International Soil and Water Conservation Research最新文献

{"title":"The effects of freeze-thaw processes on crusting, aggregation and the interaction with erosive level winds in the Mollisol region of Northeast China","authors":"Hui Liu , Lili Zhou , Donghao Huang , Defeng Yang , Xiaoge Shi , Qing Bai , Huimin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wind erosion is widely recognised as one of the causes of soil degradation, which is exacerbated by the effects of freezing and thawing, and poses a serious threat to the sustainability of agricultural production. The mechanisms of freeze-thaw effects on wind erosion in the Mollisols region have been the subject of considerable investigation from the perspective of what the impact of freeze-thaw processes have on soil aggregates. In contrast, the role of the physical crust in the mechanism of freeze-thaw effects on wind erosion remains uncertain. In this study, for disentangling the changes in environmental conditions (freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs), initial soil moisture (M)) on aggregate size distribution, mean weight diameter (MWD), crust formation and their properties, and the roles played by these changes in influencing the magnitude of wind erosion (W), a wind tunnel simulation experiment was used to measure the wind erosion rate of erodible soil aggregates with four diameter ranges (D). The relationship between the variations in the distribution of aggregate sizes and the properties of the crust, as well as the impact of freezing and thawing on the distribution of aggregate sizes, were examined. The findings indicated that both aggregates and crust were susceptible to damage during the freeze-thaw cycle. The MWD of the aggregates exhibited a notable alteration following the 1st freeze-thaw cycle (p < 0.05). There exists a good exponential correlation between the strength of the crust and the number of freeze-thaw cycles (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.70). The crust strength demonstrated a decline significantly with an increase in the number of freeze-thaw cycles. The variation tendency of crust strength tended to be flat and towards a minimum crust strength of 4.27 kPa (D<sub>0.5–1</sub>), 2.87 kPa (D<sub>0.25–0.5</sub>), and 2.82 kPa (D <sub><</sub> <sub>0.25</sub>) beyond 6th freeze-thaw cycles. The initial moisture content had a significant impact on the variation in aggregate sizes, with higher moisture leading to greater fluctuations in the variation percentage of aggregates breaking or aggregating. The percentage of de-aggregation (disintegration of soil aggregates) varied from 12.68% to 20.64%, while the percentage of re-aggregation (recombination of soil aggregates) varied from 0.84% to 10.78%. When the moisture content of the soil was greater than or equal to 12%, a physical crust formed on the surface of the constructed soil samples, with an approximate thickness of 1 mm. When D ≥ 0.25 mm, the freezing-thawing effect was the primary cause of aggregate breakage, resulting in a reduction in MWD. When D < 0.25 mm, the primary phenomenon was aggregation, which resulted in an increase in MWD. When D < 1 mm, the formation of a physical crust on the constructed soil sample surface was facilitated. De-aggregation of aggregates increased the wind erosion rate by an average of 12.31% (M<sub>4%</sub>), 12.21% (M<sub>8%</sub>), 37.15","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 3","pages":"Pages 716-732"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphology evolution of vegetation-covered loess gully heads induced by hydraulic and gravitational erosion","authors":"Hongliang Kang ,&nbsp;Wenlong Wang ,&nbsp;Liangna Li ,&nbsp;Lei Han","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gully heads suffer hydraulic and gravitational erosion triggered by rainstorms. However, how hydraulic and gravitational erosion affect the morphology evolution of the vegetation-covered loess gully heads is unclear. Field flow scouring and separation experiments were conducted to simulate the runoff and erosion processes of vegetation-covered gully heads subjected to concentrated flow on the Loess Plateau. The results show that the gully heads experienced early simplex hydraulic erosion and subsequent compound hydraulic and gravitational erosion under concentrated flow, resulting in the initiation, development, shrinkage, and reformation of the scour hole and plunge pool. In the early period, the rates of the scour hole widening and deepening had significant linear relationships with the on-wall flow rate (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01); moreover, among the hydraulic parameters of jet flow, the cumulative width and stable depth of the plunge pool had the highest significant correlations with the kinetic energy of the jet flow into the plunge pool (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). Gravitational erosion contributed 26–50% and 0–26% to the maximum width and depth of the scour hole, respectively, and hydraulic erosion played a dominant role in scour hole development. Nevertheless, an overhanging mass collapse could reduce the depth and width of the plunge pool by 56–87% and 77–93%, respectively. The gully head retreated as a cyclic process of scour hole development, scour hole collapse (scour hole enlargement), overhanging mass collapse (scour hole shrinkage), and scour hole redevelopment. The mutual promotion of hydraulic erosion and gravitational erosion resulted in the sustained retreat of the vegetation-covered gully heads.