Showing 21 results for Vaezi
R Karimizade, B Vaezi, T Hoseyn Por, A Mehraban, H Ghojagh,
Volume 13, Issue 48 (7-2009)
Abstract
Multi-environment trial data are required to obtain stability performance parameters as selection tools for effective cultivar evaluation. The interrelationship among several stability parameters and their associations with mean yield, along with the repeatability of these parameters in consecutive years was the objective of this study. Barley yield data of 18 cultivars, proprietary of Dryland Agricultural Research Institute, evaluated in 12 locations over 2005-2007 in three locations of Iran was used for the combined analysis of variance in three datasets. I: Across locations in a single evaluation year (dataset A), II: Across locations in each of two single evaluation year (dataset B), III: Across all locations in three years (dataset C). For each dataset, cultivar phenotypic variance and other statistics were appropriately partitioned in its components. The interrelationship among the parameters and their associations with mean yield based on Spearman rank correlation was studied in each of the three single evaluation years (dataset A). Rank correlation coefficients were also used as estimates of the repeatability of these stability parameters across two year combinations (dataset B). The parameters 2 σi Shukla and 2 Wi were consistently highly correlated with each other but not with mean yield in all single and pair evaluation years. The parameters bi , 2 Si and CV were consistently highly correlated with each other but not with mean yield in all single and pair evaluation years. Result showed that Shukla variance, Wricke ecovalence, SIPC1 and ASV AMMI stability statistics have high repeatability. Thus it is suggested that more stability statistics especially nonparametric methods be used for determination of repeatability methods.
A Vaezi, H Bahrami, H Sadeghi, M Mahdian,
Volume 13, Issue 49 (Water and Soil Science 2009)
Abstract
Proper evaluation of soil erodibility factor is very important in assessment of soil erosion. In this study, soil erodibility factor (K) was assessed in a zone, 900 km2 in area in Hashtrood, located in a semi-arid region in north west of Iran. Soil erodibility factor was measured at the unit plots under natural rainfall events in 36 different lands in the study area from March 2005 to March 2007. Results indicated that the measured soil erodibility factor K is on average 8.77 times lower than the nomograph-based values in the study area. To achieve a new nomograph, correlation between measured soil erodibility and soil physicochemical properties was studied. Based on the results, soil erodibility factor negatively correlated with coarse sand, clay, organic matter, lime, aggregate stability and permeability, while its correlation with very fine sand and silt was positive. Results of principal component analysis of soil properties and multi-regression analysis showed that the soil erodibility factor is significantly (R2 = 0.92, P < 0.001) related to soil permeability, aggregate stability, lime and coarse sand. A new nomograph with a R2 of 92% was developed based on these properties to easily estimate soil erodibility factor in the study area. The soil erodibility factor can be reliably estimated using the nomograph in all regions with the soil and rain properties similar to those in the study area.
A. Vaezi, M. Abbasi,
Volume 16, Issue 61 (fall 2012)
Abstract
The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is widely used for predicting direct runoff from rainfall events. The ratio of initial abstraction (λ=Ia/S) to maximum potential retention (S) was assumed in its original development to be equal to 0.2 (λ=Ia/S=0.2) in SCS-CN method. Application of the initial abstraction ratio equal to 0.2 out of the area where it has been developed may lead to a non logical estimation of runoff. Thus, the study was conducted to determine the initial abstraction ratio (λ=Ia/S) by analyzing measured rainfall-runoff events. The dataset consisted of 58 rainfall-runoff events during 15 years (1987-2001) of rainfall and runoff measurements from Taham-Chay watershed, northwest of Zanjan, Iran. Based on the results, the estimated runoff value on the basis of Ia= 0.2S was 26.7 times higher than the measured value, on average. There was a very low relationship between the measured and estimated runoff values (R2=0.09) and mean model error was 0.13. The Ia/S values varied from 0.004 to 0.008 with an average of 0.006. When Ia/S value was modified to 0.08, ratio of the measured to estimate runoff value was 1.4 and the determination coefficient (R2) of the relationship between the two was 0.41. When seven rainfall events that had the low rainfall intensity values (lower than 0.14 mm/h) and two events that had the high rainfall depth (bigger than 10.47 mm) during the past five days were removed from the data analysis process, ratio of the measured to estimated runoff value decreased to 1.3 and the determination coefficient (R2) of the relationship between the two enhanced to 0.90. The mean model error for the modified Ia/S value also decreased to 0.007. It also improved model efficiency coefficient (EF) to -0.089 compared with 0.91 for traditional Ia/S value (0.2).
