions and at several depths of tillage. Using the Soil Erosion by Tillage (SETi) model, soil translocation patterns for different tillage scenarios were analysed, with special attention paid to the effects of the direction and depth of tillage on the extent and spatial pattern of soil movement. The lateral slope gradient S_P and tillage depth D were found to be the dominant controlling factors for total soil displacement. The effect of the slope gradient in a direction parallel to tillage S_T was much less pronounced. These findings reveal the importance of the asymmetric nature of the soil movement produced by mouldboard ploughing and the predominant effect of the lateral displacement d_P on the actual trajectory of soil motion. Results demonstrate that spatial patterns of soil redistribution due to mouldboard ploughing are highly variable and depend on the particular characteristics of the implement used. This dependence is so strong that maximum downslope soil translocation can occur during both, contour tillage or up–down tillage. For this particular mouldboard plough, maximum downslope soil transport took place at a tillage direction ca. 70° and not when tillage was conducted along the steepest slope direction (0°). These findings highlight the potential of the combined approach applied. The physically based SETi model can be properly calibrated using a relatively limited dataset from field experiments. Once calibrating, the SETi model can then be used to generate synthetic tillage translocation relationships, which can predict the intensity and spatial pattern of soil translocation over a much wider range of tillage scenarios than the particular experimental conditions, in terms of topography complexity (slope gradients and morphology) and the direction and depth of tillage. These synthetic relationships are useful tools for evaluating strategies designed to reduce tillage erosion.