This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Manuel López-Vicente
Wageningen Environmental Research (WEnR/Alterra)

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 GIS analysis
0 soil water content
0 Cover crops
0 soil erosion modelling
0 Sediment connectivity

Fingerprints

Sediment connectivity
Cover crops
soil water content
GIS analysis
soil erosion modelling

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 30 June 2021 in Soil and Tillage Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Soil erosion plays an important role in C cycling at farm scale, especially in bare soil areas. In Mediterranean woody crops, temporary cover crops (CC) effectively reduce soil erosion and increase total and protected soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions. However, the effects of CC in olive groves on the preferential loss of organic carbon (Corg) fractions remains poorly understood. To address this issue, in four plots with seeded CC and two tilled plots (CT) in a Spanish olive grove, the unprotected and protected Corg fractions were measured in soil and sediments over the course of a hydrological year. The sediment/soil C enrichment ratios (ERSOC) were calculated, and results analysed considering the rainfall regimes of the site: dry (DS), heavy-rainy (HRS) and rainy (RS). Total, unprotected and protected Corg contents in the top 5 cm soil of CC plots were 46 %, 88.4 % and 28.5 %, respectively, higher than those of CT. 79.7 % and 70.3 % of the annual sediment yield (SY) was collected during December in CC and CT plots, respectively. Soil loss in CC plots (x¯ = 9.2 Mg ha–1 yr–1) was significantly lower (−55.6 %) than that in CT plots. Despite that the average eroded Corg was higher in the CT (x¯ = 222 kg C ha–1 yr–1) compared to CC (x¯ = 148 kg C ha–1 yr–1) plots differences were not significant due to the higher Corg concentration in the sediment from CC plots. The highest proportion of eroded Corg (44%–45%) corresponded to the physically protected fraction. The highest ERSOC (1.99 and 2.04 for CC and CT, respectively) was recorded in DS whereas the lowest was in the RS (0.90) and HRS (0.96) seasons. The mean ERSOC were of 1.00 and 0.92 in the CC and CT plots, with no significant difference. The fact that most of the SY was recorded in one month, when CC plants were not fully developed, might explain the ERSOC at 1, and why their presence did not modify it. This study demonstrates that CC favours greater total, unprotected and protected Corg fractions in the topsoil, promoting soil C sequestration. The asynchrony between the periods of full development of the CC plants and those with the highest rainfall erosivity prevented any selectiveness of the eroded Corg. Thus, fast-growing CC plant species with short life-cycles are recommended, as well as adequate management to promote self-seeding avoiding soil disturbance for seeding in erosion prone seasons.

ACS Style

M. López-Vicente; J.A. Gómez; G. Guzmán; J. Calero; R. García-Ruiz. The role of cover crops in the loss of protected and non-protected soil organic carbon fractions due to water erosion in a Mediterranean olive grove. Soil and Tillage Research 2021, 213, 105119 .

AMA Style

M. López-Vicente, J.A. Gómez, G. Guzmán, J. Calero, R. García-Ruiz. The role of cover crops in the loss of protected and non-protected soil organic carbon fractions due to water erosion in a Mediterranean olive grove. Soil and Tillage Research. 2021; 213 ():105119.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. López-Vicente; J.A. Gómez; G. Guzmán; J. Calero; R. García-Ruiz. 2021. "The role of cover crops in the loss of protected and non-protected soil organic carbon fractions due to water erosion in a Mediterranean olive grove." Soil and Tillage Research 213, no. : 105119.

Journal article
Published: 24 May 2021 in Agricultural Water Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Forest planting is a common practice in semi-arid sandy land restoration, but problems may appear associated with forest age like higher soil water consumption that threatens restoration program’s success. This study quantified the distribution and variation of soil water storage in a Pinus sylvestris (P. sylvestris) plantation under various stand ages (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years) along 0–1000 cm soil profile in the Mu Us sandy lands (North China). Results indicated that the 20-yr forests mainly consumed the soil water of the 0–200 cm depth soil profile, the 30-yr and 40-yr forests mainly consumed the soil water of the depth of 0–400 cm, whereas the oldest (50–60-yr) pines mainly consumed the soil water located at the deepest soil profile (500–700 cm). Variation of soil water storage (△SWS) was decreased with stand ages, reaching the minimum value in the 30–40-yr stands, and then gradually increased in the 50–60-yr stands. The △SWS was relatively uniform on the 50-yr and 60-yr stands. this pattern was associated with soil desiccation and soil-water depletion. The lower △SWS indicated lower soil water storage which was associated with soil desiccation and soil-water depletion. These findings proved that planted forest gradually aggravated soil water consumption along the increasing forest age, caused a serious soil water deficit in the 200–700 cm depth soil layer, which may be exceeding the water environmental carrying capacity. Therefore, we suggest that forest should be thinned on the periods with the highest △SWS, which would maintain long-term forest sustainability by minimizing soil desiccation for planted forest management in semi-arid sandy lands.

ACS Style

Ze Huang; Yu Liu; Kaiyang Qiu; Manuel López-Vicente; Weibo Shen; Gao-Lin Wu. Soil-water deficit in deep soil layers results from the planted forest in a semi-arid sandy land: Implications for sustainable agroforestry water management. Agricultural Water Management 2021, 254, 106985 .

