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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 40329

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Prof. Dr. Giorgio Baiamonte

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Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Bldg. 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: water resources management; hydrological modeling; hydrology; soil science; rainfall; irrigation
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Dr. Mario Minacapilli

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Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: evapotranspiration; agro-hydrological modeling; crop water requirement; soil erosion; GIS and remote sensing
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Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Provenzano

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Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Forestali (SAAF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: irrigation system design; evapotranspiration; irrigation scheduling; sensors to monitor soil and plant water status

Prof. Luciano Gristina

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Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 - 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: agronomy; cropping systems; soil erosion; soil carbon dynamics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will comprise a selection of papers focused on soil and water interactions for sustainable agriculture. Although many studies have evidenced the importance of soil conservation and water management, their interactions have been poorly attempted in the past, due to a lack of multidisciplinary approaches. Indeed, the evidence of climate change necessitates improving water use efficiency and soil carbon sequestration.

The following themes are of particular interest:

Increased soil water retention (e.g., by tillage, mulching, application of soil improvers, weed control, fallow, intermediate crops, etc.);
Improving soil water infiltration and organic carbon sequestration through soil erosion and water runoff control;
The optimization of irrigation scheduling and irrigation systems for the improvement of crop water use efficiency.

Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches are welcome, including short technical notes and review papers.

Prof. Dr. Giorgio Baiamonte
Dr. Mario Minacapilli
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Provenzano
Prof. Dr. Luciano Gristina
Guest Editors

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Keywords

evapotranspiration
agro-hydrological modeling
crop water requirement
GIS and remote sensing
soil carbon dynamics
soil water and tillage erosion

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1958 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Biochar on Irrigation Management and Water Use Efficiency for Three Different Crops in a Desert Sandy Soil

by Giorgio Baiamonte, Mario Minacapilli and Giuseppina Crescimanno

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7678; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187678 - 17 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3315

Abstract

This paper aimed at investigating if the application of biochar (BC) to desert sand (DS) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), characterized by a very poor soil-water retention (SWR) and by a very low value of the maximum water available for crops (AW_max), could positively affect soil water balance, by reducing the irrigation needs (V_IRR) and improving the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and the water use efficiency (WUE). The analysis was performed for three crops, i.e., wheat (Triticum aestivum), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). BC was applied to the DS at different fractions, f_BC (f_BC = 0, 0.091, 0.23 and 0.33). Drip irrigation was adopted as a highly efficient water saving method, which is particularly relevant in arid, water-scarce countries. Soil water balance and irrigation scheduling were simulated by application of the AQUACROP model, using as input the SWR measured without and with BC addition. The effect of BC was investigated under either a no-water stress (NWS) condition for the crops or deficit irrigation (DI). The results showed that the application of BC made it possible to reduce the predicted V_IRR and to increase the IWUE under the NWS scenario, especially for wheat and sorghum, with less evident benefits for tomato. When a deficit irrigation (DI) was considered, even at the lowest considered f_BC (0.091), BC counterbalanced the lower V_IRR provided under DI, thus mitigating the yield reduction due to water stress, and improved the WUE. The influence of BC was more pronounced in wheat and tomato than in sorghum. The results evidenced that the application of BC could be a potential strategy for saving irrigation water and/or reducing the effects of drought stress in desert sand. This means that biochar could be used a management option to promote local production and reduce the dependency on food import, not only in the UAE, but also in other countries with extremely arid climatic conditions and large extensions of sandy soils similar to the considered DS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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19 pages, 2528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining Soil Hydraulic Properties Using Infiltrometer Techniques: An Assessment of Temporal Variability in a Long-Term Experiment under Minimum- and No-Tillage Soil Management

by Mirko Castellini, Alessandro Vittorio Vonella, Domenico Ventrella, Michele Rinaldi and Giorgio Baiamonte

Sustainability 2020, 12(12), 5019; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125019 - 19 Jun 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3097

