Donald Gabriëls

Bio: Donald Gabriëls is an academic researcher from Ghent University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Erosion & Soil water. The author has an hindex of 44, co-authored 223 publications receiving 5670 citations. Previous affiliations of Donald Gabriëls include National Fund for Scientific Research.

Changes of soil enzyme activities under different tillage practices in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Abstract: The effects of middle term (7 years) consistent tillage practices on the catalase (CAT), urease (URE) and invertase (INV) activities were investigated during the whole winter wheat growing period on a loess soil in Luoyang (east edge of the Chinese Loess Plateau, Henan province, China). Field plots, set up in 1999, included following tillage practices: subsoiling with mulch (SS), no-till with mulch (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and a conventional control (CT). A clear redistribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) was found along the slope in RT and CT, however, no difference was observed between studied enzyme activities along different slope positions. SS had higher winter wheat yield than other treatments, which was attributed to the increased soil water content and improvement of soil fertility. Changes in soil temperature and soil moisture content influenced the magnitude of the enzyme activities, but not the ranking of the different treatments during most of the season. SS consistently had higher enzyme activities compared to other treatments. This indicated that seasonal fluctuations did not obscure effects associated with soil tillage practices and enzyme activities could reflect the effects of conversion of soil tillage practices on soil quality. Time within the growing season had a clear impact upon the enzyme activities. Comparatively higher enzyme activities were observed in the stages with vigorous vegetative growth of winter wheat than in stages with productive growth.

Enrichment of Organic Carbon in Sediment Transport by Interrill and Rill Erosion Processes

Abstract: Erosion and loss of organic carbon (OC) result in degradation of the soil surface. Rill and interrill erosion processes on a silt loam soil were examined in laboratory rainfall and flume experiments. These experiments showed that rill and interrill erosion processes have contrasting impacts on enrichment of OC in transported sediment. Rill erosion was found to be nonselective, while for interrill erosion the enrichment ratio of OC, ER OC , varied between 0.9 and 2.6 and was inversely related to the unit sediment discharge. At unit sediment discharge values >0.0017 kg s -1 m -1 , the ER OC remained equal to 1. The enrichment process was not influenced by raindrop impact. Enrichment of OC by "aggregate stripping" was found to be unimportant in our study. This was attributed to the low aggregate stability of the soil and the equal distribution of OC within the different soil aggregate classes.

Soil Erosion and Conservation

Abstract: This is a review of worldwide land degradation problems. Four themes are emphasized: delineating and estimating the magnitude of soil erosion, quantifying erosion and sedimentation impacts on land productivity, establishing quantitative values for erosion-causing parameters, and implementing global and regional soil and water conservation programs. Papers deal with both developing and developed countries and illustrate how erosion control techniques used in developed countries can or cannot be applied in developing countries.

Gully erosion and environmental change: importance and research needs

Abstract: Assessing the impacts of climatic and, in particular, land use changes on rates of soil erosion by water is the objective of many national and international research projects. However, over the last decades, most research dealing with soil erosion by water has concentrated on sheet (interrill) and rill erosion processes operating at the (runoff) plot scale. Relatively few studies have been conducted on gully erosion operating at larger spatial scales. Recent studies indicate that (1) gully erosion represents an important sediment source in a range of environments and (2) gullies are effective links for transferring runoff and sediment from uplands to valley bottoms and permanent channels where they aggravate off site effects of water erosion. In other words, once gullies develop, they increase the connectivity in the landscape. Many cases of damage (sediment and chemical) to watercourses and properties by runoff from agricultural land relate to (ephemeral) gullying. Consequently, there is a need for monitoring, experimental and modelling studies of gully erosion as a basis for predicting the effects of environmental change (climatic and land use changes) on gully erosion rates. In this respect, various research questions can be identified. The most important ones are: (1) What is the contribution of gully erosion to overall soil loss and sediment production at various temporal and spatial scales and under different climatic and land use conditions? (2) What are appropriate measuring techniques for monitoring and experimental studies of the initiation and development of various gully types at various temporal and spatial scales? (3) Can we identify critical thresholds for the initiation, development and infilling of gullies in different environments in terms of flow hydraulics, rain, topography, soils and land use? (4) How does gully erosion interact with hydrological processes as well as with other soil degradation processes? (5) What are appropriate models of gully erosion, capable of predicting (a) erosion rates at various temporal and spatial scales and (b) the impact of gully development on hydrology, sediment yield and landscape evolution? (6) What are efficient gully prevention and gully control measures? What can be learned from failures and successes of gully erosion control programmes? These questions need to be answered first if we want to improve our insights into the impacts of environmental change on gully erosion. This paper highlights some of these issues by reviewing recent examples taken from various environments.

Soil quality – A critical review

Abstract: Sampling and analysis or visual examination of soil to assess its status and use potential is widely practiced from plot to national scales. However, the choice of relevant soil attributes and interpretation of measurements are not straightforward, because of the complexity and site-specificity of soils, legacy effects of previous land use, and trade-offs between ecosystem services. Here we review soil quality and related concepts, in terms of definition, assessment approaches, and indicator selection and interpretation. We identify the most frequently used soil quality indicators under agricultural land use. We find that explicit evaluation of soil quality with respect to specific soil threats, soil functions and ecosystem services has rarely been implemented, and few approaches provide clear interpretation schemes of measured indicator values. This limits their adoption by land managers as well as policy. We also consider novel indicators that address currently neglected though important soil properties and processes, and we list the crucial steps in the development of a soil quality assessment procedure that is scientifically sound and supports management and policy decisions that account for the multi-functionality of soil. This requires the involvement of the pertinent actors, stakeholders and end-users to a much larger degree than practiced to date.