AMA Style

Ze Huang, Yu Liu, Kaiyang Qiu, Manuel López-Vicente, Weibo Shen, Gao-Lin Wu. Soil-water deficit in deep soil layers results from the planted forest in a semi-arid sandy land: Implications for sustainable agroforestry water management. Agricultural Water Management. 2021; 254 ():106985.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ze Huang; Yu Liu; Kaiyang Qiu; Manuel López-Vicente; Weibo Shen; Gao-Lin Wu. 2021. "Soil-water deficit in deep soil layers results from the planted forest in a semi-arid sandy land: Implications for sustainable agroforestry water management." Agricultural Water Management 254, no. : 106985.

Journal article
Published: 17 May 2021 in Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Floods are a consequence of extreme rainfall events. Although surface runoff generation is the origin of discharge, flood research usually focuses on lowlands where the impact is higher. Runoff and sediment delivery at slope and pedon scale receiving much less attention in the effort to understand flood behaviour in time and space. This is especially relevant in areas where, due to climatic and hydrogeological conditions, streams are ephemeral, so-called dry rivers (“wadis”, "ramblas" or “barrancos”) that are widespread throughout the Mediterranean. This paper researches the relationship between water delivery at pedon and slope scale with dry river floods in Macizo del Caroig, Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Plots of 1x1, 1x2, 1x4, and 2x8 m located in the “El Teularet” Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Station were monitored from 2004 to 2014 to measure soil and water delivery. Rainfall and flow at the dry river Barranco de Benacancil were also monitored. Results show that runoff and sediment discharge were concentrated in few events during the 11 years of research. A single flood event was registered in the channel on September 28, 2009, however, the runoff was registered 160 times at the plots. Runoff discharge was dependent on the size of the plots, with larger plots yielding lower runoff discharge per unit area, suggesting short runoff-travel distance and duration. Three rainfall events contributed with 26% of the whole runoff discharge, and five achieved 56% of the runoff. We conclude that the runoff generated at the plot scale is disconnected from the main channel. From a spatial point of view, there is a decrease in runoff coefficient along the slope. From a temporal point of view, the runoff is concentrated in a few rainfall events. These results show that the runoff generated at plot and slope scale does not contribute to the floods except for rainfall events with more than 100 mm day-1. The disconnection of the runoff and sediment delivery is confirmed by the reduction in the runoff delivery at plot scale due to the control of the length of the plot (slope) on the runoff and sediment delivery.

ACS Style

Artemi Cerdà; Agata Novara; Pavel Dlapa; Manuel López-Vicente; Xavier Úbeda; Zorica Popović; Mulatie Mekonnen; Enric Terol; Saeid Janizadeh; Sonia Mbarki; Eduardo Saldanha-Vogelmann; Sajjad Hazrati; Srikanta Sannigrahi; Misagh Parhizkar; Antonio Giménez-Morera. Rainfall and water yield in Macizo del Caroig, Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Event runoff at plot scale during a rare flash flood at the Barranco de Benacancil. Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica 2021, 47, 95 -119.

AMA Style

Artemi Cerdà, Agata Novara, Pavel Dlapa, Manuel López-Vicente, Xavier Úbeda, Zorica Popović, Mulatie Mekonnen, Enric Terol, Saeid Janizadeh, Sonia Mbarki, Eduardo Saldanha-Vogelmann, Sajjad Hazrati, Srikanta Sannigrahi, Misagh Parhizkar, Antonio Giménez-Morera. Rainfall and water yield in Macizo del Caroig, Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Event runoff at plot scale during a rare flash flood at the Barranco de Benacancil. Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica. 2021; 47 (1):95-119.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Artemi Cerdà; Agata Novara; Pavel Dlapa; Manuel López-Vicente; Xavier Úbeda; Zorica Popović; Mulatie Mekonnen; Enric Terol; Saeid Janizadeh; Sonia Mbarki; Eduardo Saldanha-Vogelmann; Sajjad Hazrati; Srikanta Sannigrahi; Misagh Parhizkar; Antonio Giménez-Morera. 2021. "Rainfall and water yield in Macizo del Caroig, Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Event runoff at plot scale during a rare flash flood at the Barranco de Benacancil." Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica 47, no. 1: 95-119.

Preprint content
Published: 04 March 2021
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The ability of identifying –based on numerical analysis– disconnected areas –in terms of overland flow pathways– depends on the digital elevation model (DEM) resolution, type of flow accumulation algorithm and DEM accuracy. On the other hand, tillage practices (in lowlands) and terrain preparation (at any slope gradient) may condition the occurrence of permanent/ temporal disconnected areas. In this study, the effect of DEM resolution and the presence of a drainage ditch and forest trails on the number, location and characteristics of disconnected areas is evaluated in a steep (mean slope gradient of 29%) farmland area of the Spanish Pyrenees. A new vineyard plantation (3785 m2 and 5120 m2 including the transit area; espalier system) and its upslope drainage area are evaluated. This site is located near Barbenuta village (Huesca province), at high elevation (1184-1260 m a.s.l.). Abandoned terraced fields and patches of natural vegetation (trees and shrubs) occupy the upslope area, where several forest trails cross from east to west. To protect soil against water soil erosion, farmers built a drainage ditch (total length of 137 m; ca. 0.30 m width; ca. 0.15 m depth) upslope the vineyard boundary, which minimizes runoff entrance into the field. A professional drone (senseFly© eBee X) was used to obtain –after point cloud processing– Structure-from-Motion (SfM)-derived DEMs at different spatial resolution, namely: 1, 0.5, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.05 m. We used combined information of the DEMs before and after filling the local sinks. As expected, the number (n=34, 341, 1079, 1272 and 1907) and size (mean=500, 60, 21, 18 and 12 m2; median=68, 15, 5, 4 and 2 m2; σ=920, 178, 69, 71 and 49 m2) of sub-basins increased and decreased, respectively, with decreasing the pixel size, due to fractal geometry and higher influence of micro-topography components (e.g. soil roughness, random local sinks) –higher ratios of 'residual topography (σ of slope) / pixel size': 0.2 (at coarser resolution), 1.8, 20.3, 113.6 and 636.8 (at finer resolution)–. The total area also varied with the different DEMs: 17010, 20514, 22398, 22852 and 22807 m2. The number (n=21, 292, 903, 928 and 1283) and area (41, 143, 118, 58 and 44 m2) of disconnected areas increased and decreased, respectively, with decreasing the pixel size, representing 0.24%, 0.70%, 0.53%, 0.25% and 0.19% of the total drainage area. Similar differences were observed in other topographic metrics like the drainage-boundary perimeter and maximum flow length. These results prove the impossibility of defining a unique overland flow pattern. Further research should be focused on the role of runoff depth and how the effect of man-made landscape elements (drainage ditch, forest trail) and practices (tillage) on disconnectivity may depend on rainfall depth and intensity, and indirectly on plant growth.

