Effect of alley cropping on soil aggregate stability of a tropical Alfisol

The beneficial effect of organic matter on soil aggregate stability is well documented. Alley cropping has been suggested as a possible alternative to maintain soil organic matter content in cropping systems without fallowing the land. The objective of this study was to asses the effect of alley cropping on dry and wet soil aggregate stability on land degraded by shifting cultivation. The aggregate size distribution by dry sieving, aggregate stability by wet sieving, soil organic Carbon content and soil bulk density were measured following two and three years of alley cropping with Gliricedia (Gliricidia sepium) and Pigeon pea (Cajanas cajan) in a tropical Rhodustalf. Alley cropping increased the mean aggregate diameter and water stability of soil aggregates. The mean aggregate diameter obtained from dry sieving increased from 1.3 mm of the control to 2.68 and 3.11 mm after three years in Pigeon pea and Gliricidia alley cropped plots, respectively. This is an indication of resistance to wind erosion in alley cropped plots. The wet aggregate stability which shows the resistance to erosion by water also increased in alley cropped plots. These increases were significant after three years of hedge row establishment. The increase in soil organic C in alley cropped plots contributed to the higher dry and wet aggregate stability, and decreased soil bulk density. The improvement was higher in plots alley cropped with Gliricidia than Pigeon pea. This study shows the importance of ally cropping in increasing aggregate stability of degraded sandy soils which in return reduce erosion by wind and water.     

灌木林对地表风况及空气动力学参数影响的野外调查研究——以丰宁满族自治县小坝子乡为例

通过野外实地调查和定位观测,系统研究了灌木林盖度和高度对地表风况及空气动力学参数的影响。结果表明:风速轮廓线受灌木林覆盖度和高度的影响显著;风蚀率随灌木林覆盖度的减少呈指数增加,灌木林高度对土壤风蚀影响相对较小。空气动力学粗糙度及零风速平面位移高度均与灌木林覆盖度之间呈幂函数关系。灌木林高度对空气动力学粗糙度的影响不明显。     

The role of agroforestry in industrialized nations: the southern hemisphere perspective with special emphasis on Australia and New Zealand

Agroforestry in Australia and New Zealand is dominated by silvopastoralism. Farmers may employ combinations of shelterbelts, shade trees, widely spaced trees over pasture, or more densely planted woodlots. In addition to wood production and shelter, erosion control, amenity and landscape planting, and conservation of natural forest are often important. Many farm forestry people show considerable innovation.In temperate wetter areas of Australia, eucalyptus and, to a lesser extent,Pinus radiata (radiata pine) dominate agroforestry tree plantings for wood, shade, shelter, and salinisation and erosion prevention. The One Billion Tree Program, initiated by the Australian Federal Government, provides limited funding for tree planting. Joint farmer ventures with the State or local industry are also common. Most State governments also provide advice, and planting is tax deductible. Local landcare groups, formed to encourage sustainable agriculture, often promote tree planting, particularly where soil degradation is a problem. Melbourne University and other Techncial Institutes offer training in agroforestry.In New Zealand, a third of the farms require trees for soil conservation. This, together with the growing recognition of the financial benefits of planting trees, has resulted in small landowners doing most of the current planting of 80,000 to 100,000 ha yr^–1. Most farmers plant radiata pine, but eucalyptus and other hardwoods, including willows and poplars, are also widely used. There are almost no government incentives for tree planting in New Zealand. The Farm Forestry Association is the major extension organization. Lincoln University has an important teaching and research commitment, and the New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited has developed very useful management models.     

钱塘江流域水土流失特点和动态分析

应用遥感技术和定点调查相结合的方法对钱塘江流域水土流失及其动态进行分析．钱塘江流域省内水土流失量占全省总流失量的４７．６６％．钱塘江中上游的金衢地区是水土流失较严重地区，面租达３９５５ｋｍ２，占该地区山地面积的２３．２５％，衢州市近１０年（１９８１～１９９０年）间统计，水土流失面积由原来的１５８６ｋｍ２增加到２６７５ｋｍ２，扩大６８、６６％；以经济林为主的常山县开发过程中强调水土保持措施，但流失面积仍扩大４７、３８％；．以用材林为主的开化县水土流失有急剧上升的趋势。文章讨论了钱塘江中上游近期水土流失的特点并提出综合治理的建议．     

Acacia cyanophylla for forage and fuelwood in North Africa

Forage and wood yield of Acacia cyanophylla, also known as Acacia saligna, was studied in a 300–400 mm precipitation zone in Tunisia. Yields were measured during and after drought. This short (2–8 m) evergreen leguminous tree is used as a forage drought reserve in frost free regions where mean annual precipitation exceeds 250 mm. The standing crop of leafy forage builds up year after year for at least four years or until the tree is cut. It rapidly regrows after cutting from coppice shoots. The leaves provide high protein forage for sheep and goats during the long dry summer season typical of the Mediterranean climate as well as emergency forage during drought. The tree is used to stabilize moving sand dunes, and as a windbreak to protect cropland. It also provides fuelwood and increasaes soil nitrogen by fixation. The need for supplemental irrigation during establishment is a major constraint. Research in the 350 mm precipitation zone of Tunisia found 3.2 year old trees to yield over 1400 kg of forage standing crop per hectare after a severe drought. Trees harvested at 2.5 years of age in May, during the worst drought in over 30 years, yielded a standing forage crop of 724 kg per hectare. Forage regrowth 8 months after cutting and 4 months after rains returned was 700 kg/ha. The forage standing crop for trees harvested only once during the 3.2 year period was double the amount of forage regrowth from trees harvested the previous year, but mean annual forage yield similar. This demonstrates that it is possible for forage to be conserved as a living forage reserve for later use during drought. Total wood yield was only 1621 kg/ha for trees cut twice compared to 3683 kg/ha for trees cut only once. Annual cutting will substantially reduce the amount of forage available during drought and reduce the production of fuelwood. It may also reduce the vigor, productivity and life of the tree. Acacia cyanophylla alley cropped on cereal farmland can protect the soil from erosion, protect the associated crop from wind damage, fix nitrogen, provide fuelwood and provide a reserve of high quality forage for use during drought. This work was supported by the Government of Tunisia and the U.S.A.I.D. Tunisia Range Development and Management Project (664-0312.8).     