Abstract

Conservation agriculture is increasingly accepted by farmers, but the modeling studies on agro-environmental processes that characterize these agricultural systems require accurate information on the temporal variability of the soil’s main physical and hydraulic properties. Therefore, specific investigations carried out in long-term experiments can increase our knowledge on the pros and cons of different measurement techniques. In this work, the simplified falling head (SFH) technique and the Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer (BEST) procedure were applied to investigate the temporal variability of some main soil physical and hydraulic properties, including bulk density (BD), field saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_fs), macroporosity (P_mac), air capacity (AC), plant available water capacity (PAWC), and relative field capacity (RFC). For this purpose, a long-term experiment was selected, and the experimental information obtained was used to verify the long-term impact (fifteen years) determined by two alternative forms of soil management, minimum tillage (MT) and no tillage (NT), for the cultivation of durum wheat. The main results of the comparison between MT and NT showed: (i) A comparable temporal variability in K_fs values when SFH was considered, given that in 75% of considered cases, the same result (i.e., significant or not significant) was obtained; (ii) a comparable temporal variability in K_fs values under MT (but not under NT) when both SFH and BEST were used, as a result of a possible K_fs,SFH overestimation under NT; (iii) differences in K_fs estimations by a factor of 6 or 7 (K_fs,SFH > K_fs,BEST) when comparable soil conditions (moisture and soil density) were considered; (iv) a comparable temporal variability when other soil indicators (BD, P_mac, AC, PAWC, and RFC) were simultaneously considered. After about fifteen years of field experiments characterized by continuous soil management and conducted with the methodological rigor typical of experimental farms, the SFH- and BEST-derived experimental information showed a substantial equivalence between MT and NT for the fine-textured soil investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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21 pages, 4827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Variability of Soil Moisture in Relation to Land Use Types and Topographic Features on Hillslopes in the Black Soil (Mollisols) Area of Northeast China

by Xinxin Guo, Qiang Fu, Yanhong Hang, He Lu, Fengjie Gao and Jingbo Si

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3552; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093552 - 27 Apr 2020

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 3849

Abstract

Soil moisture, as a crucial factor in the eco-hydrological process, is of great importance for food production, land management in response to water and soil loss, geomorphic processes, and environmental protection. Understanding the spatial variability of soil moisture induced by different land use types and topographic features is conducive to advancing the adjustment of the land use structure and preventing soil erosion on the hillslopes in the black soil (Mollisols) area of Northeast China. Classical statistical methods and Canonical Correspondence Analysis were used to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture at 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm on slopes, to identify the main controlling factors and their relative contributions. The results suggested that: the average soil moisture content followed a decreasing order of grassland > shrubland > soybean land > maize land > adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) land > forestland; the profile soil moisture content (SMC) patterns could be divided into four types, related to the comprehensive influence of vegetation types, root system characteristics, and topographic attributes; the spatial variability of soil moisture was strongly influenced by slope gradient, followed by land use types and elevation and slope position, while slope aspect had the least impact; and finally, land use type had a greater impact on the deep layer than the surface layer, while on the contrary, the influence of the topographic attributes on the deep layer was smaller than on the surface layer. Land use types and topographical elements work together on the soil moisture variability and vertical patterns at differing depths. This study provides an insight into policy making of land resource management and can be used in the modeling of hydrological processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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18 pages, 3030 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cover Crop Impact on Soil Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics and Microbial Diversity in a Mediterranean Semiarid Vineyard

by Agata Novara, Valentina Catania, Marco Tolone, Luciano Gristina, Vito Armando Laudicina and Paola Quatrini

Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3256; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083256 - 17 Apr 2020

