The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, northern Ethiopia

Abstract. Over the last two decades, large gully control programmes have been established in Ethiopia. Based on detailed observations and measurements of 400 check dams in the highlands near Hagere Selam (Tigray, northern Ethiopian Highlands), the effectiveness of the check dam technique was assessed. In this study, catchment area, slope gradient, technical characteristics and the presence of smectite clays are the main factors controlling dam stability. Simple and logistic regression techniques were used to analyse the data. The frequent collapse of dams (39% after two years) is strongly associated with drainage area ( A ) and slope gradient of the soil surface near the gully ( S ), the product of these factors ( S × A ) being a proxy for runoff energy. Good functioning dams have a spillway, apron, concave plan form (when looking downslope) and are built at vertical intervals and with heights that result in a negative slope gradient of the line connecting the spillway and the foot of the upstream dam. Therefore, a reverse slope of this line is recommended. Furthermore, if large cracks are present in smectite-rich soils, the construction of check dams can lead to piping and concentrated flow bypassing the dam. Given that the collapse of some check dams seems inevitable where catchment areas are large or there are steep slopes, it is necessary to repair dams as soon as partial collapse starts and to complement this gully control technique with biological control measures.     

油泥高效降解菌的筛选及其性能研究

从胜利油田及河南油田分离筛选出6株除油菌,对单一菌株和XT-4、F-2、C-2、A-1和AB-1菌组成的混合菌进行了性能评价,并对混合菌降解石油烃的能力进行了研究。通过研究表明,混合菌在耐温、耐酸碱和耐矿化度方面均比单一菌种优越,混合菌具有更好的协同作用和对环境的适应性,其对含油量高和含盐量高的油泥具有很好的降解效果,当油泥含油量高达126g kg-1时,经过混合菌120d的降解,降解率可以达到61.35%。     

Repair of a compacted Oxisol by the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae, Oligochaeta)

The potential of Pontoscolex corethrurus to repair the physical degradation of a compacted Oxisol was studied. The Oxisol from Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia was uniformly packed to four treatments of different bulk densities (0.95, 1.15, 1.25, 1.35 Mg m^–3) in pots of 0.24 m diameter and 0.22 m deep. Each pot was inoculated with 12 earthworms (equivalent to 300 m^–2) and maintained close to field capacity water content for 3 months, after which selected soil physical (dry bulk density, penetration resistance, water infiltration), worm activity (cast production, worm weight) measurements and image analysis were carried out. Results showed that worm numbers were maintained at the initial levels in all the treatments except in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment, where there was a 33% decrease. The weight of surface casts per surviving worm was the greatest in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment compared to the lower density treatments. Final soil density was lessened in all treatments to a depth of 0.2 m. Surface cast production was positively correlated with the percentage reduction in bulk density. The greatest percentage reduction in bulk density was in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment and was equivalent to a doubling of soil aeration (to 18.4%). Penetration resistance to the 0.2-m layer was also reduced and values were less than 2 MPa. Slumping of the surface soil was evident in both the lowest and the highest bulk densities resulting in low rates of water infiltration. Image analysis supported the soil physical properties showing an abundance of both fine pores and worm channels in the three lowest bulk densities, and lesser activity (concentrated in the immediate soil surface) in the 1.35 Mg m^–3 treatment. Received: 6 November 1996     

Accelerated aerobic degradation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane in suspensions of flooded and non-flooded soils pretreated with hexachlorocyclohexane

Summary A commercial wettable-powder formulation (50% a. i.) of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was applied to unplanted and planted (to rice) soils under flooded and non-flooded conditions at 1 kg a. i. ha^–1 at 15-day intervals. A mineral salts medium supplemented with -HCH as a sole source of C was inoculated with suspensions from HCH-treated and untreated soils (unplanted or planted to rice) and incubated under aerobic conditions. -HCH disappeared completely within 10 days from the aerobically incubated medium inoculated with the suspension from the treated soil compared to less than 30% loss from the uninoculated medium or from the medium inoculated with the suspension from the untreated soil, during the corresponding period. Soil samples from HCH-treated flooded pots lost their capacity for accelerated degradation of -HCH after autoclaving. The addition of HCH clearly stimulated aerobic degradation of -HCH, even in predominantly anaerobic flooded soil. The factor responsible for the accelerated degradation of -HCH in pretreated soil was not detected in the deeper layers (>10 cm) of flooded soil and in fields that had dried following the rice harvest.     

Sand-dust storms in and around the Ordos Plateau of China as influenced by land use change and desertification

The occurrence of sand-dust storms induced by wind erosion is a process that accelerates land degradation and can also be considered as an indicator of desertification. Thus, it is of significance both in theory and in practice to reveal the interaction between these two phenomena. Based on data from the Ordos Plateau and its surrounding areas, a study has been made of the effect of land degradation and land use changes on sand-dust storms. In this study, we report a non-linear relationship between sand-dust storm frequency and the index of land degradation (I_d), which is defined as the percentage of the area of total land that is desertified. Using this non-linear relationship, a threshold at I_d = 30% is established such that, when I_d < 30% sand-dust storm frequency does not change with increasing I_d but when I_d > 30%, sand-dust storm frequency increases rapidly. This existence of such a threshold means that sand-dust storm frequency would increase abruptly when the human-induced I_d exceeds 30%. The time series of annual number of sand-dust storm days in the neighbouring area has been compared to the time series in the annual number of strong wind days and the time series in the area of cultivated land in Yikezhao Meng, and a multi-regression equation has been established. Based on the equation, the relative contributions of the variations in land use and in annual number of strong wind days to the variation in annual number of sand-dust storm days have been estimated as 59.7% and 40.3%, respectively, indicating that the frequency of sand-dust storms may be effectively decreased by reducing the area of cultivated land and restoring the natural steppe vegetation in ecologically fragile areas in arid and semi-arid climates.     