A. R. Vaezi, A. Hoseinshahi, P. Abdinejad,
Volume 16, Issue 62 (Winte - 2013 2013)
Abstract
Flood spreading is one of the suitable methods to control the floods and conservation of soil and water in arid and semi-arid regions. Since soil properties may be influenced by the flood spreading, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of the flood spreading on physicochemical soil properties in Garacharyan plain located in North West of Zanjan in 2009. Three flooded areas and one control area were selected for soil sampling. Two hundred sixteen soil samples and twenty seven soil samples were taken from three flooded areas and control area, respectively. Soil infiltrability was also measured at three points both in the flooded areas and in control area. Results of the physical soil properties indicated that the soil infiltrability and available water content were significantly (p< 0.001) affected by the flood spreading in the study plains. With a decrease in sand percentage and an increase in clay in the flooded areas, soil infiltrability strongly declined. The available water content negatively correlated (p< 0.001) with clay in the areas. Soil chemical properties, including salinity, potassium, and bicarbonate, contrary to pH and total neutralizing carbonates and nitrogen, significantly (p< 0.001) increased in the flooded areas as compared with control area. Increasing of the salinity in the flood plains is associated with potassium in the flood plains (p< 0.001). There was no significant difference in organic matter and carbonate contents between the flooded areas and control area. The study revealed that controlling suspended load and solvent solids in the floods is necessary to prevent the degradation of the soil physicochemical properties (porosity, infiltration, plant water supply, and salinity and bicarbonate) and as a result improve the effectiveness of the flood spreading method in the flooded areas.
A. R. Vaezi, A. Vatani,
Volume 19, Issue 71 (spring 2015)
Abstract
Rill erosion is the detachment and transport of soil particles by concentrated flow of runoff. It is the most common form of water erosion in the hill slopes. Rill erodibility is the rate at which soil particle is detached and transported by shear force of the concentrated flow. The study was conducted to determine the rill erodibility in different soil textures in Zanjan province using a rainfall simulator. To this end, samples of eight soil textures consisting of clay, clay loam, silty loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, and sandy were collected from land surface and transported to small plots (120 cm 100 cm) on a sloped uniform land (10%). The plots were exposed to five simulated rainfalls with a constant intensity of 60 mm h-1 for one hour. Based on the results, there was a significant difference among the soil textures in the rill erodibility (p< 0.01). Rill erodibility of the soils significantly correlated with mineral fraction (sand, clay, gravel) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). With an increase in sand and gravel percentage, soil infiltration rate strongly increased and consequently production of the concentrated flow steadily decreased. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the rill erodibility in the soils was remarkably related to ESP (R2= 0.85, P< 0.01). Clay soil showed to have the highest rill erodibility among the soil textures due to higher exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP= 13).
A. R. Vaezi, H. Hasanzadeh,
Volume 20, Issue 75 (Spring 2016)
Abstract
Knowledge of variation in soil properties from each event to another is very important for the determination of critical periods during which soil is susceptible to erosion processes. This study was carried out to investigate soil loss in sequential rainfall events in Zanjan Province. Toward this, ten soil textures samples were taken and were transported to small plots (60 cm×80cm) with 20-cm depth) on a 8% slope land at three replications. The plots were exposed to ten simulated rainfalls with an intensity of 55 mm h-1 for 30-min and 5-day intervals. A total of 300 simulated rainfall trials were carried out at the plots. Results indicated that soil moisture, runoff production and soil loss were significantly affected by rainfall events (P< 0.001). Increasing soil moisture and consequently decreasing soil infiltration capacity were the most crucial element in increasing runoff production and soil loss in the sequential rainfall events, in a way that about 84% of soil loss variation in the rainfall events could be explained based on antecedent soil moisture. After the fifths rainfall event, no significant differences was found in soil infiltration capacity as well as runoff production because of soil moisture reaching to the water-holding capacity. Nevertheless, an increasing trend was observed in soil loss after fifth event which could associate with presence of more erodible soil particles on the surface and consequently increasing the concentration of surface flows.