ACS Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Joaquín Montenegro-Rodríguez; María Del Carmen Antolín; Yolanda Gogorcena. Overland flow (dis)connectivity in a new vineyard under steep slope conditions in the Spanish Pyrenees: Effect of DEM resolution and terrain preparation. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Manuel López-Vicente, Joaquín Montenegro-Rodríguez, María Del Carmen Antolín, Yolanda Gogorcena. Overland flow (dis)connectivity in a new vineyard under steep slope conditions in the Spanish Pyrenees: Effect of DEM resolution and terrain preparation. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Joaquín Montenegro-Rodríguez; María Del Carmen Antolín; Yolanda Gogorcena. 2021. "Overland flow (dis)connectivity in a new vineyard under steep slope conditions in the Spanish Pyrenees: Effect of DEM resolution and terrain preparation." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2020 in Agricultural Water Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Drought-tolerant forage crops have huge development potential in drylands taking into account the current global challenges (climate change, natural resources overexploitation and increasing food demand). However, little is known about the trade-off among yield, nutritional quality, and soil water consumption for dryland forage farming production in semi-arid regions. This research compared the two-year yield and soil water consumption characteristics of sweet sorghum (Sorghum dochna), sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense) and forage maize (Zea mays) under natural rainfall condition. The soil water content up to 200 cm soil depth –at 10-cm intervals– and dry matter yield of the different forage crops were evaluated in a set of plots in 2017 and 2018, and the nutritional quality of these crops were measured in 2018. Three replicate plots were established for each forage crop. Results showed that the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of sudangrass were significantly lower than those of sweet sorghum and forage maize (P < 0.05). Sudangrass presented the higher in vitro dry matter digestibility coefficient (IVDMD). The yield of sweet sorghum was significantly higher than that of sudangrass and forage maize. Different soil water consumption patterns were observed among the forage crops, happening mostly in the 0–150 cm soil layer in the forage maize plots, and in the 0–100 cm soil layer in the sweet sorghum and sudangrass plots. The average daily evapotranspiration (ETd) of forage maize was about 10 % and 15 % higher than that of sweet sorghum and sudangrass, respectively. Forage sorghum presented the highest yield, less soil water consumption, and similar nutritional quality to forage maize, and thus, it is an advisable option for forage production in the soil water-limited semi-arid regions.

ACS Style

Ze Huang; David Dunkerley; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. Trade-offs of dryland forage production and soil water consumption in a semi-arid area. Agricultural Water Management 2020, 241, 106349 .

AMA Style

Ze Huang, David Dunkerley, Manuel López-Vicente, Gao-Lin Wu. Trade-offs of dryland forage production and soil water consumption in a semi-arid area. Agricultural Water Management. 2020; 241 ():106349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ze Huang; David Dunkerley; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. 2020. "Trade-offs of dryland forage production and soil water consumption in a semi-arid area." Agricultural Water Management 241, no. : 106349.

Journal article
Published: 26 October 2020 in Journal of Environmental Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Forest fires and post-fire management practices (PFMP) cause changes in the hydrological response of a hillslope. This study evaluates the effect of log erosion barriers (LB) and Easy-Barriers® (EB) on the spatial patterns and values of structural sediment connectivity (SC) in a Mediterranean mountainous pine forest affected by an arson fire in August 2017. A drone flight was done in July 2019 (23 months after the fire and 11 months after the PFMP) to obtain a high-resolution orthomosaic and DEM (at 0.05 m). Two contrasted areas, with and without PFMP, were selected along the same hillslope and 26 small basins were identified: 16 in the treated area (mean area, slope and vegetation recovery of 916 m2, 60% and 25%; with 94 LB and 39 EB) and 10 in the untreated area (1952 m2, 75% and 20%). The aggregated index of sediment connectivity (AIC) was chosen to compute SC in three temporal scenarios: Before and just after the fire and when all PFMP were implemented including the incipient vegetation recovery. Output normalization allowed the comparison of the non-nested basins among them. After accounting the intrinsic differences among the basins and areas, and the temporal changes of SC between the three scenarios, the contribution of the barriers was estimated in 27% from the total decrease of SC in the treated area (−8.5%). The remaining 73% was explained by the vegetation recovery. The effectiveness of the LB (11.3% on average) and EB (13.4%) did not diminish with increasing slope gradients. These percentages become relevant considering the small area affected by the LB (2.8%) and EB (1.3%). Independent metrics (convergence index, flow width, flat areas and LS factor) also reported clear differences between the two areas –higher soil erosive intensity in the untreated area– and in accordance with the AIC results.

