Spatial Assessment of Land Degradation Risk for the Okavango River Catchment,Southern Africa

The Okavango catchment in southern Africa is subject to environmental as well as socio‐economic transformation processes such as population growth and climate change. The degradation of soil and vegetation by deforestation and overgrazing is one of the downsides of this development, reducing the capacity of the land to provide ecosystem functions and services. In this study, climate simulations are brought together with secondary socioeconomic, pedologic and remote‐sensing data in a GIS‐based assessment of the factors commonly associated with land degradation risk. A high resolution overview is provided for decision‐makers and stakeholders in the region by identifying priority intervention areas where a long‐term decline in ecosystem function and land productivity is most likely to occur. The approach combines 19 risk factors into seven individual ratings for topography, landcover, soil, demography, infrastructure, livestock pressure and climate. These ratings are then weighted and combined into an integrated degradation risk index (DRI). The results show that the land degradation risk is quite heterogeneously distributed in the study area and caused by different factors. Three hot‐spots are identified and compared, one of which is in the far northwestern part of the catchment, one around the local center Rundu and one on the outskirts of the Okavango Delta. We conclude that the approach is suitable to give an overview on degradation risk in the study area, although the classification process is a crucial procedure that should be standardized for further research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Nursery‐Box Total Fertilization Technology (NBTF) Application for Increasing Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Chinese Irrigated Riceland: N–Soil Interactions

High N fertilizer and flooding irrigation applied to rice in anthropogenic‐alluvial soil often result in N leaching and low use efficiency of applied fertilizer N from the rice field in Ningxia irrigation region in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Sound N management practices need to be established to improve N use efficiency while sustaining high grain yield levels and minimize fertilizer N loss to the environment. We investigated the effects of Nursery Box Total Fertilization technology (NBTF) on N leaching at different rice growing stages, N use efficiency and rice yield in 2010 and 2011. The four fertilizer N treatments were 300 kg N ha⁻¹ (CU, Conventional treatment of urea at 300 kg N ha⁻¹), 120 kg N ha⁻¹ (NBTF120, NBTF treatment of controlled‐release N fertilizer at 120 kg N ha⁻¹), 80 kgN ha⁻¹ (NBTF80, NBTF treatment of controlled‐release N fertilizer at 80 kg N ha⁻¹) and no N fertilizer application treatment (CK). The results showed that the NBTF120 treatment increased N use efficiency, maintained crop yields and substantially reduced N losses to the environment. Under the CU treatment, the rice yield was 9634 and 7098 kg ha⁻¹, the N use efficiency was 31·6% and 34·8% and the leaching losses of TN were 44·51 and 39·89 kg ha⁻¹; NH₄⁺‐N was 5·26 and 5·49 kg ha⁻¹, and NO₃⁻‐N was 27·94 and 26·22 kg ha⁻¹ during the rice whole growing period in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Compared with CU, NBTF120 significantly increased the N use efficiency and decreased the N losses from the paddy field. Under NBTF120, the N use efficiency was 56·3% and 51·4%, which was 24·7% and 16·6% higher than that of CU, and the conventional fertilizer application rate could be reduced by 60% without lowering the rice yield while decreasing the leaching losses of TN by 16·27 and 14·36 kg ha⁻¹, NH₄⁺‐N by 0·90 and 1·84 kg ha⁻¹, NO₃⁻‐N by 110·6 and 10·14 kg ha⁻¹ in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Our results indicate that the CU treatment resulted in relatively high N leaching losses, and that alternative practice of NBTF which synchronized fertilizer application with crop demand substantially reduced these losses. We therefore suggest the NBTF120 be a fertilizer application alternative which leads to high food production but low environmental impact. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recultivation of Agricultural Land Impaired by Construction of a Hydropower Plant on the Sava River,Slovenia

Hydropower plants on the lower river Sava, Slovenia, were developed without sealing the underground upstream. As a consequence, without the countermeasures of elevating and recultivating, the agricultural land on the river banks would be inundated because of the water‐table increase of the river. To remedy this, the fields were elevated and recultivated. The goal of this study was to assess soil quality and production potential after land raising and recultivation and to answer the question whether it is possible to recover soil quality and crop yield after large‐scale mass manipulation, such as land raising. After recultivation and after the second year of land reuse for the two cultures grass–clover mixture and corn on two sites, Middle Pijavsko and Lower Pijavsko, soil physical and chemical characteristics and crop yields were evaluated. Mixing of topsoil with the second horizon during removal and during backfill with filling material resulted in uneven soil fertility, plant growth and decreased yield. Driving on the refilled second layer with heavy machinery caused soil compaction in the Middle Pijavsko in spite of favourable soil texture (loam, 38·7% sand). On the areas with very high sand content (over 55%) and low clay content (10%), soil compaction was not as severe or persistent. Recultivation measures restored the agricultural land almost to the production potential prior to powerplant construction. Immediate intensive land use (corn) showed less favourable effect on soil characteristics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land Cover Transition in Northern Tanzania