M. Foroumadi, A. R. Vaezi,
Volume 21, Issue 2 (Summer 2017)
Abstract
Rill erosion is the first step in soil erosion process in the hillslopes, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. This study was conducted to investigate the role of rainfall intensity and raindrop impact on the physical properties of soils and particle detachment capacity (Dc) in a marl soil. Marl soil samples were filled into the flumes with 4 m long and 0.9 m wide and exposed to simulated rainfalls with different intensity varying from 10 mm h-1 to 100 mm h-1. Particle Size Distribution (PSD), aggregate size, porosity, crust thickness, and Dc were determined in each rainfall simulation. The results found that the physical soil properties i.e. PSD, aggregate size, porosity and crust thickness (P< 0.000) were significantly influenced by different rainfall intensities. Also, the rainfall intensity was also an important factor in controlling Dc in the soil. Rainfall intensity of 30 mm.h-1 was recognized as the threshold rainfall intensity for transporting soil particles in the marl soil and rill erosion. An increase in the rainfall intensity was attributed to the increases in the raindrop impacts and in consequence aggregate breakdown, and higher production of concentrated flows in the rills. Raindrop impact is the most important characteristics of the rainfall in the rill erosion and Dc in the marl soil.
A. R. Vaezi, M. Ahmadi,
Volume 21, Issue 3 (Fall 2017)
Abstract
Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) is one of soil loss estimation models which has been developed based on the runoff characteristics in the event scale. However, it needs to be evaluated in the plot scale for the semi-arid rainfall events. With this aim, a field study was designed using twenty one plots. Runoff and soil loss were measured using 5-min samples under seven rainfall intensities consisted of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 60, and 70 mm h-1 for 60 min. Soil loss was estimated using the MUSLE based on the runoff volume (Q) and runoff peak discharge (qp) and the values were compared with the observed values. The estimated soil loss was about 3.89 times bigger than the observed value on average. In order to improve model estimations, the power of rainfall erosivity index was modified from 0.56 to 0.62, (Q qp)0.62. The modification of the MUSLE model improved model efficiency (ME) from -5.5 to 0.47 and decreased the root mean square error from 0.000137 to 0.000031. This study revealed that the MUSLE overestimates soil loss from the small plots in the semi -arid regions. Therefore it is essential to calibrate runoff erosivity index using the data observed in the area. The modified MUSLE can be reliably used to predict soil loss in the small plot scale in semi-arid regions.
A. R. Vaezi, Y. Mazloom Aliabadi,
Volume 22, Issue 1 (Spring 2018)
Abstract
Water loss and nutrients loss are one of the important signs of natural resource degradation in the catchments. The amount of loss of these resources is affected by several factors including the characteristics of rainfall. In this study, the data of stream discharge (Q), total dissolve solids (TDS), and total nutrient loss ratio (NR) along with rainfall characteristics were analyzed for the events from1988 to 2002 in the Tahamchai catchment, which is owned by a regional water company. Moreover, soil properties were determined by soil sampling from different points in the catchment surface. Based on the results, there was a significant correlation between Q of the river and rainfall height (r=0.24, p<0.05), while its correlations with the rainfall intensity and duration were not statistically significant. On the one hand, this result was due to the inverse relationship between rainfall intensity and rainfall duration; on the other hand, due to the temporal variations in vthe egetation cover in the area, it controlled Q in the intensive rainfalls. The highest Q was in spring (1.68 m3 sec-1) and March (2.58 m3 sec-1). In this period, rainfall height was high and the rainfalls interval was short. Moreover, vegetation cover was weak, so it could not control surface runoff and reduce Q in the catchment. TDS and NR also significantly varied during the months and their highest values were observed in December (282.55 mg l-1) and (61.77 mg l-1), respectively. Mg2+ had the highest amount of water loss in the catchment area. A negative correlation was found between Q and TDS (r=0.41, p<0.001) and NR (r=0.31, p<0.001). This study revealed that spring and autumn were the sensitive period for water loss and nutrient loss in the catchment, respectively. Therefore, promoting the vegetation cover in early spring and reducing improper agricultural practices (tillage and fertilization) could be substantial strategies contributing to conserving the catchment’s resources.