ACS Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Henk Kramer; Saskia Keesstra. Effectiveness of soil erosion barriers to reduce sediment connectivity at small basin scale in a fire-affected forest. Journal of Environmental Management 2020, 278, 111510 .

AMA Style

Manuel López-Vicente, Henk Kramer, Saskia Keesstra. Effectiveness of soil erosion barriers to reduce sediment connectivity at small basin scale in a fire-affected forest. Journal of Environmental Management. 2020; 278 ():111510.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Henk Kramer; Saskia Keesstra. 2020. "Effectiveness of soil erosion barriers to reduce sediment connectivity at small basin scale in a fire-affected forest." Journal of Environmental Management 278, no. : 111510.

Preprint content
Published: 01 October 2020
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Topsoil desiccation alters soil physical characteristics and seriously limits plant growth in semi-arid and arid areas. The phenomenon of dried soil layer has generated increasing attention, but the process of preferential flow through decayed root channels – when the plants decompose after death – and its benefits on soil water supply in the soil dry layers are rarely evaluated. This study examines the effects of root channels on soil infiltrability in three contrasted vegetation types developed in a loessial soil, namely: Scrubland (Caragana korshinskii), fruit tree plantation (Armeniaca vulgaris) and grassland (Medicago sativa; using data from a previous study); setting bare land as control. The infiltration rates of the alive and decayed specimens were measured using a double-ring infiltrometer, and methylene blue allowed us to trace the pathways of water flow. Results indicated that scrubland species had the highest steady infiltration rates, which were about 23 % and 83 % higher than those rates measured in the fruit tree plantation and grasslands, respectively. Regarding root geometry, the steady infiltration rates were significantly and positively correlated with the average root channel diameter (ARCD) and area (RCA). Under the same root diameter conditions, soil water infiltrability significantly improved in the decayed root plots and compared with the alive root plots. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the effects of root channels of different degraded vegetation types on soil moisture and infiltrability, which are conductive to provide knowledge base in the research of hydrological processes in degraded soils in water-scarce regions.

ACS Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Manuel López‐Vicente; Ze Huang; Zeng Cui; Yu Liu. Preferential water flow through decayed root channels enhances soil water infiltration: Evaluation in distinct vegetation types under semi-arid conditions. 2020, 2020, 1 -22.

AMA Style

Gao-Lin Wu, Manuel López‐Vicente, Ze Huang, Zeng Cui, Yu Liu. Preferential water flow through decayed root channels enhances soil water infiltration: Evaluation in distinct vegetation types under semi-arid conditions. . 2020; 2020 ():1-22.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Manuel López‐Vicente; Ze Huang; Zeng Cui; Yu Liu. 2020. "Preferential water flow through decayed root channels enhances soil water infiltration: Evaluation in distinct vegetation types under semi-arid conditions." 2020, no. : 1-22.

Journal article
Published: 16 July 2020 in Land
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Cover crops (CCs) minimize the loss of soil in permanent cropping systems where the soil is usually bare due to intense tillage or overuse of herbicides. The topsoil, the richer layer in soil organic carbon and organic matter (OM), is affected by water erosion. Nature-based solutions appear as a suitable option for sustainable farming. In this study, the effectiveness of two years of CC management to reduce the OM loss is evaluated in a rainfed vineyard in a rolling landscape (Huesca, NE Spain). Two sediment traps collected runoff over 15 months. Topsoil OM contents (1.64% and 1.60%) and sediment/soil OM enrichment ratio (2.61 and 3.07) were similar. However, the average annual rate of OM loss was 3.6 times higher in the plot with lower vegetation cover than in the plot with CCs (1.29 vs. 0.35 kgOM ha−1 yr−1). The concentration of OMSed showed a negative relationship with the net soil loss; and significant differences appeared between the OMSed in the months with low and moderate-to-high ground cover. CCs are an excellent nature-based solution to control the unsustainable soil and OM losses measured in vineyards, which will contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

ACS Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Elena Calvo-Seas; Sara Álvarez; Artemi Cerdà. Effectiveness of Cover Crops to Reduce Loss of Soil Organic Matter in a Rainfed Vineyard. Land 2020, 9, 230 .

AMA Style

Manuel López-Vicente, Elena Calvo-Seas, Sara Álvarez, Artemi Cerdà. Effectiveness of Cover Crops to Reduce Loss of Soil Organic Matter in a Rainfed Vineyard. Land. 2020; 9 (7):230.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Elena Calvo-Seas; Sara Álvarez; Artemi Cerdà. 2020. "Effectiveness of Cover Crops to Reduce Loss of Soil Organic Matter in a Rainfed Vineyard." Land 9, no. 7: 230.

