Land management policy shift influenced seasonal variation of erosion-induced nitrogen and phosphorus outputs from intensive agricultural catchment.

A shift in policy to intensive agricultural production and land management often leads to excessive fertilizer application and accelerated erosion with consequent detrimental effects to water bodies. We investigated the impact of that shift by quantifying the spatial and temporal change in sediment sources and associated total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) pollutants output loads in an intensive agricultural catchment in North China across one year (November 2021-November 2022). We describe the implications of this work for intensive agriculture elsewhere in China and other countries.

Impacts of soil conservation techniques on soil erodibility on an Alfisol.

Soil erosion is a serious challenge for sustainable crop production. Alfisols in Nigeria are easily prone to soil degradations which have significantly reduced soil productivity, crop yield and increased cost of production. The use of soil conservation measures are vital interventions for sustainable crop production against the effects of erosion.

Response of irrigated tomato ( Mill) to mulch application rates.

Rapid decline in available water for crop production has led to the adoption of irrigation schedules for meeting water supply throughout cropping seasons. Nonetheless, the loss of water from soil often results in spells of water stress between schedules, which adversely affect crop yield. Hence, the use of mulch in conserving soil moisture in irrigated farming is becoming popular among farmers.

Vetiver grass hedgerows significantly reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses from fertilized sloping lands.

Runoff and over-use of fertilizers have been considered as two major factors accelerating the discharge of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to surface water. The practice of vetiver grass hedgerows (VGH) can check sediments and runoff pollutants from agricultural fields. However, the efficiency of VGH in reducing N and P losses while maintaining optimum crop yields is still unclear under a recommended fertilization rate.