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 447-462"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring best soil conservation practices using the tolerable soil loss limit in central highland of Ethiopia: A case study of Andit Tid watershed","authors":"Tilahun Getachew Abebe ,&nbsp;Tesfaye Mebrate Lemma ,&nbsp;Tesfa Worku Meshesha","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion is a major issue in Ethiopia, prompting ongoing watershed development campaigns. This study contributes to exploring Best Soil Conservation practices (BSCPs) to reduce erosion rates to/or below Tolerable Soil Loss Limits (TSLLs). To achieve these the study used the SWAT model, coupled with the SWAT Calibration and Uncertainty Procedures (SWAT-CUP), for simulation, sensitivity analysis, calibration, and validation using streamflow and sediment yield data. The calibrated SWAT model was used to assess soil erosion hotspot areas and evaluate the effectiveness of the selected BSCPs: Soil and/or Stone Bund (SSB), Grass strip (GT), reforestation (RF), Soil and/or Stone Bund and grass strip (SSB and GT) and Soil and/or Stone Bund and Reforestation (SSB and RF). The results revealed that 22.9% of the area showed soil loss rates below the TSLL. Furthermore, varying degrees of erosion above the TSLL was observed, with sub-watershed SW-12 experiencing the highest erosion rate (47 t ha⁻¹yr⁻¹) and sub-watershed SW-2 experiencing the lowest (7.8 t ha⁻¹yr⁻¹). Among the evaluated BSCPs, SSB + RF demonstrated the greatest erosion reduction effectiveness at 76.6%, followed by SSB + GT, SSB, RF, and GT, with erosion reduction effectiveness values of 61.7%, 60.0%, 43.3%, and 13.9%, respectively. Based on these findings, SSB + RF is recommended for erosion reduction to or below the TSLL, with implementation priority given to sub-watersheds SW-12, SW-10, SW-3, SW-2, and SW-5, ranked in descending order of erosion rate severity. During implementation, emphasis should be placed on reforestation of plant species of high ecological importance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 348-361"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of rainfall intensity and gravel content on hydraulic characteristics and hydraulic parameters on soil erosion of spoil heaps: Laboratory experiments with simulated rainfall","authors":"Qingyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Yiyuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Dongkai Chen ,&nbsp;Xinwei Wang ,&nbsp;Yan Zhu ,&nbsp;Zimin Yin ,&nbsp;Wenbo Shang ,&nbsp;Han Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spoil heaps represent one of the most severe forms of soil degradation and serve as significant triggers for geological disasters. To investigate the hydraulic characteristics of runoff and dynamical mechanisms of erosion on spoil heaps slopes, we conducted a series of simulated rainfall experiments under varying conditions: rainfall intensities (30, 60, 90, and 120 mm h⁻¹) and gravel contents (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%). The hydraulic parameters exhibited distinct patterns under different experimental conditions. These hydraulic parameters were positively influenced by rainfall intensity, gravel content, scouring time, and the interaction of rainfall intensity and gravel content, with gravel content showing the most significant impact. Under the experimental conditions, runoff on the spoil heap slopes manifested as rapid and laminar flow. The temporal evolution of the roughness coefficient paralleled that of the resistance coefficient. Exponential relationships were observed between hydraulic parameters and rainfall intensity, while quadratic relationships emerged between hydraulic parameters and gravel content in the soil-gravel mixture. The presence of gravel significantly altered the hydraulic characteristics of the spoil heaps slopes, with a critical threshold occurring at 20–30% gravel content. The Reynolds number (<em>Re</em>) and Froude number (<em>Fr</em>) demonstrated a negative logarithmic relationship (<em>R</em>² = 0.472, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), while Darcy-Weisbach resistance coefficient (<em>f</em>) and Manning roughness coefficient (<em>n</em>) exhibited a positive logarithmic relationship (<em>R</em>² = 0.980, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). Significant exponential relationships were found between <em>f</em> and <em>Re</em>, as well as between <em>n</em> and <em>Re</em>. Furthermore, power