A. R. Vaezi, Z. Bayat, M. Foroumadi,
Volume 22, Issue 2 (Summer 2018)
Abstract
Soil erosion by surface runoff introduced as surface erosion is one of the main mechanisms of land degradation in the hill slopes. Slope characteristics including aspect and gradient can control the differences of soil properties along the hillslope. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of slope aspect and gradient on variations of some soil properties in the short slopes. Five hills including both north and south aspects with different gradients (9-10%,
13-16%, 17-22%, 29-31% and 33-37%) were considered in a semi-arid region with 30 ha in area, in the west of Zanjan, northwest of Iran. The hills were weakly covered with pasture vegetation covers. Soil samples were collected along the slopes from two depths (0-5 cm and 5-15 cm) in four positions with 2 m distance along each slope with two replications. A total of 160 soil samples were analyzed for particle size distribution (sand, silt and clay), gravel and bulk density. Surface erosion was determined based on the variation of grain size distribution and bulk density. Differences of the grain size distribution and surface erosion between the two slope aspects and among the slope gradients were analyzed using the Tukey test. No significant difference was found between slope aspects in surface soil erosion. Nevertheless, surface soil erosion was affected by slope gradient in each slope aspect (R2= 0.78, p< 0.05). Surface erosion in the north slopes was more dependent on the slope gradient, as compared to the corresponding south slopes. In the south slopes, surface erosion was affected by the movement of silt particles from soil surface, while in the north slopes, it was significantly affected by the loss of clay particles.
A. R. Vaezi, . M. Bagheri, K. Afsahi,
Volume 22, Issue 3 (Fall 2018)
Abstract
Soil erosion by water is a serious environmental problem, particularly in semi-arid regions. In these areas, water loss strongly affects soil loss as well as soil productivity in the rainfed lands. Determination of appropriate seed density for each tillage direction is vital to achieve high crop yield and to prevent soil and water losses. This study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of tillage direction and plant density on the soil and water losses in a rainfed land. Twelve crop plots with the dimensions of 1.5 m × 5 m were installed to investigate the effect of two tillage directions (up to the down slope and on the contour line), two seed densities (90 and 120 kg h-1), a three replications in a rainfed land with 10% slope steepness. Soil and water losses were measured in each plot during the wheat growth period (from October 2015 to June 2016). Significant differences were found between both tillage direction and plant density in the runoff (P<0.05) and soil loss (P< 0.001). Runoff and soil loss in the up to down slope tillage was 4.16 and 4.08 times bigger than the contour line tillage, respectively. Runoff and soil loss with the seed density of 120 kg h-1 were 11.25 and 26.32% lower than those with 120 kg h-1, respectively. This result was associated with the increased cover crop and its control on water flow and the enhancement of water retention in the soil. There was no significant interaction between tillage direction and plant density in the runoff and soil loss. The importance of tillage direction in the soil and water loss was very larger than that of the plant density. The application of 120 kg ha-1 seed density on the contour line could, therefore, considerably prevent soil and water losses in the rainfed lands.
S. Rahmati, A. R. Vaezi, H. Bayat,
Volume 23, Issue 1 (Spring 2019)
Abstract
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) is one of the most important soil physical characteristics that plays a major role in the soil hydrological behaviour. It is mainly affected by the soil structure characteristics. Aggregate size distribution is a measure of soil structure formation that can affect Ks. In this study, variations of Ks were investigated in various aggregate size distributions in an agricultural soil sample. Toward this aim, eight different aggregate size distributions with the same mean weight diameter (MWD= 4.9 mm) were provided using different percentages of aggregate fractions consisting of (< 2, 2-4, 4-8 and 8-11mm). The Ks values along with other physicochemical properties were determined in different aggregate size distributions. Based on the results, significant differences were found among the aggregate size distributions in Ks, particle size distribution, porosity, aggregate stability, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter and calcium carbonate. The aggregate size distributions with a higher percentage of coarse aggregates (4-8 and 8-11 mm) also showed higher Ks as well as clay percentage. A positive correlation was also observed between Ks and clay, aggregate stability and EC, whereas sand showed a negative correlation with Ks. No significant correlations were found between Ks and silt, porosity and organic matter. Further, multiple linear regression analysis showed that clay and aggregate stability were the two soil properties controlling Ks in the aggregate size distributions (R2=0.80, p<0.01). Aggregate stability was recognized as the most important indicator for evaluating the Ks variations in various aggregate size distributions.
