Effect of land use on wind erodible fraction of soil in a semiarid environment of southern Iran

Land use change can affect soil erodibility to wind erosion. Considering this, we investigate the effect of land use and soil depth on wind-erodible fraction (EF) and dust emission potential (DEP) of the soil. In this study, four different long-term land uses were selected including annual cultivated field (ACF), fallow field (FF), rangeland (R), and orchard field (OF). At each land use three experimental points were selected randomly. At the vicinity of each experimental location a composite sample were taken from two depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm. EF and DEP values were determined in each soil sample. Results revealed that land use can have significant effects on EF and DEP. The highest value of EF was found in R at 0-10 cm depth and the lowest value was related to OF at 0-10 cm depth. DEP was highest in R at 10-20 cm depth (14.8%) and lowest in is FF and ACF at 0-10 cm depth (4%), respectively. In general, R was found to be very prone to wind erosion in the study area. OF showed more resistance against wind erosion which can be due to high amounts of organic matter and less tillage practices.

Keywords:

Dust , Soil degradation , Soil erodibility , Wind erosion