Journal article
Published: 16 July 2020 in CATENA
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Afforestation reduces soil loss and minimizes landslide risk worldwide, but little is known on the effectiveness of afforestation policies to control soil erosion with different vegetation types in semi-arid areas. Understanding the effectiveness of distinct re-vegetation types under different physiographic conditions (slope gradient, percentage of vegetation cover and rainfall depth) is essential for better policy formulation. This study examines the benefits of soil erosion control in forests and grasslands using published data. This analysis proves that the benefits of vegetation restoration increase with increasing the vegetation cover and tend to be stable when the coverage exceeds 60%. The benefits on sediment yield reduction are more sensitive (vs. runoff reduction benefit) to rainfall intensity. Regarding slopes and soil erosion control, the highest efficiencies appear in forests on 20–25° slopes and in grasslands on 15–20° slopes. Grasslands can effectively reduce soil erosion, as well as forests with understory grasses. For long-term restoration, a 60% vegetation cover maximizes the benefits of reducing soil erosion and maintaining enough soil water supply that prevents possible soil drought. We propose that future afforestation policies should evaluate in advance the appropriate re-vegetation type; meanwhile, suitable vegetation coverage and local physiographic conditions should be considered. Importantly, promotion of grassland and preservation of forest understory grasses must be enforced in land use policies when considering afforestation to minimize soil erosion. We suggest further research to quantify the efficiency of understory vegetation on soil erosion control, which might provide scientific and practical guidance for afforestation policy in semi-arid areas.

ACS Style

Yi-Fan Liu; Yu Liu; Zhi-Hua Shi; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. Effectiveness of re-vegetated forest and grassland on soil erosion control in the semi-arid Loess Plateau. CATENA 2020, 195, 104787 .

AMA Style

Yi-Fan Liu, Yu Liu, Zhi-Hua Shi, Manuel López-Vicente, Gao-Lin Wu. Effectiveness of re-vegetated forest and grassland on soil erosion control in the semi-arid Loess Plateau. CATENA. 2020; 195 ():104787.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Fan Liu; Yu Liu; Zhi-Hua Shi; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. 2020. "Effectiveness of re-vegetated forest and grassland on soil erosion control in the semi-arid Loess Plateau." CATENA 195, no. : 104787.

Journal article
Published: 15 May 2020 in CATENA
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Agroforestry is an effective measure to control soil erosion and maintain or increase productivity in semi-arid areas. However, the belowground soil water responses in the afforestation-cropland interface (ACI) is not well known. This study analyzed the variability of soil water storage (SWS) and deficit in three ACIs taking into account the distance between the forest and cropland. The variations of soil water content up to 4 m depth and at five distances from the interface (−5 m (in forest), 0 m (interface), 1 m, 3 m and 5 m (in cropland)) were estimated in three artificial forests (Salix matsudana, Sophora japonica, and Populus cathayana) and their adjacent croplands (maize). The results showed that soil water at the interfaces was significantly affected by forest. This effect was effective up to 160–170 cm of soil depth, and the ACI of S. matsudana had the greatest impact on the farmland soil water. There was no significant relative soil water deficit between 1 and 3 m length, and the ACI of P. cathayana showed the lowest changes in the lateral direction. The SWS of S. japonica in the ACI was clearly higher than the other two artificial forests (P < 0.05). Our findings indicated that S. japonica was the most suitable forest species for agriculture sustainability in the study area. The tree species and the distance between cropland and forest should be considered during the establishment of agroforestry systems. This study provided insights for water conservation and effective management of ACIs in semi-arid areas.

ACS Style

Ze Huang; Wen-Jin Yang; Yu Liu; Weibo Shen; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. Belowground soil water response in the afforestation-cropland interface under semi-arid conditions. CATENA 2020, 193, 104660 .

AMA Style

Ze Huang, Wen-Jin Yang, Yu Liu, Weibo Shen, Manuel López-Vicente, Gao-Lin Wu. Belowground soil water response in the afforestation-cropland interface under semi-arid conditions. CATENA. 2020; 193 ():104660.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ze Huang; Wen-Jin Yang; Yu Liu; Weibo Shen; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. 2020. "Belowground soil water response in the afforestation-cropland interface under semi-arid conditions." CATENA 193, no. : 104660.

Journal article
Published: 12 May 2020 in Geoderma
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Ecological restoration of sandy inland ecosystems is important for achieving global sustainability. In the world’s semi-arid regions, soil crusts play crucial roles in maintaining ecosystem functioning. However, the true extent of soil quality improvement during the development of crusts is an issue not solved. In this study, four development stages of natural soil crusts, i.e., physical crusts (PC), biocrusts (BC), litter covered biocrusts (LBC) and litter crusts (LC) were selected in a semi-arid sandy ecosystem, along with a bare sandy land (BSL) as control area, to evaluate soil physicochemical properties at different soil depths. The coverage of litter (mainly leaves of Populus simonii) increased soil moisture and reduced soil bulk density. Compared with BC, the content of total soil organic matter (SOM) decreased in LBC by 13.83% and increased in LC by 36.57%. In contrast with BC, LC promoted a significant increase in soil nutrients, such as total nitrogen (30.30%), total phosphorus (46.89%) and available potassium (34.40%) in the topsoil layer (0–2 cm). Besides, LC contained higher clay and silt contents (10.47% and 29.81%) and lower sand content (−1.02%) than BC. In the 0–10 cm soil layer, the D (fractal dimension of the soil particle size distribution) of LC was the largest, with a value 5.71%, 6.1%, 2.44% and 0.93% higher than D in BSL, PC, BC and LBC, respectively. These findings reveal that litter covering facilitate the disintegration of BC, which further forms LC, and these processes clearly promote the enhancement of soil quality under sandy semi-arid conditions. Our findings are particularly important for predicting the transformation processes of sandy soil crusts and are of interest in ecological restoration programs.

ACS Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Meng-Qi Zhang; Yu Liu; Manuel López-Vicente. Litter cover promotes biocrust decomposition and surface soil functions in sandy ecosystem. Geoderma 2020, 374, 114429 .

