Ali Reza Vaezi; Mohammad Abbasi; Jalal Heidari
Abstract
Introduction Soil infiltration rate is the major soil hydraulic property which can be affected by the soil physical characteristics and management practices. The use of land can affect various soil properties such as physical and hydraulic properties. Differences of the hydraulic soil characteristics ...
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Introduction Soil infiltration rate is the major soil hydraulic property which can be affected by the soil physical characteristics and management practices. The use of land can affect various soil properties such as physical and hydraulic properties. Differences of the hydraulic soil characteristics such as infiltration rate in various land uses can affect their potential to runoff production as well as soil loss in the catchment. The knowledge of the physical and hydraulic characteristics of various land uses can help to better management of soil and water in the catchment. It is very essential in the semi-arid catchments where vegetation cover is generally poor, the soils are often instable against erosive factors especially when the rainfalls are consecutive and intensive. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the soil physical and hydraulic characteristics in the TahamChai catchment, in a semi-arid region, NW Zanjan. Various land uses consist of pastures, rainfed and irrigated lands can be observed in the catchment, which cover about 62%, 33%, and 5% of the catchment area, respectively. The pastures have been covered with poor vegetation and are intensively exhausted by over-grazing. Rainfed lands are mostly under winter wheat cultivation. Soil erosion and sedimentation were the major environmental problem in this catchment.
Materials and Methods The maps of land use and slope gradient were provided for study area. A total of 20 sites were selected based on the surface area of each land use in the catchment located between 34 46-36 53 N latitudes and 48 17-48 37 E longitudes. The study area consisted of ten sites in the pasture, seven sites in the rainfed and three sites in the irrigated lands. The geographical positions of study sites were determined by a global positing system (GPS). Soil infiltration rates were measured by double rings method at three replications in each site. Variation of soil infiltration rate was determined for each land use. Soil samples were collected at three replications from each site to determine other physicochemical soil properties. Particle size distribution, bulk density, saturation percentage, aggregate mean weight diameter, organic matter, and equivalent calcium carbonate were determined using standard methods in the lab. Mean comparisons of infiltration rate along with other physicochemical soil properties among the land uses were done using the Duncan's parametric method. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between soil properties and soil infiltration rate.
Results and Discussion Based on the results, no significant difference was observed between the land uses in particle size distribution. Soil infiltration rate showed different patterns among the land uses, so that significant difference was observed among them (p< 0.01). Pastures showed the lowest infiltration rate among the land uses (about 86 and 66 times lower than that of the rainfed and the irrigated lands, respectively). This result was associated with increasing soil compaction through the over-grazing in the pastures. Positive correlation was found between soil infiltration rate and aggregate mean weight diameter(r= 0.54, p< 0.05) while its correlation with bulk density was negative (r= -0.74, p< 0.01). Pastures showed the lowest organic matter content (1.35%) as well as aggregate mean weight diameter (1.12 mm) as compared with other land uses. Since the pastures are located on the steeper slopes, they have the highest intrinsic potential to runoff production and soil erosion as compared to other land uses. As a consequence, the over-grazing is the major factor of soil structure breakdown, soil compaction, and in consequence declining soil infiltration rate in the pasture lands.
Conclusion: Pastures with poor vegetation cover appeared the lowest soil infiltration capacity as compared to other land uses in the catchment. Decreasing soil infiltration rate was associated with increasing bulk density in the area. It seems that overgrazing in the pastures increases soil bulk density and leads to decline the soil organic matter content as well as soil aggregation and aggregate stability. According to the results, pastures have the highest potential to runoff production and soil erosion rather than the other land uses (rainfed lands and irrigated lands). Therefore, maintaining vegetation cover and preventing over-grazing in the catchment is recommended to increase soil organic matter content and decrease soil compaction. These practices improve the hydraulic soil characteristics especially infiltration rate and in consequence decrease the catchment potential to runoff production and soil erosion.
M. Taheri; M. Esmaeili Aftabdari; T. Khoshzaman; M. Tokasi; M. Abbasi
Abstract
Introduction: Soil is a hardly renewable natural resource. Although soil degradation, caused by either human activities and natural processes is a relatively slow procedure, but its effects are long lasting and most often, irreversible in the time scale of man's life. Among the most significant soil ...
