Effects of post-fire mulching with straw and wood chips on soil hydrology in pine forests under Mediterranean conditions

Díaz, Mario de Miguel; Lucas‐Borja, Manuel Esteban; González-Romero, J.; Plaza‐Álvarez, Pedro Antonio; Navidi, Mehdi; Liu, Yifan; Wu, Guoxiong; Zema, Demetrio Antonio

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106720

Cited by 14 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This model considers only Hortonian processes and not run-off due to saturated flow (Soto & Díaz-Fierros, 1998), the latter mechanism being common for low-intensity rainfall (Beven & Kirkby, 1979). Third, the overland erosion being zero, it is evident that WEPP also failed at simulating the rainsplash erosion, which may be dominant at the experimental site (Díaz et al, 2022;Lucas-Borja et al, 2022). Fourth, because of the lack of observations about the soil water content at the experimental plots, a constant initial saturation level was input to the model, while the real values were presumably variable, depending on the antecedent precipitation, thus affecting the run-off response simulated by the model.…”

Section: Wepp Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil erosion modelling of burned and mulched soils following a Mediterranean forest wildfire

González-Romero

Zema

Carrà

et al. 2023

Soil Use and Management

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Soil erosion modelling applied to burned forests in different global regions can be unreliable because of a lack of verification data. Here, we evaluated the following three erosion models: (1) Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), (2) Morgan‐Morgan‐Finney (MMF) and (3) Universal Soil Loss Equation‐Modified (USLE‐M). Using field plots that were either untreated or mulched with straw, this study involved observations of soil loss at the event scale at a burned pine forest in Central Eastern Spain. The erosion predictions of the three models were analysed for goodness‐of‐fit. Optimization of the MMF model with a new procedure to estimate the C‐factor resulted in a satisfactory erosion prediction capacity in burned plots with or without the mulching treatment. The WEPP model underestimated erosion in the unburned areas and largely overestimated the soil loss in burned areas. The accuracy of soil loss estimation by the USLE‐M model was also poor. Calibration of the curve numbers and C‐factors did not improve the USLE‐M model estimation. Therefore, we conclude that an optimized MMF model was the most accurate way to estimate soil loss and recommend this approach for in Mediterranean burned forests with or without postfire mulching. This study gives land managers insight about the choice of the most suitable model for erosion predictions in burned forests.

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Section: Wepp Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil erosion modelling of burned and mulched soils following a Mediterranean forest wildfire

González-Romero

Zema

Carrà

et al. 2023

Soil Use and Management

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“…In contrast to covering the soil with live companion plants, mulch does not negatively affect the crop. Increasing soil organic matter and preventing soil erosion are two benefits of mulching [19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Potato Growth under Straw Mulching Practices

Waheed

Muhammad

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Extreme heat, droughts, pests, diseases, and short bursts of heavy rain make potato production unsustainable. This unfavorable environment negatively affects potato productivity and yield levels. Within the next few years, conditions will likely deteriorate even more. In potato cultivation, straw mulching has been shown to increase yields by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the soil. Mulching improves soil humidity, decreases transpiration, and cools the soil in dry and hot regions. There is a global decline in potato yields per hectare due to poor nutrient management, moderately humid years, and high disease pressure caused by Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria species. Farmers must take cultivation measures to achieve economic efficiency and adequate yields. A range of practices contributes to better potato yields and productivity, such as the use of appropriate fungicides, planting high-yielding varieties, and increasing row spacing. These practices complicate cultivation and affect profits. Furthermore, inorganic nitrogen in the soil regularly causes acidification, eroding soil fertility. As a result of land preparation, straw residues from rice and maize are collected from the field and destroyed or burned, which depletes nutrients and pollutes the air. Returning these residues to the soil, however, can improve its quality. Integrating rice and maize straw mulching into potato cultivation practices can enhance agricultural sustainability, productivity, and yield. This review will focus on using rice and maize straw mulching in cultivating potatoes. Straw mulching promotes sustainable potato growth, increasing productivity and quality while minimizing reliance on chemical inputs. Such practices can mitigate the need for synthetic fertilizers to enhance sustainable agriculture, ensure long-term growth, improve soil health, increase yields, and promote sustainable agriculture.

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Mid‐Term Effects of Postfire Mulching With Straw or Wood Chips on Soil Erosion in Semi‐Arid Forests

Plaza‐Álvarez,

Lucas‐Borja,

Carmona‐Yáñez

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Soil mulching has been studied as a postfire management action to reduce soil erosion in several forest environments. Less research exists about the effectiveness of mulching with straw and wood chips beyond the first year after a wildfire on sites with different slopes. To fill this gap, this study has measured soil erosion in three burned sites (untreated soils, and soils mulched using wheat straw or pine wood chips) throughout a 2.5‐year observation period in a forest of Castilla‐La Mancha (Central Eastern Spain). Soil condition and slope (gentle, < 32%, gentle vs. steep, > 38%, slopes) significantly influenced erosion, which, however, was of low entity due to the relatively low rainfall erosivity. Mulching was generally effective after the most intense events (maximum 30‐min rainfall intensity over 15 mm/h). On the gentle hillslopes, mulch application did not reduce postfire soil loss compared with the untreated sites. In contrast, on the steep slopes, the effectiveness of soil mulching was significant for the two most intense rainfall events (−30% of soil loss in plots treated with wheat straw compared with the burned and untreated sites). The cumulated soil loss significantly decreased on the treated sites (−40%) only when wheat straw was used. On steep slopes, the anti‐erosive effects of mulching were almost durable, since the mulch covered more than one‐third of the plot areas until the end of the monitoring period. These results help land managers adopt the most effective measures of postfire management in semi‐arid forests affected by severe wildfires.

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Effects of post-fire mulching with straw and wood chips on soil hydrology in pine forests under Mediterranean conditions

Cited by 14 publications

References 53 publications

Soil erosion modelling of burned and mulched soils following a Mediterranean forest wildfire

Soil erosion modelling of burned and mulched soils following a Mediterranean forest wildfire

Sustainable Potato Growth under Straw Mulching Practices

Mid‐Term Effects of Postfire Mulching With Straw or Wood Chips on Soil Erosion in Semi‐Arid Forests

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