Critical slope length for soil loss mitigation in maize-bean cropping systems in SW Kenya

Koomson, Eric; Muoni, Tarirai; Marohn, Carsten; Nziguheba, Generose; Öborn, Ingrid; Cadisch, Georg

doi:10.1016/j.geodrs.2020.e00311

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Also, the taproot system of vetch can help preserve the soil structure and enhance seepage compared with the fibrous root system (Baets et al., 2007). In this regard, the relevant literature validates our results (Gabiri et al., 2015; Koomson et al., 2020; Reynolds et al., 1994). Moreover, the accelerated dynamic mechanisms of sediment loss in the study area have activated the rill erosion motivated by increasing sealing topsoil with rainfall and run‐off depth increasing with high sediment yield rate, resulting in a swift decrease in TIC rates (Rodrigo‐Comino et al., 2018; Shen et al., 2016, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Impacts of rainstorms on soil erosion and organic matter for different cover crop systems in the western coast agricultural region of Syria

Mohammed

Hassan

Abdo

et al. 2020

Soil Use and Management

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More and more cultivated coastal territories of Syria are being affected by increasing land degradation processes, specifically, by soil erosion due to non‐sustainable soil management. The use of cover crops can be considered an ideal solution to reduce the negative impacts of extreme rainfall events on soil erosion. However, there is no enough information about the main cultivated areas of Syria due to the current conflicts and the very few types of research conducted there. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to assess soil erosion (soil loss and sediment concentration) and hydrological response (run‐off and infiltration) considering the impact of different types of cropping systems on soil organic matter. To achieve this goal, using erosion plots, five grouped natural rainfall events and soil samples were collected, and infiltration measurements were performed between November 2012 and April 2013 (rainy season) on three different cropping systems (wheat, vetch, bean and control) with different sloping gradients (8% and 20%) in Tartous governorate (W Syria). Our results showed a cumulative rainfall amount from 68.8 to 201 mm during the study period. The highest sediment yield was generated in the control and wheat plots, registering 0.468 and 0.368 kg m−2, respectively, with an inclination of 8%. For an inclination of 20%, the control and wheat plots registered 1.145 and 0.967 kg m−2, respectively. In comparison with the control plots, there was a decrease in the total eroded organic matter, which ranged from 0.0579 (control) to 0.0289 (bean) kg m−2 year−1 in the plots with 20% inclination, and from 0.0233 (control) to 0.0069 (bean) kg m−2 year−1 with 8% inclination. To sum up, bean and vetch play an effective role to mitigate soil erosion, delay run‐off and reduce sediment yield. The output of this research provides first insights into the impact of different land uses on soil loss. Also, it could help rural inhabitants and farmers to correctly manage their soils against soil erosion processes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Impacts of rainstorms on soil erosion and organic matter for different cover crop systems in the western coast agricultural region of Syria

Mohammed

Hassan

Abdo

et al. 2020

Soil Use and Management

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“…This suggests that the impact of slope length on soil loss was caused by the increase in flow velocity and runoff depth, and slope length increased the convergence of runoff and the intensity of flow scouring. There was a "runoff degradation phenomenon" in runoff with increasing slope length [35,36], and long slope lengths decreased the amount of slope runoff [37,38]. The long slope length increased the time for runoff to pass and also increased infiltration, and the high flow depth formed by the long slope length also increased infiltration.…”

Section: Effect Of Slope Length On Soil Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Field Study for the Effects of Grass Cover, Rainfall Intensity and Slope Length on Soil Erosion in the Loess Plateau, China

Xiao

et al. 2022

Water

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Slope length is an important topographic factor for controlling soil erosion. There exists limited knowledge of the interactions of slope length, vegetation restoration, and rainfall intensity on soil erosion. This study investigated the impact of the slope length on soil erosion for different grass coverages and different rainfall intensities via simulated rainfall experiments. The experiments included five rainfall intensity treatments (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 mm min−1), four grass cover treatments (0%, 30%, 60%, and 90%), and five slope length treatments (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 m). The change process of soil loss was significantly different (p < 0.05) for different slope lengths. The trend of soil loss changing with slope length is: under a grass cover of 0 or 30%, the soil erosion increased exponentially with increasing slope length. However, under a grass cover of 60%, the soil erosion rate peaked at a slope length of 8 m, and under a grass cover of 90%, the soil erosion rate peaked at a slope length of 6 m. At rainfall intensities of 1.5–2 mm min−1, the overall soil erosion amount was small. The soil loss increased drastically with slope length when the rainfall intensity exceeded 2 mm min−1. Compared with a slope length of 2 m, longer slope lengths increased the erosion rate by 225–930% under different grass coverages treatments. Regression analysis showed that grass cover and rainfall intensity change the trend of erosion with slope length, and the negative effect of slope length on erosion is strengthened with the increase of grass cover, while this negative effect gradually weakens with the increase of rainfall intensity.

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“…maize and fallow) and forest/eroded bare land represent candidate areas for preventive action. In this context, Koomson et al (2020) highlighted the importance of critical slope length to control soil erosion.…”

Section: Spatial Distribution Of Soil Loss In the Watershedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of spatial resolution of terrain models on modelled discharge and soil loss in Oaxaca, Mexico

Naranjo

Rodrigues

Cadisch

et al. 2021

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The effect of the spatial resolution of digital terrain models (DTMs) on topography and soil erosion modelling is well documented for low resolutions. Nowadays, the availability of high spatial resolution DTMs from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) opens new horizons for detailed assessment of soil erosion with hydrological models, but the effects of DTM resolution on model outputs at this scale have not been systematically tested. This study combines plot-scale soil erosion measurements, UAV-derived DTMs, and spatially explicit soil erosion modelling to select an appropriate spatial resolution based on allowable loss of information. During 39 precipitation events, sediment and soil samples were collected on five bounded and unbounded plots and four land covers (forest, fallow, maize, and eroded bare land). Additional soil samples were collected across a 220 ha watershed to generate soil maps. Precipitation was collected by two rain gauges and vegetation was mapped. A total of two UAV campaigns over the watershed resulted in a 0.60 m spatial-resolution DTM used for resampling to 1, 2, 4, 8, and 15 m and a multispectral orthomosaic to generate a land cover map. The OpenLISEM model was calibrated at plot level at 1 m resolution and then extended to the watershed level at the different DTM resolutions. Resampling the 1 m DTM to lower resolutions resulted in an overall reduction in slope. This reduction was driven by migration of pixels from higher to lower slope values; its magnitude was proportional to resolution. At the watershed outlet, 1 and 2 m resolution models exhibited the largest hydrograph and sedigraph peaks, total runoff, and soil loss; they proportionally decreased with resolution. Sedigraphs were more sensitive than hydrographs to spatial resolution, particularly at the highest resolutions. The highest-resolution models exhibited a wider range of predicted soil loss due to their larger number of pixels and steeper slopes. The proposed evaluation method was shown to be appropriate and transferable for soil erosion modelling studies, indicating that 4 m resolution (<5 % loss of slope information) was sufficient for describing soil erosion variability at the study site.

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Critical slope length for soil loss mitigation in maize-bean cropping systems in SW Kenya

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Impacts of rainstorms on soil erosion and organic matter for different cover crop systems in the western coast agricultural region of Syria

Impacts of rainstorms on soil erosion and organic matter for different cover crop systems in the western coast agricultural region of Syria

A Field Study for the Effects of Grass Cover, Rainfall Intensity and Slope Length on Soil Erosion in the Loess Plateau, China

Effects of spatial resolution of terrain models on modelled discharge and soil loss in Oaxaca, Mexico

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