Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Productivity and Environment Quality

doi:10.1080/07352689891304249

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Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Productivity and Environment Quality

Journal Article•DOI•

Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Productivity and Environment Quality

Rattan Lal¹•Institutions (1)

Ohio State University¹

01 Jul 1998-Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences (Taylor & Francis Group)-Vol. 17, Iss: 4, pp 319-464

TL;DR: On-site effects of erosion on agronomic productivity are assessed with a wide range of methods, which can be broadly grouped into three categories: agronomics/soil quality evaluation, economic assessment, and knowledge surveys.

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Abstract: Soil erosion is a global issue because of its severe adverse economic and environmental impacts. Economic impacts on productivity may be due to direct effects on crops/plants on-site and off-site, and environmental consequences are primarily off-site due either to pollution of natural waters or adverse effects on air quality due to dust and emissions of radiatively active gases. Off-site economic effects of erosion are related to the damage to civil structure, siltation of water ways and reservoirs, and additional costs involved in water treatment. There are numerous reports regarding the on-site effects of erosion on productivity. However, a vast majority of these are from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe, and only a few from soils of the tropics and subtropics. On-site effects of erosion on agronomic productivity are assessed with a wide range of methods, which can be broadly grouped into three categories: agronomic/soil quality evaluation, economic assessment, and knowledge surveys. Agronomic me...

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Journal Article•DOI•

Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: The heretics' view

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Ken E. Giller¹, Ken E. Giller², Ernst Witter¹, Marc Corbeels¹, Marc Corbeels³, Pablo Tittonell³, Pablo Tittonell² - Show less +3 more•Institutions (3)

International Center for Tropical Agriculture¹, Wageningen University and Research Centre², Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement³

01 Oct 2009-Field Crops Research

TL;DR: Conservation agriculture is claimed to be a panacea for the problems of poor agricultural productivity and soil degradation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is actively promoted by international research and development organisations, with such strong advocacy that critical debate is stifled as mentioned in this paper.

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1,349 citations

Cites background from "Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Pr..."

...In a detailed study of uptake of zero-tillage practices in South Africa, Bolliger (2007) found sporadic pockets of small numbers of farmers who embraced and practiced CA, but little adoption of CA across most of the areas he surveyed, despite earlier claims of spectacular success....
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...There is a clear relationship between retention of mulch and reduction of runoff and soil losses by erosion (Lal, 1998a; Erenstein, 2002; Fig....
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...Although reduced soil erosion under CA is likely to play a role in the long-term (Lal, 1998a; Scopel et al., 2005), the body of evidence supports the conclusion that SOM content of any given soil is determined largely by the amounts of organic matter returned to the soil, independent of whether it…...
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...Given that erosion rates are greatest under high rainfall intensity, on steep slopes and on more erodible soils, it seems likely that these are precisely the conditions where CA can have the greatest benefits (Lal, 1998a; Roose and Barthes, 2001)....
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...Across a set of experiments in semi-arid and dry sub-humid locations in East and Southern Africa, Rockström et al. (2008), however, demonstrated that minimum-tillage practices increased water productivity and crop yields, even when little or no mulch through crop residues was achieved....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Soil Erosion and the Global Carbon Budget

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Rattan Lal¹•Institutions (1)

Ohio State University¹

01 Jul 2003-Environment International

TL;DR: Soil erosion has a strong impact on the global C cycle and this component must be considered while assessing theglobal C budget and adoption of conservation-effective measures may reduce the risks of C emission and sequester C in soil and biota.

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1,327 citations

Cites background from "Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Pr..."

...The importance of protecting and restoring the soil resource is increasingly been recognized by the world community (Lal, 1998; Barford et al., 2001; Lal, 2001)....
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...(Lal, 1998) have long been recognized, its effects on carbon (C) dynamics and emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere have not been given the emphasis they deserve....
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...Two, erosion decreases soil productivity by reducing available water capacity, decreasing effective rooting depth, and reducing water and nutrient use efficiencies (Lal, 1998)....
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...…degradation (Bennett, 1939; Jacks and Whyte, 1939; UNEP, 1992) food security (Oldeman, 1998; Scherr, 1999) and water quality/sedimentation, etc. (Lal, 1998) have long been recognized, its effects on carbon (C) dynamics and emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) into…...
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...The economic and agronomic impacts of accelerated erosion are widely recognized (Pimentel et al., 1995; Lal, 1998; den Biggelaar et al., 2001)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Crop and Soil Productivity Response to Corn Residue Removal: A Literature Review

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Wallace Wilhelm¹, Jane M. F. Johnson², J. L. Hatfield, W. B. Voorhees², D.R. Linden² - Show less +1 more•Institutions (2)

University of Nebraska–Lincoln¹, Agricultural Research Service²

01 Jan 2004-Agronomy Journal

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarize published works for potential impacts of wide-scale, corn stover collection on corn production capacity in Corn Belt soils and conclude that within limits, corn Stover can be harvested for ethanol production to provide a renewable, domestic source of energy that reduces greenhouse gases.