function relationships were established between <em>Fr</em> and <em>f</em>, and between <em>Fr</em> and <em>n</em> (<em>R</em>² = 0.999 and <em>R</em>² = 0.979, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). The hydraulic parameters effectively predicted soil loss through power function. <em>Fr</em>, <em>f</em>, and <em>n</em> showed significant power function relationships with runoff rate, while <em>Re</em> demonstrated a highly significant linear relationship (<em>R</em>² = 1.0). Among all parameters, <em>Re</em> exhibited the most stable relationship with both soil loss rate and runoff rate, making it the most suitable indicator for characterizing soil erosion. High gravel cover on slopes reduced the erosive effect of runoff. Under all rainfall conditions, hydraulic parameters influenced soil erosion more indirectly than directly, following the pathway: rainfall ➝ hydraulic parameters ➝ runoff ➝ soil erosion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 301-318"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term effects of tillage practices and future climate scenarios on topsoil organic carbon stocks in Lower Austria – A modelling and long-term experiment study","authors":"Marton Toth ,&nbsp;Jess Davies ,&nbsp;John Quinton ,&nbsp;Jennifer Davies ,&nbsp;Christine Stumpp ,&nbsp;Andreas Klik ,&nbsp;Bano Mehdi-Schulz ,&nbsp;Peter Strauss ,&nbsp;Gunther Liebhard ,&nbsp;Johannes Bartmann ,&nbsp;Stefan Strohmeier","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.02.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation agriculture, with its reduced soil disturbance and enhanced cover, has the potential to increase carbon storage in the topsoil. However, it remains unclear how various tillage practices alter topsoil organic carbon (SOC) storage in the long-term affected by climate change. This study investigates the impacts of three tillage practices, Conventional Tillage (CT), Mulch Tillage (MT), and No-Till (NT) on future SOC stocks in the topsoil (0–15 cm), considering climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and local soil erosion effects. Therefore, we calibrated and applied the integrated terrestrial C-N-P cycle model (N14CP) to a long-term study site with a cereal-maize dominant crop rotation in Lower Austria. Our calibration (1994–1995) resulted in a RMSE of 45.3 g m⁻² and a PBIAS of 9.6%, while validation (2000–2023) resulted in a RMSE of 103.8 g m⁻² and a PBIAS of 3.9%. Long-term simulations indicate that topsoil SOC stocks tend to increase under MT by +309 g m⁻² (baseline), +233 g m⁻² (RCP4.5), and +148 g m⁻² (RCP8.5), under NT by +1145 g m⁻² (baseline), +1059 g m⁻² (RCP4.5), and +961 g m⁻² (RPC8.5), but SOC stocks may decrease under CT by −209 g m⁻² (baseline), −267 g m⁻² (RCP4.5), and −332 g m⁻² (RCP8.5) by 2100. In contrast to conventional management, our tested conservation agriculture practices (MT and NT) may both serve as viable options to mitigate climate change and erosion impacts on topsoil organic carbon in comparable agro-ecological settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 486-499"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil erosion elasticity initiative for prioritizing sub-watersheds","authors":"Mostafa Zabihi Silabi,&nbsp;Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi,&nbsp;Mehdi Vafakhah","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantitative evaluation of soil erosion is necessary to analyze the destructive effects of soil erosion and to identify priority sub-watersheds in different climatic and environmental conditions. The variability of soil erosion thresholds introduced as Erosion elasticity (Ee) can be used to develop reliable management strategies in various temporal and spatial scales. Ee is a potential degree of soil erosion in an area representing the magnitude between maximum and minimum erosion rates. However, the comprehensive prioritization of sub-watersheds according to environmental changes and the concept of Ee is yet to be done. Therefore, the present study introduced the Ee-based approach based on the watershed's maximum and minimum soil erosion capability. The prioritization of the sub-watersheds of the Shazand Watershed of Iran has been exemplified, and the associated results were compared to those of conventional annual soil erosion zoning. Towards that, the mean annual soil erosion and corresponding changes of the study watershed were estimated according to the dynamic changes of vegetation cover and rainfall erosivity. Prioritizing 24-study sub-watersheds was then comparatively conducted using mean annual soil erosion and erosion elasticity approaches. The results of the RUSLE application showed that the soil erosion of the Shazand Watershed varied between 0 and 72 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ with a mean annual erosion of 14.35 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The results further revealed that the worst and the best combination of soil erosion factors cause +151% and −62% changes in mean annual soil erosion of the Shazand Watershed. Based on the amount of soil erosion method, sub-watersheds 11, 14, and 23 were placed in the highest priorities, and sub-watersheds 5, 6, 16, and 17 are the lowest priority for management measures. In addition, the results of the Ee approach showed that 28% of the study sub-watersheds were placed in high and relatively high priorities, respectively, and sub-watersheds 9, 13, 18, 19, and 23 stand in the lowest priority. The Ee approach effectively identified the critical sub-watersheds to reduce their tendency to destructive conditions and take appropriate measures to reduce their soil erosion and move them towards ideal conditions. The results can help planners and managers implement the best management measures in priority sub-watersheds, saving time and cost.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 277-289"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving SOC estimation in low-relief farmlands using time-series crop spectral variables and harmonic component variables based on minimum sample size","authors":"Chenjie Lin ,&nbsp;Ling Zhang ,&nbsp;Nan Zhong","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efficiently monitoring Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in farmlands is crucial for environmental and agricultural sustainability. Currently, crop spectral variables are primarily employed to estimate SOC in low-relief farmlands. To enhance SOC estimation, further crop information needs to be excavated. Additionally, few studies have considered the sample size in modeling SOC estimation, which may lead to precision loss and cost waste. Therefore, this study proposed a novel method to improve SOC estimation in low-relief farmlands. This method considers more information on crop growth and minimum sample size. The results showed that: (1) time-series NDVI was established as the characteristic crop spectral variables, based on crop spectral variables extracted from eight-day time-series reflectance products. (2) Seventeen harmonic component variables were derived from time-series NDVI via Fourier transformation. (3) Six crop spectral variables and seven harmonic component variables were determined as the optimal SOC estimators. (4) The convolutional neural network model provided higher SOC estimation accuracy (R² = 0.81, NRMSE = 7.09%) than the random forest model and the back propagation neural network model. And the minimum sample size based on the optimal model was determined to be 250. (5) The proposed method improved SOC estimation at the regional scale, achieving a 2.54% reduction in NRMSE compared to the NDVI-based model. These findings suggest that the proposed method holds the potential for efficient SOC estimation in low-relief farmlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 395-409"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of topography on the morphological indices of ephemeral gullies in the Chinese mollisol region","authors":"Luyou Zhao ,&nbsp;Fenli Zheng ,&nbsp;Ting Zhao ,&nbsp;Ximeng Xu ,&nbsp;Xuesong Wang ,&nbsp;Hongqiang Shi ,&nbsp;Lun Wang ,&nbsp;Binglong Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.11.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ephemeral Gully (EG) erosion is a main erosion type on sloping croplands in the Chinese Mollisol region, causing severe land degradation and crop yield reduction, but how topographic factors, such as slope gradient, slope aspect, and upslope and lateral drainage areas, affect the morphological indices of EGs is still unclear. Thus, this study applied a high-resolution 5-cm Digital Elevation Model (DEM) obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) aerial surveys to quantify the impacts of topography on the morphological indices of EGs in a typical Mollisol region located in Keshan County, Heilongjiang Province. The results showed that the length of EGs decreased with an increase in slope gradient or increased with an increase in upslope and lateral drainage areas. The distribution density, dissected degree, and vertical gradient of EGs increased with an increase in slope gradient or a decrease in the upslope and lateral drainage areas. Moreover, 10 ha and 5 ha areas were critical values regarding the impacts of the upslope drainage area and lateral drainage area on the width, depth, and volume of EGs, respectively, and 0.11 m m⁻¹ and 0.03 m m⁻¹ were critical values regarding the impacts of slope gradients of the upslope drainage area and lateral drainage area on the width, depth, and volume of EGs, respectively. In addition, the number of EGs on sunny and semi-sunny slopes was 1.8 times higher than that on shady and semi-shady slopes. In particular, the topographic thresholds of EG occurrence, synthesizing upslope and lateral gradients, and upslope and lateral drainage areas, were determined, overcoming the current research deficiency of considering only the upslope drainage area and ignoring the lateral drainage area. The results provide an important basis for understanding EG erosion development and implementing precise soil conservation measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 263-276"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishing and verifying soil quality index model based on GIS and remote sensing for cultivated lands under semi-humid terrestrial ecosystem","authors":"Ismail Fatih Ormanci ,&nbsp;Orhan Dengiz","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.10.