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 6660

Abstract

Cover crop (CC) management in vineyards increases sustainability by improving soil chemical and biological fertility, but knowledge on its effects in semiarid soils is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of leguminous CC management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, soil nitrate content and microbial diversity in a semiarid vineyard, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). SOC and nitrate were monitored during vine-growing season; soil respiration, determined by incubation experiments, microbial biomass and diversity was analyzed after CC burial. The microbial diversity was evaluated by bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and high-throughput sequencing of 16SrDNA. CC increased nitrate content and, although it had no relevant effect on SOC, almost doubled its active microbial component, which contributes to SOC stabilization. An unexpected stability of the microbial communities under different soil managements was assessed, fungal diversity being slightly enhanced under CT while bacterial diversity increased under CC. The complete nitrifying genus Nitrospira and plant growth-promoting genera were increased under CC, while desiccation-tolerant genera were abundant in CT. Findings showed that temporary CC applied in semiarid vineyards does not optimize the provided ecosystem services, hence a proper management protocol for dry environments should be set up. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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12 pages, 2573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Light Grazing Significantly Reduces Soil Water Storage in Alpine Grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

by Xiaowei Guo, Licong Dai, Qian Li, Dawen Qian, Guangmin Cao, Huakun Zhou and Yangong Du

Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2523; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062523 - 23 Mar 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4315

Abstract

The degradation of alpine grasslands directly affects their ability to conserve water, but changes in soil water storage in grassland under different degrees of degradation are poorly understood. Here, we selected four grassland plots along a degradation gradient: no-degradation grassland (NG), lightly degraded grassland (LG), moderately degraded grassland (MG) and severely degraded grassland (SG). We then applied an automatic soil moisture monitoring system to study changes in soil water storage processes. Results revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in soil water storage among NG, LG, MG and SG. Specifically, LG lost 35.9 mm of soil water storage compared with NG, while soil water storage in LG, MG and SG decreased by 24.5%, 32.1% and 36.7%, respectively. The shallow groundwater table, air temperature and grass litter were the key controlling factors of soil water storage in the grassland. Grazing and future global warming will significantly reduce soil water storage in alpine grasslands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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17 pages, 3455 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Organizing Map Network-Based Soil and Water Conservation Partitioning for Small Watersheds: Case Study Conducted in Xiaoyang Watershed, China

by Lingxia Wang, Zhongwu Li, Danyang Wang, Xiaoqian Hu and Ke Ning

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 2126; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052126 - 9 Mar 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2803

Abstract

Soil and water conservation partitioning (SWCP) considers complex environmental statutes and development demands and serves as a scientific basis for conducting soil erosion management and practice. However, few studies have researched partitioning in small watersheds (< 50 km²), and guidelines for enabling region-specific measures are lacking. In this study, the Xiaoyang watershed located in the red soil region of southern China was selected as a representative small watershed in which to conduct partitioning. The pressure–state–response (PSR) model was used as a framework for establishing an indicator system that included soil erosion sensitivity, the soil erosion condition, and ecosystem services. With three soil and water conservation variables as the input layer, a one-dimensional self-organizing map was applied to identify clusters in the small watershed. The silhouette width was evaluated to determine the optimal number of regions. Based on the associated results, the Xiaoyang watershed was divided into five regions accounting for 82%, 9%, 8%, 2%, and 1% of the total area, respectively. This study provides a framework on which region-specific soil erosion measures can be planned, and it also provides a partitioning method that can be employed in other areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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11 pages, 2251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Runoff and Sediment Losses from a Sloped Roadbed under Variable Rainfall Intensities and Vegetation Conditions

by Chunfeng Jia, Baoping Sun, Xinxiao Yu and Xiaohui Yang

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 2077; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052077 - 8 Mar 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3108