Land conversion in sub‐Saharan Africa has profound biophysical, ecological, political and social consequences for human well‐being and ecosystem services. Understanding the process of land cover changes and transitions is essential for good ecosystem management policy that would lead to improved agricultural production, human well‐being and ecosystems health. This study aimed to assess land cover transitions in a typical semi‐arid degraded agro‐ecosystems environment within the Pangani river basin in northern Tanzania. Three Landsat images spanning over 30 years were used to detect random and systematic patterns of land cover transition in a landscape dominated by crop and livestock farming. Results revealed that current land cover transition is driven by a systematic process of change dominated by the following: (i) transition from degraded land to sparse bushland (10·8%); (ii) conversion from sparse bushland to dense bushland in lowland areas (6·0%); (iii) conversion from bushland to forest (4·8%); and (iv) conversion from dense bushland to cropland in the highlands (4·5%). Agricultural lands under water harvesting technology adoption show a high degree of persistence (60–80%) between time slices. This suggests that there is a trend in land‐use change towards vegetation improvement in the catchment with a continuous increase in the adoption of water harvesting technologies for crop and livestock farming. This can be interpreted as a sign of agricultural intensification and vegetation regrowth in the catchment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbon Sequestration in Restored Soils by Applying Organic Amendments

The study of different natural carbon sinks has become especially important because of climate change effects. The restoration of contaminated areas can be an ideal strategy for carbon sequestration. The studied area was affected by toxic Aznalcóllar mine spill in 1998. Restoration process of the contaminated area was based, mainly, on the use of two organic amendments: leonardite (LE) and biosolid compost (BC). The objective of this study was to verify whether the application of these amendments promotes the long‐term carbon sequestration in this soil. Five treatments were established: untreated control, biosolid compost (doses 4 and 2) and leonardite (doses 4 and 2). The addition of amendments implied an improvement in soil quality that was directly related to the amendment dose: decrease in bulk density, increase in pH, higher respiration rates and an improvement in the stratification ratio. Dose‐dependent changes in the molecular composition of soil organic matter were shown by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Both amendments promoted carbon retention, although because of the low mineralization rates of soil organic matter in LE treatments, the carbon storage was higher. The dosage effect on the carbon balance was more important in LE treatments, whereas in the BC treatments, the balance was similar for both doses. Our findings suggest that LE4 significantly increased the total organic carbon and it was the most suitable treatment for long‐term carbon storage, because of its molecular composition rich in relatively stable aromatic and lignin‐derived compounds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

山西省枣树裂果情况调查初报

裂果腐烂是北方枣区枣子减产的重要原因。1985年9月梅雨季,对山西省53个枣树品种裂果情况进行调查,结果表明:枣果成熟期阴雨天气是导致裂果的主要因子;不同品种裂果程度不同;枣果成熟与裂果有密切关系。选育抗裂品种、调整枣果成熟期是解决裂果腐烂的有效途径。     

太行山片麻岩山地坡面土壤含水率及其影响因子——以河北省阜平县为例

为了解决太行山干旱片麻岩山区极度缺水问题,以河北省太行山片麻岩山区的典型地区阜平县为试验基地,研究了坡向(X1)、坡位(X2)、坡度(X3)、土层厚度(X4)、土壤容重(X5)、土粒密度(X6)、植被覆盖度(X7)、田间持水量(X8)、毛管孔隙度(X9)、土壤质地(X10)等因素与土壤含水率(y)的关系。结果表明:该地土壤含水率极低,仅为3.18%~8.61%;上述因素与土壤含水率的相关系数分别为0.745,0.612,-0.078,0.992,-0.924,-0.693,0.974,0.834,0.798,0.918;除与坡度相关不显著外,其他因素均显著或极显著相关;主成分分析筛选出坡向、坡位、土层厚度、土壤容重、植被覆盖度等5个因子对土壤含水率影响最大;直接通径系数绝对值大小排序为土层厚度(0.609)>植被覆盖度(0.224)>土壤容重(-0.185),结合间接通径系数和相关系数来看,土层厚度、植被覆盖度、土壤容重均对土壤含水率有较大影响,其中土层厚度和植被覆盖度为正效应,土壤容重为负效应。     

一种制备(3R,4R)-4,7,7-三甲基-6-氧杂二环[3.2.1]辛烷-3,4-二醇的新方法

在催化剂过氧磷钨酸十二烷基吡啶盐(Cat-PW4)的作用下,α-蒎烯与H2O2反应生成主要产物(3R,4R)-4,7,7-三甲基-6-氧杂二环[3.2.1]辛烷-3,4-二醇。不同反应条件对反应转化率和选择性的实验结果表明,最佳反应条件为:12.8 mmolα-蒎烯、5 m L溶剂三氯甲烷、0.2 g催化剂、3.3 m L 30%H2O2,反应温度40℃,反应时间3 h,α-蒎烯转化率和产物的选择性分别为94.7%和39.8%。反应结束后,该产物存在于水相和有机相中,通过萃取和重结晶分离提纯,得率11%,纯度达到98%;其分子结构通过红外光谱、紫外光谱、1H核磁共振谱、13C核磁共振谱、低分辨率质谱及高分辨率质谱确证。     

生态景观林带在城乡宜居建设中的作用

面对伴随着城市现代化进程所带来的环境问题,宜居城乡建设是改善居住环境问题的重要举措;生态景观林带是以改善破碎化的森林斑块和绿化带、以增强森林为主体的自然生态空间的连通性、以观赏性为目的和以点、线、面相结合的景观廊道网络。生态景观林带在城乡宜居建设中发挥着改善自然环境与人文环境的双重作用,促进了城市与乡村的耦合,是城乡宜居建设的有效途径。