Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effect of a hedgerow agroforestry system on the soil properties of sloping cultivated lands in the Three-Gorges area in China 

Author(s):

Wenxing Lu, Hongjiang Zhang *, Jinhua Cheng, Yuhe Wu, Haiyan Wang, Jianqiang Li, Wei Wang

Recieved Date: 2012-06-29, Accepted Date: 2012-10-04

Abstract:

The Three-Gorges area in China comprises large sloping cultivated lands with stressed soil as well as nutrient deficits, which lead to reduced grain yield, reservoir sedimentation, and eutrophication. To investigate the effect of a hedgerow agroforestry system on the soil properties of these cultivated lands, 12 runoff plots were setup in 2006. Four treatments (intercropping with different tree species of Zanthoxylum acanthopodium var. timbor, Amorpha fruticosa, and Alternanthera sessilis, as well as maize only) were applied in triplicate. Spatial variability was observed among the soil physicalproperties and nutrients across the slope of hedgerow plots. The highest spatial variability occurred next to the hedges, followed by the upper and lower side of barriers, and then in the center of the middle slope alley. The control plots showed gradually increasing soil physical properties and nutrients along the slope. The soil physical properties and nutrients were significantly improved; the anti-erodibility and anti-scouribility were significantly strengthened; and the runoff, sediment, and nutrient loss of the sloping cultivated lands were significantly reduced after planting hedgerows. The area adjacent to the plots of A. fruticosa hedges showed the highest soil anti-erodibility indices (79.2%), followed by those adjacent to the Z. acanthopodium var. timbor, A. sessilis hedgerow (18.9% and 15.3%), and control (8.7%) plots. The soil anti-scouribility next to the hedges in the three hedgerow treatments of Z. acanthopodium var. timbor, A. fruticosa, and A. sessilis (80.76, 61.11, and 70.83 L·min·g^-1, respectively) were significantly higher than those next to the control plots (40.39 L·min·g^-1). Compared with the control plots, the sediment loss of the three hedgerow plots decreased by 140.07-172.43 t·hm^-2 within 5 years; runoff decreased by 55.07-76.66%; and the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, as well as total potassium losses decreased by 10.92-35.21%, 45.45-72.73%, and 22.00-47.39%, respectively. Positive effects on the soil physical properties, nutrients, and soil erosion were observed in all three hedgerow plots, with the most significant effect observed in the A. fruticosa plot, followed by A. sessilis and Z. acanthopodium var. timbor. Therefore, hedgerows with shrub and herb species should be prioritized when establishing contourhedgerows in the Three-Gorges area.

Keywords:

Contour hedgerow, sloping cultivated lands, agroforestry system, soil physical properties, soil nutrients, soil erosion, Three-Gorges area

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 1368-1375

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