6533b82dfe1ef96bd12913f4
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The Contrasted Impact of Land Abandonment on Soil Erosion in Mediterranean Agriculture Fields
Thomas IserlohArtemi CerdàJesús Rodrigo-cominoJesús Rodrigo-cominoCarlos Martínez-hernándezsubject
Mediterranean climateSòls Erosióbusiness.industryErosion controlAgroforestrySoil Science04 agricultural and veterinary sciences010501 environmental sciences01 natural sciencesVegetation coverAgricultureAgricultural land040103 agronomy & agricultureLand degradationErosion0401 agriculture forestry and fisheriesEnvironmental scienceEcosystembusiness0105 earth and related environmental sciencesdescription
Abstract Abandonment of agricultural land results in on- and off-site consequences for the ecosystem. In this study, 105 rainfall simulations were carried out in agriculture lands of the Mediterranean belt in Spain (vineyards in Malaga, almond orchards in Murcia, and orange and olive orchards in Valencia) and in paired abandoned lands to assess the impact of land abandonment on soil and water losses. After abandonment, soil detachment decreased drastically in the olive and orange orchards, while vineyards did not show any difference and almond orchards registered higher erosion rates after the abandonment. Terraced orchards of oranges and olives recovered a dense vegetation cover after the abandonment, while the sloping terrain of almond orchards and vineyards enhanced the development of crusts and rills and a negligible vegetation cover resulted in high erosion rates. The contrasted responses to land abandonment in Mediterranean agricultural lands suggest that land abandonment should be programmed and managed with soil erosion control strategies for some years to avoid land degradation.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-01 |