AMA Style

Gao-Lin Wu, Meng-Qi Zhang, Yu Liu, Manuel López-Vicente. Litter cover promotes biocrust decomposition and surface soil functions in sandy ecosystem. Geoderma. 2020; 374 ():114429.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Meng-Qi Zhang; Yu Liu; Manuel López-Vicente. 2020. "Litter cover promotes biocrust decomposition and surface soil functions in sandy ecosystem." Geoderma 374, no. : 114429.

Journal article
Published: 11 May 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Forest fires and post-fire practices influence the hydrological response of the soil in terms of runoff and sediment connectivity (SC). In this study, the ability of four indices (IC-Borselli, IC-Cavalli, IC-Persichillo and aggregated index of connectivity (AIC)) to assess SC was evaluated in three Mediterranean headwater sub-catchments (66, 143 and 194 ha) affected by an arson fire in 2012. Three temporal scenarios (before the fire, one year after the fire and two years after the fire including post-fire practices (salvage logging, skid trails and check dams)) and two computation targets (streams: hillslope–channel SC; and check-dams: hillslope–outlet SC) were considered, obtaining 66 maps of SC at fine spatial resolution (2 m of cell size). Burn severity classes were estimated using Landsat-7 imagery and the dNBR index. The indices' output analysis included geomorphic (landscape units), mathematic (significance, percentiles and frequency distribution), fire (burn severity classes and unburnt areas) and sedimentological (measured specific sediment yield - SSY) criteria. The IC-Borselli and AIC were the most responsive approaches to the effects of fire on SC at catchment scale, whereas the IC-Persichillo was the most sensitive index to the increasing burn severities. The overlay between the fire severities and the geomorphic features appeared as a key aspect to understand the hydrological response at both the stream-system and outlet targets. We found a good and positive agreement between the measured SSY in the three check-dams and the changes in the estimated SCOUTLET due to the fire, especially with the IC-Borselli and AIC. For a better implementation of post-fire programs, we recommend SCOUTLET maps –from AIC– to assess sediment transport in streams, which is dominated by the deposition process, and SCSTREAM maps –from IC-Borselli and AIC– to place sediment control measures at hillslopes for intense rainfall events when effective sediment transport happens.

ACS Style

Manuel López-Vicente; J. González-Romero; M.E. Lucas-Borja. Forest fire effects on sediment connectivity in headwater sub-catchments: Evaluation of indices performance. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 732, 139206 .

AMA Style

Manuel López-Vicente, J. González-Romero, M.E. Lucas-Borja. Forest fire effects on sediment connectivity in headwater sub-catchments: Evaluation of indices performance. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 732 ():139206.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel López-Vicente; J. González-Romero; M.E. Lucas-Borja. 2020. "Forest fire effects on sediment connectivity in headwater sub-catchments: Evaluation of indices performance." Science of The Total Environment 732, no. : 139206.

Journal article
Published: 21 March 2020 in Agricultural Water Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Surface water infiltration is an important process to meet plant water needs and an important part of the hydrological cycle via groundwater recharge, with special relevance in semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the relationships between grassland plant root morphological characteristics and soil water infiltration rates (IR: initial, steady and average). For this purpose, five artificial homogeneous grasslands (Melilotus suaveolens, Medicago sativa, Panicum virgatum, Bromus inermis and Miscanthus sinensis) without irrigation or fertilization were studied in the Loess Plateau. The observed steady IR were significantly different between the 1-year grasslands: M. suaveolens > M. sativa > P. virgatum > B. inermis > M. sinensis. The root length density and root surface area were negatively correlated with the average, initial and steady IR at different soil depths (p < 0.05). However, the root volume did not significantly influence IR. The stepwise multiple regression determined that the main factors controlling IR were the root length density at the depth of 5−30 cm and root surface area at the depth of 10−20 cm. Our results provide insight into the influence of grassland root morphological characteristics on water infiltration in drylands and are of interest for soil water supply programs in forage production.

ACS Style

Yu Liu; Lei Guo; Ze Huang; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. Root morphological characteristics and soil water infiltration capacity in semi-arid artificial grassland soils. Agricultural Water Management 2020, 235, 106153 .

AMA Style

Yu Liu, Lei Guo, Ze Huang, Manuel López-Vicente, Gao-Lin Wu. Root morphological characteristics and soil water infiltration capacity in semi-arid artificial grassland soils. Agricultural Water Management. 2020; 235 ():106153.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yu Liu; Lei Guo; Ze Huang; Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu. 2020. "Root morphological characteristics and soil water infiltration capacity in semi-arid artificial grassland soils." Agricultural Water Management 235, no. : 106153.

Review
Published: 07 January 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The application of ecological restoration programs, related to water resources protection and soil erosion control, may have some undesirable outcomes. An important example is the effect that vegetation restoration may have in reducing surface water resources. After searching peer-reviewed articles, we selected 38 publications from 16 countries in comparable areas - semiarid conditions (aridity index 50% and fine soil texture - to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of vegetation (i.e., forestland, scrubland and grassland) in regulating runoff and sediment transport. In particular, we used three indices: the runoff reduction effect, the sediment reduction effect and the ratio between runoff and sediment reduction. These indices were calculated from measured data reported in the original articles. Results showed that scrubland had higher runoff reduction effect (59% in gentle slopes; 65% in steep slopes) than in grassland (39% on gentle slopes; 43% on steep slopes) and forestland (33% on gentle slopes; 51% on steep slopes). For the three types of vegetation, the sediment reduction effect was >70%. Concerning the ratios between runoff and sediment reduction, grassland showed the lowest ratios (56% on gentle slopes; 53% on steep slopes) compared to forestland (63% on gentle slopes; 65% on steep slopes) and scrubland (93% on gentle slopes; 81% on steep slopes). Our results indicate that low values of ratios between runoff and sediment reduction are the most suitable because they indicate an effective soil erosion and sediment delivery reduction but maintaining surface runoff. Overall, our study demonstrates that grassland may be the best choice for optimizing the trade-off between catchment water yield and soil conservation during the implementation of ecological restoration programs in semi-arid regions.