N. Sadeghian, A. Vaezi,
Volume 23, Issue 2 (Summer 2019)
Abstract
Sediment selectivity during transport may provide basic information for evaluating on-site and off-site impacts of the soil erosion. Limited information is, however, available on the selectivity of sediments in rill erosion, particularly in the rainfed furrows. Toward this, the sediment selectivity was investigated in three soil textures (loam, loamy sand sand clay loam) under 10% slope using 90 mm.h-1 rainfall intensity for 40 min. Soil samples were passed from a 10 mm sieve and packed in to the erosion flume with 0.4m × 4 m in dimensions. Particles size distribution (PSD) was determined in the sediments (PSDs) and compared with the original soil PSD (PSDo). The proportion of PSDs and PSDo was stated as PSDs/PSDo to show the selectivity of soil particles by rill erosion. Based on the results, all three soils appeared as the coarse particles (coarse sand and very coarse sand) in sediments with the PSDs/PSDo>1, indicating the higher selectivity of these particles by rill erosion. Loamy sand was the most susceptible soil to rill erosion among the studied soils, which generated a higher runoff (0.0035 m2.s-1) and sediment load (0.1 kg.m-1.s-1) during rainfall. The PSDs of this soil were similar to those of the original soil PSD. This study revealed that the stability of aggregates could be regarded as the major soil factor controlling rill erosion rate and the sediment selectivity in the semi-arid soils. With an increase in the water-stable aggregates, soil infiltration rate and as a consequence, shear stress of flow could be decreased in the rills.
A. R. Vaezi, S. Rezaeipour, M. Babaakbari,
Volume 23, Issue 3 (Fall 2019)
Abstract
Limited information is available on the effect of residues rates and slope direction on dryland wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.) yield. This study was carried out to determine the effects of residues rates and tillage direction on grain yield and yield components of the Sardary wheat in a dryland region in Zanjan. Five wheat residues rates (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% surface cover) were applied and incorporated into soil in two slope directions (along the slope and on contour lines) using the randomized complete blocks design with three replications in a land with 10% slope steepness. Overall, thirty plots with 2m × 5 m dimensions were installed in the field and wheat grain yield and yield components were determined for growth period from 2015-2016. Results indicated that grain yield and yield components were significantly affected by the residues rates and slope direction and their interaction. In contour tilled plots, wheat grain yield (1.78 to per hectare), thousand grain weight (42.26 kg) and wheat height (55.11 cm) were 5.32, 5.01, 16.19 and 1.36 percent more than the plots tilled along the slope. The highest grain yield was found in 75% of residue (2.45 ton per hectare) under contour line direction which was about 53% bigger than control treatment (0% straw mulch) under along the slope. This study indicated that the application of straw mulch before cultivation and incorporating into soil using contour line tillage are proper soil management methods to obtain higher wheat yield in this dryland region.
A. R. Vaezi, Sh. Karimi, M. Foroumadi,
Volume 23, Issue 4 (Special Issue of Flood and Soil Erosion, Winter 2019)
Abstract
Rainfall erosion is the first type of water erosion on the land which is affected by various factors such as land use change and previous rainfall. This study was carried out to investigate the influence of previous rainfalls on the process of rainfall erosion in two marl soils (pasture and that changed to agriculture) under the simulated rainfall. Toward this goal, aggregate samples with the diameters of 6 to 8 mm were randomly collected from the marl areas in the west of Zanjan. Soil aggregates were packed into 48 boxes with the dimension of 30×40 cm to examine the effects of eight rainfall durations with three replications. Eight simulated rainfalls with the duration of 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 min and a constant intensity of 40 mm h-1 were used in the experiment. The soils were exposed to another simulated rainfall with 40 mm h-1 in terms of intensity for 15 min to study the rainfall erosion processes. The results showed that the aggregate breakdown was significantly affected by the previous rainfalls in the pasture soil (P<0.01), while there was no significant difference among the previous rainfalls in the case of agriculture soil. Soil compaction and particles splash were significantly affected by previous rainfalls (P<0.05). Aggregate breakdown and particles splash were 1.41 and 1.31 times bigger than their values in the pasture soil. This study, therefore, revealed that the land use change in the mal areas increases the soil vulnerability to rainfall erosion processes. The rate of rainfall erosion processes in each rainfall event depends on the amount of previous rainfall. Increasing aggregate break down and soil water content by the previous rainfall could significantly influence the splash erosion rate in a marl soil.