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Introduction: Soil is a hardly renewable natural resource. Although soil degradation, caused by either human activities and natural processes is a relatively slow procedure, but its effects are long lasting and most often, irreversible in the time scale of man's life. Among the most significant soil contaminants resulting from both natural and human sources, heavy metals are more important due to their long- term toxicity effects. For evaluating soil's enrichment rate by heavy metals, a wide and full study of soils background values, including total and available fractions of heavy metal contents should be done. Zanjan province has some great mines and concentrating industries of lead and zinc especially in Angoran, Mahneshan. Unfortunately produced waste materials of these industries spread over the adjacent areas. Investigations showed that accumulation of some heavy metals in vegetables and crops planted in this region had occurred. Therefore, performing some investigations in these polluted areas and assessing pollution rate and heavy metals distribution in arable lands had prime importance. Our goals were: 1) determining the total and available amounts of Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in the soils of arable lands in polluted areas of Zanjan city, 2) producing the distribution map for the metals mentioned above and 3) calculating pollution indices in the soils.
Materials and Methods: The study area was in south west of Zanjan city. For soil sampling, a 1 Km by 1 Km grid defined in ArcGIS software on landuse layer and totally 144 points that placed on agricultural lands, due to our goals, were sampled. For sampling, in a 5m radius around the point we collected some subsamples from depth of 0 - 15 cm, and after mixing the subsamples, finally a 1Kg soil sample prepared and sent to the laboratory. Sampled soils were air dried and were passed through a 2mm sieve. Soils organic matter (OM) content and texture were determined by Walkely-Black and Bouyoucos hydrometer methods, respectively. Soils pH were determined by glass/calomel electrode in saturation paste, EC by EC-meter in saturation paste extract, and calcium carbonate equivalent (lime) by reverse titration method. Total and available amounts of Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb were extracted by Aqua- Regia method (wet oxidation by chloridric acid and nitric acid with the 3:1 ratio) and by DTPA extracting solution, respectively. After extracting and filtering liquid samples, metal concentrations were measured by atomic adsorption method using GBC avanta P. Statistical analysis by SPSS and indices calculation by Excel were performed, and distribution maps were prepared by Inverse Distance Weighting method in ArcGIS software. For evaluating pollution rate, Geoaccumulation index, Enrichment factor and Availability Ratio indices were calculated and interpreted.
Results and Discussion: The textures of soil samples were loam, clay loam and sandy loam. The OM contents of almost soils were less than 2 percent. Lime was less than 25 percent and acidity of soils were neutral to slightly alkaline. Soils salinity were less than 2 dS/m except a few samples. Accordingly, these soils were suitable for agriculture and there were no limitation due to evaluated properties. Median values for the total concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn (extracted by Aqua Regia) were 0.5, 22.5, 14 and 82.3 mg/Kg of soils, respectively, and for available fraction (extracted by DTPA) were 0.1, 0.9, 1.6 and 3.2 mg/Kg of soils that were much lower than measured total values. According to 90th percentile of geoaccumulation index, at least 10 percent of samples had been polluted with Zn, Pb and Cd. Enrichment factor revealed no long term pollution. Availability ratios of Pb and Zn were relatively high, showing there exists unique and recent pollution source for them. All pollution indices showed positive correlations with OM content of soils (except for availability ratios of Cd, which had negative correlation). Therefore, OM content of soils were respect to control these indices. Geoaccumulation index of Zn, Cd and Pb, and availability ratios of Zn and Pb showed negative correlations with soil pH. Therefore, in some seasons of the year, their availabilities will increase in soil.
Conclusion: The results showed that Cu content in soils were not in the critical limit but Cd, Pb and Zn content in soils were greater than standard levels and reclamation procedures for remedy of these soils must be done. The high values of the heavy metals in available fraction inthe soils increased the risk of bioaccumulation in microbial and biotic tissues. In areas where there are high content of available form of heavy metals in soils, it could be an index of new contamination in soils by heavy metals. According to geoaccumulation index of Cd, Zn and Pb, there are some contaminated points around waste depositition areas near Zanjan city. These points are in the direction that wind could effectively transport the particles of wastes to urban area. Enrichment factor (EF) showed that at least there were a few points polluted by Cd, Zn and Cu, although EF values were generally low. The leaked wastes of Zinc and lead industries had been spread in deposited areas caused difficulties in determining background values for the selected metals.