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.10.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable and efficient use of agricultural land depends on the potential characteristics of the soil. This potential directly affects the phenological growth and development of the crop to be grown. For these reasons, soil quality studies are of great importance in determining the products to be grown and the sustainability of the agriculture to be carried out. In this study, carried out in the Engiz Basin, a semi-humid terrestrial ecosystem of the Black Sea region, 250 soil samples were sampled from agricultural areas throughout the basin and a total of 26 soil physical, chemical and biological criteria were measured. Using Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process and Standard Scoring Function, soil quality models were constructed according to the obtained soil criteria. In addition, principal component analysis was used to select a minimum data set of the most sensitive indicators. The main physical criterion has the highest weight value with 0.611. The weight values for the highest sub-criteria of each main criterion - physical, chemical, biological, and fertility - were determined as slope (0.226), organic matter (0.425), microbial biomass carbon (0.512), and nitrogen (0.245), respectively. Geostatistical models were also used to produce maps of the spatial distribution of soil quality index values for the study area. Moreover, satellite image analysis and field studies (such as; data was collected from a face-to-face survey conducted with 51 farmers) were carried out to verify the obtained SQI distribution maps. The highest r² values of 0.9004 were found between the SQI_TDS-L model and NDVI biomass reflectance values. Furthermore, when analyzing the statistical relationship between soil quality classes and yield and economic values obtained from the field, the high r² value (0.8209) was determined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 379-394"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of armed conflict on natural resources and conservation measures in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia","authors":"Hailemariam Meaza ,&nbsp;Tesfaalem Ghebreyohannes ,&nbsp;Zbelo Tesfamariam ,&nbsp;Girmay Gebresamuel ,&nbsp;Biadgilgn Demissie ,&nbsp;Dawit Gebregziabher ,&nbsp;Jan Nyssen","doi":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.11.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.iswcr.2024.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A heavy armed conflict erupted in Tigray region of Ethiopia in 2020, and the crisis continued up to 2022. This study investigates the impacts of this crisis on the status of natural resources, and Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) efforts. We collected primary data through field observations, measurements, interviews and group discussions during the wartime. We also reviewed published articles and official archives to complement the primary data, which were often challenging to obtain due to the war. We found that vegetated landscapes were damaged by artillery fire and bombings. The average depth of the surveyed bomb craters along the asphalts was 1.15 <span><math><mrow><mo>±</mo></mrow></math></span> 0.47 m (n = 16), whereas the average surface diameter of the craters and their rim was 2.66<span><math><mrow><mo>±</mo></mrow></math></span> 0.67 m. In addition, the construction of numerous military trenches along croplands and hillsides exposed the soil particles into erosion and water pollution. The conflict also halted SWC efforts on various land uses, which were carried out annually during peacetime. For instance, 20,591 km/year of stone bunds were not constructed per year due to the crisis. Moreover, terraces and stone bunds were demolished to construct temporary ground fortifications. Indirectly, the critical energy crisis further increased pressure on forests. In this context, the poor farmers shift their livelihood strategies from the long-term sustainability to immediate economic recovery during the critical time. To conclude, the pathways of the warfare undermined the status of natural resources, and the ongoing decades of re-greening programs. Therefore, our ground-based findings can be used to prioritize and rehabilitate the war-damaged landscape services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48622,"journal":{"name":"International Soil and Water Conservation Research","volume":"13 2","pages":"Pages 463-474"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}