ACS Style

Yi-Fan Liu; David Dunkerley; Manuel López-Vicente; Zhi-Hua Shi; Gao-Lin Wu. Trade-off between surface runoff and soil erosion during the implementation of ecological restoration programs in semiarid regions: A meta-analysis. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 712, 136477 .

AMA Style

Yi-Fan Liu, David Dunkerley, Manuel López-Vicente, Zhi-Hua Shi, Gao-Lin Wu. Trade-off between surface runoff and soil erosion during the implementation of ecological restoration programs in semiarid regions: A meta-analysis. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 712 ():136477.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Fan Liu; David Dunkerley; Manuel López-Vicente; Zhi-Hua Shi; Gao-Lin Wu. 2020. "Trade-off between surface runoff and soil erosion during the implementation of ecological restoration programs in semiarid regions: A meta-analysis." Science of The Total Environment 712, no. : 136477.

Review article
Published: 01 January 2020 in Air, Soil and Water Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Transdisciplinary approaches that provide holistic views are essential to properly understand soil processes and the importance of soil to society and will be crucial in the future to integrate distinct disciplines into soil studies. A myriad of challenges faces soil science at the beginning of the 2020s. The main aim of this overview is to assess past achievements and current challenges regarding soil threats such as erosion and soil contamination related to different United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) including (1) sustainable food production, (2) ensure healthy lives and reduce environmental risks (SDG3), (3) ensure water availability (SDG6), and (4) enhanced soil carbon sequestration because of climate change (SDG13). Twenty experts from different disciplines related to soil sciences offer perspectives on important research directions. Special attention must be paid to some concerns such as (1) effective soil conservation strategies; (2) new computational technologies, models, and in situ measurements that will bring new insights to in-soil process at spatiotemporal scales, their relationships, dynamics, and thresholds; (3) impacts of human activities, wildfires, and climate change on soil microorganisms and thereby on biogeochemical cycles and water relationships; (4) microplastics as a new potential pollutant; (5) the development of green technologies for soil rehabilitation; and (6) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by simultaneous soil carbon sequestration and reduction in nitrous oxide emission. Manuscripts on topics such as these are particularly welcomed in Air, Soil and Water Research.

ACS Style

Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Manuel López-Vicente; Vinod Kumar; Andrés Rodríguez-Seijo; Orsolya Valkó; Claudia Rojas; Hamid Reza Pourghasemi; Luca Salvati; Noura Bakr; Emmanuelle Vaudour; Eric C Brevik; Maja Radziemska; Manuel Pulido; Simone Di Prima; Marta Dondini; Wim De Vries; Erika S Santos; Maria De Lourdes Mendonça-Santos; Yang Yu; Panos Panagos. Soil Science Challenges in a New Era: A Transdisciplinary Overview of Relevant Topics. Air, Soil and Water Research 2020, 13, 1 .

AMA Style

Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Manuel López-Vicente, Vinod Kumar, Andrés Rodríguez-Seijo, Orsolya Valkó, Claudia Rojas, Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Luca Salvati, Noura Bakr, Emmanuelle Vaudour, Eric C Brevik, Maja Radziemska, Manuel Pulido, Simone Di Prima, Marta Dondini, Wim De Vries, Erika S Santos, Maria De Lourdes Mendonça-Santos, Yang Yu, Panos Panagos. Soil Science Challenges in a New Era: A Transdisciplinary Overview of Relevant Topics. Air, Soil and Water Research. 2020; 13 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Manuel López-Vicente; Vinod Kumar; Andrés Rodríguez-Seijo; Orsolya Valkó; Claudia Rojas; Hamid Reza Pourghasemi; Luca Salvati; Noura Bakr; Emmanuelle Vaudour; Eric C Brevik; Maja Radziemska; Manuel Pulido; Simone Di Prima; Marta Dondini; Wim De Vries; Erika S Santos; Maria De Lourdes Mendonça-Santos; Yang Yu; Panos Panagos. 2020. "Soil Science Challenges in a New Era: A Transdisciplinary Overview of Relevant Topics." Air, Soil and Water Research 13, no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 30 December 2019 in Land Degradation & Development
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Zhi‐Qiang Dang; Ze Huang; Fu‐Ping Tian; Yu Liu; Manuel López‐Vicente; Gao‐Lin Wu. Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration. Land Degradation & Development 2019, 31, 1078 -1085.

AMA Style

Zhi‐Qiang Dang, Ze Huang, Fu‐Ping Tian, Yu Liu, Manuel López‐Vicente, Gao‐Lin Wu. Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration. Land Degradation & Development. 2019; 31 (9):1078-1085.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhi‐Qiang Dang; Ze Huang; Fu‐Ping Tian; Yu Liu; Manuel López‐Vicente; Gao‐Lin Wu. 2019. "Five‐year soil moisture response of typical cultivated grasslands in a semiarid area: Implications for vegetation restoration." Land Degradation & Development 31, no. 9: 1078-1085.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2019 in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Ze Huang; Yi-Fan Liu; Zeng Cui; Yu Liu; Xiaofeng Chang; Fu-Ping Tian; Manuel López-Vicente; Zhi-Hua Shi. Soil water response of plant functional groups along an artificial legume grassland succession under semi-arid conditions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 2019, 278, 1 .