Effect of temperature and compression on the mechanical behavior of steam-treated wood

The mechanical behavior of steamed spruce wood changes dramatically with compression along the grain, the change being much more moderate perpendicular to the grain. The stiffness decrement due to increased temperature is greatest in the tangential material direction. The stiffness decrement due to compression is greatest along the grain. Compression to 80% compressive strain at 131°C inverts the order of the material directions regarding stiffness, the stiffness being the least along the grain. Plastic strain due to compression is greater at higher temperatures. The compression-induced decrement of stiffness along the grain is greater at higher temperatures, but the off-axis decrement of stiffness is less at higher temperatures.     

Estimation of shear moduli of wood by quasi-simple shear tests

A quasi-simple shear test, which is the most direct method for examining the shear properties of sheet metals, has been applied to measure the shear moduli of wood. Buna (Fagus crenata Blume) with variously sized shear regions was used for the test specimens. Strain gauges were mounted in the center of the shear regions to measure the shear strains. The shear tests were carried out to determine the shear moduli in the radial and tangential planes. Apparent shear moduli obtained from the experimental results were corrected by finite element method (FEM) simulation of the shear region, where both shearing and bending are produced. It was found that the corrected shear moduli are roughly independent of test conditions, and their values are in good agreement with the data obtained from bending-shear tests. This suggests that the method employed here can effectively estimate the shear moduli of wood.Part of this research was presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Society of Materials Science, Osaka, May 2001     

作物残茬覆盖对农田土壤风蚀的影响

为定量评价干旱半干旱地区农田土壤抗风蚀效果,采用移动式风洞及其配套测试系统对内蒙古武川县上秃亥乡农田地表进行了原位测试研究。结果表明,不同风速下土壤风蚀量随作物残茬盖度的增加呈指数规律减少;40%以上残茬盖度可明显提高土壤颗粒起动风速并减少风蚀量;当风速为14~18 m/s时,地表作物残茬盖度为60%~80%具有较好的抗风蚀效果。     

A Biophysical and Economic Assessment of a Community‐based Rehabilitated Gully in the Ethiopian Highlands

Gully erosion reduces agricultural productivity by destroying valuable land resources, increases sediment concentrations, reduces water quality, and fills up reservoirs. Gully rehabilitation has proven to be challenging especially in the high‐rainfall areas of the Ethiopian Highlands and has therefore had limited success. This paper describes a successful low‐cost gully rehabilitation effort with community participation in the Birr watershed in the Blue Nile basin that begun in early 2013. Initially, farmers were reluctant to participate for religious reasons, but with the aid of local priests and respected elders, community discussions, and a visit to a rehabilitated gully, a consensus was reached to rehabilitate a 0·71‐ha upland gully. The rehabilitation measures consisted of regrading the gully head at a 45° slope, constructing low‐cost check dams from locally available materials, and planting Pennisetum purpureum grass and Sesbania sesban. At the end of the first post‐implementation rainy season, 2,200 tons of soil was conserved by the constructed check dams and newly planted vegetation, compared with soil losses of 680 and 560 tons in two untreated, nearby gullies. In 2014, an additional 3,100 tons of soil was conserved. In 2013, the marginal rate of return (MRR) on the gully rehabilitation investment was 2·6 based on the value of increased forage production alone. When we include trapped soil nutrient values, the rehabilitation MRR was increased to 10. Although these numbers are impressive, the best proof of the success was that farmers on their own initiative rehabilitated an additional five gullies in 2014. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes based on rainfall simulation experiments

Aeolian-fluvial interplay erosion regions are subject to intense soil erosion and are of particular concern in loess areas of northwestern China.Understanding the composition,distribution,and transport processes of eroded sediments in these regions is of considerable scientific significance for controlling soil erosion.In this study,based on laboratory rainfall simulation experiments,we analyzed rainfall-induced erosion processes on sand-covered loess slopes(SS)with different sand cover patterns(including length and thickness)and uncovered loess slopes(LS)to investigate the influences of sand cover on erosion processes of loess slopes in case regions of aeolian-fluvial erosion.The grain-size curves of eroded sediments were fitted using the Weibull function.Compositions of eroded sediments under different sand cover patterns and rainfall intensities were analyzed to explore sediment transport modes of SS.The influences of sand cover amount and pattern on erosion processes of loess slopes were also discussed.The results show that sand cover on loess slopes influences the proportion of loess erosion and that the compositions of eroded sediments vary between SS and LS.Sand cover on loess slopes transforms silt erosion into sand erosion by reducing splash erosion and changing the rainfall-induced erosion processes.The percentage of eroded sand from SS in the early stage of runoff and sediment generation is always higher than that in the late stage.Sand cover on loess slopes aggravates loess erosion,not only by adding sand as additional eroded sediments but also by increasing the amount of eroded loess,compared with the loess slopes without sand cover.The influence of sand cover pattern on runoff yield and the amount of eroded sediments is larger than that of sand cover amount.Furthermore,given the same sand cover pattern,a thicker sand cover could increase sand erosion while a thinner sand cover could aggravate loess erosion.This difference explains the existence of intense erosion on slopes that are thinly covered with sand in regions where aeolian erosion and fluvial erosion interact.