Abstract

Vegetation plays an important role in reducing soil erosion. By exploring the allocation and coverage of different types of vegetation, we can improve management practices that can significantly reduce soil erosion. In this experiment, we study runoff and sediment losses on a shrub-grass planted, grass planted, and bare slope under different rainfall intensities. Results showed that the runoff generation time for the three subgrade types decreased as rainfall intensity increased (p < 0.05). The slopes planted with either grass or shrub-grass were able to effectively delay runoff generation. As rainfall intensity increased, the runoff amount increased for all treatments, with runoff in the bare slope increasing the most. The runoff reduction rate from the shrub-grass slope ranged from 54.20% to 63.68%, while the reduction rate from the slope only planted with grass ranged from 38.59% to 55.37%. The sediment yield from the bare slope increased from 662.66 g/m² (15 mm/h) to 2002.95 g/m² (82 mm/h) with increasing rainfall intensity in the plot. When compared with the bare slope, both the shrub-grass and planted grass slopes were able to retain an additional 0.9 g/m² to 4.9 g/m² of sediment, respectively. An accurate relationship between rainfall intensity, sloped vegetation types, and runoff reduction rate was obtained by regression analysis and validated. These results can provide a reference for improving soil and water conservation via improved vegetation allocation on a sloped roadbed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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13 pages, 2741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Spatial and Vertical Patterns of Wetland Soil Organic Carbon Concentrations in China’s Western Songnen Plain by Comparing Different Algorithms

by Yongxing Ren, Xiaoyan Li, Dehua Mao, Zongming Wang, Mingming Jia and Lin Chen

Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030932 - 27 Jan 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3231

Abstract

Investigating the spatial and vertical patterns of wetland soil organic carbon concentration (SOCc) is important for understanding the regional carbon cycle and managing the wetland ecosystem. By integrating 160 wetland soil profile samples and environmental variables from climatic, topographical, and remote sensing data, we spatially predicted the SOCc of wetlands in China’s Western Songnen Plain by comparing four algorithms: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) for regression, inverse distance weighted (IDW), and ordinary kriging (OK). The predicted results of the SOCc from the different algorithms were validated against independent testing samples according to the mean error, root mean squared error, and correlation coefficient. The results show that the measured SOCc values at depths of 0–30, 30–60, and 60–100 cm were 15.28, 7.57, and 5.22 g·kg⁻¹, respectively. An assessment revealed that the RF algorithm was most accurate for predicting SOCc; its correlation coefficients at the different depths were 0.82, 0.59, and 0.51, respectively. The attribute importance from the RF indicates that environmental variables have various effects on the SOCc at different depths. The land surface temperature and land surface water index had a stronger influence on the spatial distribution of SOCc at the depths of 0–30 and 30–60 cm, whereas topographic factors, such as altitude, had a stronger influence within 60–100 cm. The predicted SOCc of each vertical depth increased gradually from south to north in the study area. This research provides an important case study for predicting SOCc, including selecting factors and algorithms, and helps with understanding the carbon cycles of regional wetlands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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13 pages, 3568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Aqua-Dispersing Nano-Binder on Clay Conductivity at Different Temperatures

by Cuiying Zhou, Xingxing Ge, Wei Huang, Dexian Li and Zhen Liu

Sustainability 2019, 11(18), 4859; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184859 - 5 Sep 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2079

Abstract

Soil nutrients are the basis of ecological remediation. Soil amendments can form a reticular membrane structure on the soil surface to increase nutrient storage and alleviate nutrient imbalances, and are affected by the environmental temperature. At present, the qualitative evaluation of the effect of soil amendment is mainly based on vegetative growth. However, with the increasing use of soil amendments, how to conveniently and quantitatively evaluate the impact of soil amendments on ecological restoration under different temperature conditions from the perspective of soil urgently needs to be solved. Therefore, a new soil amendment named aqua-dispersing nano-binder (ADNB) and silty clay that is commonly used for ecological restoration in South China were used as research subjects, and the important soil nutrient storage capacity—soil conductivity index—was used as the starting point to find solutions to the above problems. We independently developed a multifunctional instrument to measure the soil amendment concentration. Clay conductivity measurements were used by adding different concentrations of ADNB within the range of 0 to 50 °C, and the mechanism by which temperature and ADNB affect the conductivity of clay was revealed. In addition, the quantitative relationship between the clay conductivity, ambient temperature and concentration of ADNB was elucidated. According to the growth conditions of melinis minutiflora and pigeon pea under different concentrations of ADNB, the optimal ADNB concentration needed to improve ecological restoration was obtained, which provided a new way to evaluate the effects of the large-scale use of soil modifiers on ecological restoration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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18 pages, 1716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Status and Yield Response to Deficit Irrigation and Fertilization of Three Olive Oil Cultivars under the Semi-Arid Conditions of Tunisia

by Mouna Aïachi Mezghani, Amel Mguidiche, Faiza Allouche Khebour, Imen Zouari, Faouzi Attia and Giuseppe Provenzano