L. Piri Moghadam, A. Vaezi,
Volume 23, Issue 4 (winter 2020)
Abstract
Sloping farmlands are the major sources of soil, water and nutrient losses in arid and semi-arid regions. Information about the impacts of different tillage practices on soil erosion, nutrient loss and crop nutrient uptake on the sloping farmland of semi- arid soil is, however, limited. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of tillage direction on soil, water, nitrogen and phosphorous losses and their uptake by plant in a rainfed wheat land. Field experiments were conducted in two tillage directions: downslope tillage and contour line tillage with four fertilization treatments: control, urea, triple superphosphate, and urea + triple superphosphate at the field plots with 1.75 m ´ 8 m in dimensions by using the randomized completely block design at three replications in Zanjan Township during 2014-2015. According to the results, Significant differences were found between the two tillage practices in soil loss (P < 0.001), water loss (P < 0.001), nitrogen loss soil loss (P < 0.001), and nitrogen uptake by wheat grain (P < 0.001), while phosphorous loss and its uptake did not show any statistically significant difference. Soil and water loss in the downslope tilled plots was 1.65 and 2.50 times higher than the contour line tillage, respectively. Nitrogen loss in the downslope tilled plots was 1.29 times more than that in the contour line tilled plots. Nitrogen loss in the plots was attributed to soil and water loss, so significant relationships were observed between nitrogen loss and soil loss (R2 = 0.59)
and water loss (R2 = 0.55). This study, therefore, revealed that the tillage direction is an important factor controlling runoff, soil loss, and nitrogen loss and its uptake by wheat in the rainfed lands of semi-arid regions. Application of the contour tillage is, therefore, the first step to conserve soil and water and to improve soil productivity in these regions.
N. Sadeghian, A. Vaezi, A. Majnooni Heris,
Volume 24, Issue 1 (Spring 2020)
Abstract
Few studies have been done regarding the role of the raindrop in the hydrodinamic mechanism of soil erosion. In this study, rainfall simulation experiments were conducted to evaluate the role of raindrop in runoff discharge, sediment concentration and hydraulic properties of flow under four slope gradients (5, 10, 15 and 20%) in a clay soil using a 90 mm.h-1 rainfall intensity to reach the steady state flow. Soil sample was packed into the erosion flume with 0.3m× 0.4m × 4 m in dimensions and tested under two soil surface conditions: one with raindrop impact and one without raindrop impact. The results showed that runoff discharge, sediment concentration, flow depth, shear stress, stream power, Reynolds number and runoff velocity under without raindrop impact condition were significantly lower than those in the condition with the raindrop impact with a factor of 0.62 to 3.54, 0.08 to 11.83, 0.91 to 0.96, 0.26 to 3.25, 0.52 to 4.45, and 0.36 to 3.27, 0.23 to 0.79 times, respectively; on the other hand, the Darcy Wysbach, Chezy and Manning coefficients were increased significantly under without raindrop impact (P<0.01). Flow velocity was the key hydraulic parameter strongly affecting the hydraulic properties. These findings indicated the importance of raindrop impact in the detachment rate of soil particles through the change of the hydraulic characteristics. This study also revealed the key role of raindrop impact on the runoff hydraulic characteristics, as well as particle detachments rate in rills. Information about the role of raindrop impact is a substantial step in modeling the rill erosion. Therefore, elimination of raindrops impact, especially in the steep slopes, with the conservation of natural vegetation cover can sufficiently prevent runoff production as well as the particle detachment rate.
