Quantification of Impact of Land Use Systems on Runoff and Soil Loss from Ravine Ecosystem of Western India

Gopal Lal Meena (), Bira Kishore Sethy, Hem Raj Meena, Shakir Ali, Ashok Kumar, Rajive Kumar Singh, Raghuvir Singh Meena, Ram Bhawan Meena, Gulshan Kumar Sharma, Bansi Lal Mina and Kuldeep Kumar
Additional contact information
Gopal Lal Meena: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Bira Kishore Sethy: ICAR—Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam 793103, Meghalaya, India
Hem Raj Meena: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Shakir Ali: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Ashok Kumar: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Rajive Kumar Singh: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Raghuvir Singh Meena: Agricultural Research Station (SKRAU, Bikaner), Sriganganagar 335001, Rajasthan, India
Ram Bhawan Meena: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Agra 282006, Uttar Pradesh, India
Gulshan Kumar Sharma: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India
Bansi Lal Mina: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Station, Udaipur 313001, Rajasthan, India
Kuldeep Kumar: ICAR—Indian Institute of Soil & Water Conservation, Research Centre, Kota 324002, Rajasthan, India

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Ravine and gully formations are both spectacular and also the worst forms of water-induced soil erosion and have in situ and ex situ impact on geomorphology, hydrology, productivity and environmental security, and they are the root causes of degradation of marginal and adjacent land along with reduced production potential. A long-term (2011–2019) study was conducted on marginal land of the Chambal ravine to assess the impact of six land uses, i.e., Agriculture (T 1 —Rainfed Soybean), Agri-horticulture (T 2 —Soybean + Manilkara achras ), Horti-Pastoral (T 3 — Emblica officinalis + Cenchurus ciliaris ), Pasture (T 4 — C. ciliaris ), Silviculture (T 5 — Acacia nilotica ) and Silvi-pasture (T 6 — A. nilotica + C. Ciliaris ) on soil properties, runoff interception, sediment trapping and soil loss reduction. The lowest average annual soil loss (4.83 ton ha −1 year −1 ) and runoff (109.52 mm) were recorded under T 4 , while the highest sediment loss (8.09 ton ha −1 year −1 ) and runoff (136.07 mm), respectively, were under T 5 . The runoff coefficient of land uses was in the order of T 3 (20.30%) < T 4 (20.56%) < T 1 (21.95%) < T 2 (22.26%) < T 6 (22.83%) < T 5 (25.54%). The C. ciliaris improved bulk density and recorded lowest in horti-pasture (1.63 ± 0.04 g cm −3 ) followed by pasture (1.66 ± 0.03 g cm −3 ) land use system. The active SOC content in pasture, horti-pasture and silvi-pasture was 0.95, 0.87 and 0.64 times higher, respectively, than agriculture land use. Under pure C. ciliaris cover, resistance to penetration varied from 0.68 to 1.97 MPa, while in silviculture land use, it ranges from 1.19 to 2.90 Mpa. Grass cover had substantial impact on soil loss and runoff reduction, SOC content, soil aggregation and resistance to penetration. In degraded ecosystems, Cenchrus ciliaris can be used alone and in combination with plants for protection of natural resources from water-induced soil erosion, runoff conservation, soil quality improvement and maximization of precipitation water use.

Keywords: aggregates; Cenchurus ciliaris; Chambal river; runoff coefficient; ravine; sediment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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