Sustainability 2019, 11(17), 4812; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174812 - 3 Sep 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3309

Abstract

Sustainability of olive production is possible by adopting the modern techniques of irrigation and fertilization. In Tunisia, olive trees are usually cultivated in poor soils, under semi-arid conditions characterized by water scarcity. This study investigated the effects of different water supply and fertilization on leaf water status and crop yield of three different olive oil varieties cultivated in central Tunisia, during four experimental seasons (2014–2017). Three treatments were examined: trees conducted under rainfed conditions (TRF), which represented the control treatment, trees irrigated with 50% ET_c (T50) and, finally, trees irrigated with 50% ET_c and with additional fertilization (T50F). Leaf water content and potential, yield and water use efficiency have been monitored on three different varieties, Chetoui, Chemlali, and Koroneiki, which are quite typical in the considered region. For all the growing seasons, midday leaf water potentials were measured from April to September. Midday leaf water potentials (MLWP) were generally higher for the two irrigated treatments (T50 and T50F) than for non-irrigated trees (TRF). As the season proceeded, MLWPs tended to decrease during summer for all the treatments and varieties. The lowest values were observed for the non-irrigated trees, varying between −3.25 MPa to −4.75 MPa. Relative leaf water content followed the same trends of midday leaf water potentials. Chetoui showed the lowest yield, which did not exceed 1530 Kg/(ha year), even for irrigated and fertilized trees. On the other hand, the yields of Chemlali and Koroneiki, cumulated in the four years, reached the maximum value of about 20 tons/ha. For these two varieties, the cumulated yield obtained in the control treatment (TRF) resulted significantly lower than the corresponding of the other two treatments (T50 and T50F). The highest irrigation water use efficiency (WUE) was estimated for Chemlali (T50) and (TRF). WUE was equal to 1.22 Kg/m³ for Koroneiki under fertigated treatment (T50F). Application of the only water supply (50% ET_c) or associated with fertilizer improved the tree water status and increased the productivity of Chemlali and Koroneiki varieties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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13 pages, 2209 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Water Conservation Function of Different Forest Types in Northeastern China

by Xueliang Zheng, Lihua Chen, Wenyan Gong, Xia Yang and Yingli Kang

Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4075; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154075 - 28 Jul 2019

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3456

Abstract

Water conservation is an important function of forest ecosystems, but it is still unclear which forest types function best in this regard. We investigated the water conservation function indicators including the water-holding rate of branches and leaves (BL_wr), water-holding capacity of litter (L_wc), water absorption rate of litter (L_wr), soil infiltration rate (I_r), soil and water content (SWC), soil water storage (SWS), and soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation of five forest types (Larix gmelinii forests, Pinus koraiensis forests, Robinia pseudoacacia forests, Pinus tabulaeformis forests, and mixed forests) and evaluated them using the gray correlation method (GCM). The results indicate that the BLwr of five stands in the study area varied from 18.3% to 33.5%. The SWC and SWS of the R. pseudoacacia stand were 13.76% and 178.9 mm, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of the other stands (p < 0.05). The SOM was similar for the R. pseudoacacia (0.23%), mixed forest (0.22%), and L. gmelinii (0.22%) sites. The BL_wr, L_wc, L_wr, SWC, and SWS values of broad-leaved tree species were higher than those of the mixed species, followed by those for coniferous tree species. Soil infiltration rate followed the order L. gmelinii > P. koraiensis > mixed forest > P. tabulaeformis > R. pseudoacacia. Based on our results, the R. pseudoacacia stand had the highest water conservation ability, while the lowest performance was found for the P. tabuliformis site. This suggests that, in order to enhance the water conservation function of forests in northeastern China, the focus should be on the establishment of R. pseudoacacia forests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation)

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