Defoliation,nitrogen, and competition: effects on plant growth and resource allocation of Cleistogenes squarrosa and Artemisia frigida

Two species, Artemisia frigida Willd. (C₃, semishrub, and dominant on overgrazed sites) and Cleistogenes squarrosa (Trin.) Keng (C₄, perennial bunchgrass, and dominant or codominant on moderately grazed sites) were studied to determine the effects of defoliation, nitrogen (N) availability, competition, and their interactions on growth, biomass, and N allocation in a greenhouse experiment. The main treatments were: two nitrogen levels (N0 = 0 mg N pot^–1, N1 = 60 mg N pot^–1), two defoliation intensities (removing 60% of total aboveground biomass and no defoliation), and three competitive replacement series (monocultures of each species and mixtures at 0.5:0.5). Our results were inconsistent with our hypothesis on the adaptive mechanisms of A. frigida regarding the interactive effects of herbivory, N, and competition in determining its dominant position on overgrazed sites. Cleistogenes squarrosa will be replaced by A. frigida on overgrazed sites, although C. squarrosa had higher tolerance to defoliation than did A. frigida. Total biomass and N yield and ¹⁵N recovery of C. squarrosa in mixed culture were consistently lower than in monocultures, whereas those of A. frigida grown in mixtures were consistently higher than in monocultures, suggesting higher competitive ability of A. frigida. Our results suggest that interspecific competitive ability may be of equal or greater importance than herbivory tolerance in determining herbivore‐induced species replacement in semi‐arid Inner Mongolian steppe. In addition, the dominance of A. frigida on overgrazed sites has been attributed to its ability to shift plant‐plant interactions through gap colonization, root niche differentiation, and higher resistance to water stress.     

石羊河下游农户对生态退化的感知及响应

石羊河下游生态环境日趋恶化,严重影响和制约着该流域的可持续发展,急需寻求有效的响应策略。本文基于农户调查数据,运用多元回归方法分析了石羊河下游农户对生态退化的感知及响应策略。结果表明:农户对水资源紧缺感知最强烈,对沙尘暴频发感知度次之,对土地荒漠化和盐碱化的感知度较低;坝区、泉山区和湖区农户对水资源紧缺和土地盐碱化的感知强度依次增加,对沙尘暴发生频率的感知强度依次降低;坝区、泉山区、湖区的水资源紧缺响应策略多样化指数和土地盐碱化响应策略多样化指数依次增加,湖区土地荒漠化和沙尘暴的响应策略的多样化指数最高,泉山区土地荒漠化的响应策略的多样化指数最低;不同区域农户对生态退化的响应措施各异,生计资本和农户对生态退化感知度对响应策略有显著影响。结合研究区域的生态和社会经济状况,对上述结果进行了深入的剖析,并在此基础上提出了改善当地生态退化的建议。     

低丘红壤肥力退化与评价指标体系研究

以对侵蚀红壤肥力退化过程分析为基础，通过因子分析和相关分析对评价红壤肥力退化的指标体系进行了分析研究。结果表明，侵蚀退化红壤复垦后土壤肥力得到不同程度的恢复，时间和生物因素是影响土壤肥力恢复的主要因素。复垦时间长，发展林业均有助于土壤物理、化学和微生物性质的恢复。因子分析能有效地减少土壤性质指标间的重复信息，起到筛选和精简指标的作用。精简的6项指标（有机质含量、水稳性团聚体、过氧化氢酶、土壤物理性黏粒含量、土壤阳离子交换量、土壤微生物量碳）能概括所测定的全部16项指标包含信息的90％以上，能以较少的指标来反映土壤肥力的整体状况。     

藏北高寒退化草地植被恢复过程的障碍因子初探

在介绍藏北高寒草原现状的基础L,从自然和人为因素两方面对藏北高寒退化草地植被恢复与重建过程中的障碍因子进行了初步探讨;提出退化草地植被恢复的一些措施,包括天然草场合理利用、土壤培育、南草北调和加强科学研究等对策。     

生物反应器填埋场系统中有机垃圾降解特性研究

针对渗滤液回灌型生物反应器填埋场中存在着有机酸积累的问题，试验将产甲烷反应器作为渗滤液回灌前的预处理设施引入生物反应器填埋场，研究了其系统中有机垃圾的降解和产气规律。结果表明，在本模拟试验条件下，有机垃圾在填埋场、产甲烷反应器和生物反应器填埋场系统的总产气量分别为62.1、456和518.1 L，其中产甲烷反应器产气量占生物反应器填埋场系统产气量的88％以上。在产甲烷反应器中产气速率与有机物去除率成正比，回归系数为0.4614 L/g COD。基于生物反应器填埋场系统中有机物降解的特征，建立了其产气动力学模型。该模型可用来初步估算相关生物反应器填埋场系统中填埋垃圾稳定化所需时间及产气量，为系统填埋气的能源化利用提供理论依据。