A. R. Vaezi, Kh. Sahandi, N. Sadeghian,
Volume 24, Issue 2 (Summer 2020)
Abstract
In semi-arid regions, soils are weakly aggregated and subjected to water erosion processes especially rill and interrill erosion. There is no information on the rate of these water erosion types in semi-arid soils located in the hillslopes. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the soils susceptibility to these erosion types in semi-arid region. A laboratory experiment was done in eight soil textures using in a 0.6 m × 1 m flume a simulated rainfall with 50 mm.h-1 in intensity for 60 min. Rill and interrill erosion rate was measured using soil loss amount per flume area and rainfall duration. Based on the results, both rill and interrill erosion rate were significantly varied among the soils textures (P<0.001). Silt loam was the most susceptible soil to rill erosion (0.22 g m-2 sec-1) and interrill erosion (0.15 g m-2 sec-1), whereas sand didn’t appear any soil loss by these water erosion types. The compression of soil loss resulted by rill and interrill erosion among the soil tectures showed that rill erosion rate for sandy clay loam, silt loam, loam and sandy loam was 3.2, 1.4, 1.1 and 2.8 times higher than interrill erosion rate, respectively. These differences were statistically significant. Silt content was the major factor controlling soil loss difference in these soils. This study revealed that the study semi-arid soils having higher silt content appears also higher rill erosion rate than interrill erosion rate.
A. Vaezi, E. Zarrinabadi, Y. Salehi,
Volume 25, Issue 3 (Fall 2021)
Abstract
The effective use of rainwater is a key issue in agricultural development in arid and semi-arid regions. The tillage system as an important soil management measure can affect the rainwater retention, soil moisture content, and in consequence crop yield in rainfed lands. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slope gradient and tillage direction on rainwater use efficiency (RWUE) in rainfed lands in Zanjan Province. The field experiment was performed in five slope gradients (12.6, 15.3, 17, 19.4, and 22%) and two tillage directions (along slope and on contour tillage) at two replications. Mass soil water content was determined at 5-day intervals and runoff was measured after rainfalls. Wheat grain yield was determined for each plot and RWUE was computed using the proportion of wheat grain yield and precipitation. Base on the results, runoff, soil moisture, wheat grain yield, and RWUE were affected by tillage directions, so that runoff in contour line tillage decreased about 6.4 times compared to along slope tillage and in consequence increased soil moisture, wheat grain yield, and RWUE about 8.7, 24.8, and 24.8%, respectively. Increasing runoff production in contour line tillage at steeper slopes was associated with a lower capacity of cultivated furrows that strongly declined soil water retention and negatively affected wheat grain yield and RWUE in the lands. This study revealed that the efficiency of the contour tillage in water retention and RWUE decreases in steeper slopes in rainfed lands.
A.r. Vaezi, E. Mohammadi,
Volume 25, Issue 4 (Winiter 2022)
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the temporal variations of runoff and rill erosion in various soil textures under different slope gradients. So, a laboratory experiment was set up in three soil textures (loam, clay loam, and sandy clay loam) and four slope gradients (5, 10, 15, and 20%) using the completely randomized design with three replications. Runoff production and rill erosion were measured at a flume with 4 m×0.32 m in dimensions using a simulated water flow with 0.5 lit min-1 in discharge during 30 min. Results indicated that runoff and rill erosion and their interaction were significantly affected by soil texture and slope gradient (P < 0.001). Significant relations were found between rill erosion and runoff both in three soils and four slope gradients, and the strongest relations were in loam (R2= 0.86) and 15% slope gradient (R2= 0.94). Runoff and rill erosion varied considerably in the soil textures and slope gradients during the experiment. A 10-min pick time was found for runoff and rill erosion. In contrast to runoff, rill erosion appeared an irregular and gradual increasing pattern during the experiment which was associated with the frequency of transportable soil particles. Clay loam had more sensitive particles due to a higher percentage of fine particles and weaker structure, and most of them were washed in early times, and finally, rill erosion was reached to a constant pattern. This study revealed that temporal variation patterns of runoff and rill erosion are influenced by soil type (texture and structure) and slope gradient.