AMA Style

Gao-Lin Wu, Ze Huang, Yi-Fan Liu, Zeng Cui, Yu Liu, Xiaofeng Chang, Fu-Ping Tian, Manuel López-Vicente, Zhi-Hua Shi. Soil water response of plant functional groups along an artificial legume grassland succession under semi-arid conditions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 2019; 278 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao-Lin Wu; Ze Huang; Yi-Fan Liu; Zeng Cui; Yu Liu; Xiaofeng Chang; Fu-Ping Tian; Manuel López-Vicente; Zhi-Hua Shi. 2019. "Soil water response of plant functional groups along an artificial legume grassland succession under semi-arid conditions." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 278, no. : 1.

Editorial
Published: 17 September 2019 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This special issue includes six articles that cover a variety of issues about the topic of soil and water conservation in agricultural systems, including the following: a bibliometric analysis of soil and water conservation in the Loess Region of China; regarding croplands, one study evaluated the influence of vegetation covers on topsoil moisture and the effect of physiographic conditions on sediment yield in Spanish vineyards; another study evaluated the influence of plant age on soil water depletion in alfalfa pastures in the Tibet Autonomous Region; in a Chinese forest plantation, the effect of plant age and species on soil bulk density and pH was evaluated, and the most suitable afforestation species and stand age recommended to harvest maximum benefits were determined; regarding water pollution, a study evaluated soil water dynamics during two fallow years and three barley crop seasons in Spain and estimated the effect of the applied fertilizer (slurries or minerals) on nitrate leaching; and finally, another study identified the key information, including heavy metals, for water conservation in the border areas of the Syr Darya River in Kazakhstan. The proper use of soil and water resources is necessary to ensure the future well-being of humans and of the environment.

ACS Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu; López- Vicente; Wu. Soil and Water Conservation in Agricultural and Forestry Systems. Water 2019, 11, 1937 .

AMA Style

Manuel López-Vicente, Gao-Lin Wu, López- Vicente, Wu. Soil and Water Conservation in Agricultural and Forestry Systems. Water. 2019; 11 (9):1937.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel López-Vicente; Gao-Lin Wu; López- Vicente; Wu. 2019. "Soil and Water Conservation in Agricultural and Forestry Systems." Water 11, no. 9: 1937.

Journal article
Published: 13 August 2019 in Land Degradation & Development
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Yu Liu; Rui‐Qi Zhang; Ze Huang; Zhen Cheng; Manuel López‐Vicente; Xiao‐Rong Ma; Gao‐Lin Wu. Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem. Land Degradation & Development 2019, 30, 2177 -2186.

AMA Style

Yu Liu, Rui‐Qi Zhang, Ze Huang, Zhen Cheng, Manuel López‐Vicente, Xiao‐Rong Ma, Gao‐Lin Wu. Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem. Land Degradation & Development. 2019; 30 (18):2177-2186.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yu Liu; Rui‐Qi Zhang; Ze Huang; Zhen Cheng; Manuel López‐Vicente; Xiao‐Rong Ma; Gao‐Lin Wu. 2019. "Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem." Land Degradation & Development 30, no. 18: 2177-2186.

Journal article
Published: 30 July 2019 in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is undergoing serious water and soil conservation problem resulted from grassland degradation, that is not conductive to the sustainability of grassland ecologicla function and agriculture productivity. The soil infiltrability has significance in reducing runoff yield and soil loss. However, characterization of the soil infiltration capacity of planted grasslands, such as alfalfa (Medicago Sativa), with different growing years in this high-altitude alpine region is still lacking. In this study, the variation of soil infiltration rate and characteristics were analyzed in alfalfa grasslands with three growth years (two-, four- and seven-year-old). A corn cropland was used as the control field, and the infiltration was monitored using the automatic soil infiltrability measurement system. To determine the influence factors on infiltration rate (IR), soil characteristics and root dry weight density (RDWD) at 0–30 cm soil depth were measured. The results indicated that the comprehensive index of soil water infiltration capacity (FIR) of the seven-year-old alfalfa grassland (0.69) was the highest, followed by the two- (0.05) and four-year-old (0.11) grasslands, being these values significantly higher than that of the corn field (-0.85, P < 0.05). SWC was positively correlated with IR during the fast infiltration stage (IR-I). The soil bulk density and organic matter were negatively correlated with IR, while RDWD was positively related to IR. Our results showed that alfalfa planting improved soil infiltrability, and this upgrade increased with the age growth. This study provided significant information to introduce soil-erosion-control practices for alpine soil and highlights the importance of ecological function of planted grasslands in alpine area of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

ACS Style

Ze Huang; Lei Sun; Yu Liu; Yi-Fan Liu; Manuel López-Vicente; Xue-Hong Wei; Gao-Lin Wu. Alfalfa planting significantly improved alpine soil water infiltrability in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 2019, 285, 106606 .

AMA Style

Ze Huang, Lei Sun, Yu Liu, Yi-Fan Liu, Manuel López-Vicente, Xue-Hong Wei, Gao-Lin Wu. Alfalfa planting significantly improved alpine soil water infiltrability in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 2019; 285 ():106606.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ze Huang; Lei Sun; Yu Liu; Yi-Fan Liu; Manuel López-Vicente; Xue-Hong Wei; Gao-Lin Wu. 2019. "Alfalfa planting significantly improved alpine soil water infiltrability in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 285, no. : 106606.