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Abstract: Society is facing three related issues: overreliance on imported fuel, increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and producing sufficient food for a growing world population. The U.S. Department of Energy and private enterprise are developing technology necessary to use high-cellulose feedstock, such as crop residues, for ethanol production. Corn (Zea mays L.) residue can provide about 1.7 times more C than barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), oat (Avena saliva L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residues based on production levels. Removal of crop residue from the field must be balanced against impacting the environment (soil erosion), maintaining soil organic matter levels, and preserving or enhancing productivity. Our objective is to summarize published works for potential impacts of wide-scale, corn stover collection on corn production capacity in Corn Belt soils. We address the issue of crop yield (sustainability) and related soil processes directly. However, scarcity of data requires us to deal with the issue of greenhouse gases indirectly and by inference. All ramifications of new management practices and crop uses must be explored and evaluated fully before an industry is established. Our conclusion is that within limits, corn stover can be harvested for ethanol production to provide a renewable, domestic source of energy that reduces greenhouse gases. Recommendation for removal rates will vary based on regional yield, climatic conditions, and cultural practices. Agronomists are challenged to develop a procedure (tool) for recommending maximum permissible removal rates that ensure sustained soil productivity.

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587 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Tolerable Versus Actual Soil Erosion Rates in Europe

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Frank G. A. Verheijen¹, Robert J. A. Jones¹, R. J. Rickson¹, C. J. Smith¹•Institutions (1)

Cranfield University¹

01 May 2009-Earth-Science Reviews

TL;DR: In this paper, a modified definition of tolerable soil erosion is proposed as any actual soil erosion rate at which a deterioration or loss of one or more soil functions does not occur, with soil formation consisting of mineral weathering as well as dust deposition.

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553 citations

The environmental food crisis: the environment’s role in averting future food crises. A UNEP rapid response assessment

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Onu Environnement, GRID-Arendal, Unep-Wcmc, C Nellemann, M Macdevette, T Manders - Show less +2 more

01 Feb 2009

534 citations

Cites background from "Soil Erosion Impact on Agronomic Pr..."

...On a global scale, the annual loss of 75 billion tonnes of soil costs the world about US$400 billion/year (at US$3/tonne of soil for nutrients and US$2/tonne of soil for water), or approximately US$70/ person/year (Lal, 1998)....
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...It is estimated that the total annual cost of erosion from agriculture in the US is about US$44 billion/year or about US$247/ha of cropland and pasture (Lal, 1998)....
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References

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Open Access

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Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. B

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HighWire Press

01 Jan 1886

10,197 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Environmental and Economic Costs of Soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits

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David Pimentel¹, Celia A. Harvey¹, P. Resosudarmo¹, K. Sinclair¹, D. Kurz¹, M. McNair¹, S. Crist¹, L. Shpritz¹, L. Fitton¹, R. Saffouri¹, R. Blair¹ - Show less +7 more•Institutions (1)

Cornell University¹

24 Feb 1995-Science

TL;DR: With the addition of a quarter of a million people each day, the world population's food demand is increasing at a time when per capita food productivity is beginning to decline.

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Abstract: Soil erosion is a major environmental threat to the sustainability and productive capacity of agriculture. During the last 40 years, nearly one-third of the world's arable land has been lost by erosion and continues to be lost at a rate of more than 10 million hectares per year. With the addition of a quarter of a million people each day, the world population's food demand is increasing at a time when per capita food productivity is beginning to decline.

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2,589 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Rainfall energy and its relationship to soil loss

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W. H. Wischmeier¹, Dwight D. Smith²•Institutions (2)

Purdue University¹, United States Department of Agriculture²

01 Apr 1958-Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union

TL;DR: In this article, a relatively simple procedure is presented for computation of kinetic energy of a rainstorm from information on a recording-raingage chart, and an equation is developed describing rainfall energy as a function of rainfall intensity.

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Abstract: A relatively simple procedure is presented for computation of kinetic energy of a rainstorm from information on a recording-raingage chart. An equation is developed describing rainfall energy as a function of rainfall intensity. The effects of rainfall energy and its interaction with other variables are evaluated in multiple regression analyses based on data representing four soil types. Application of this information to separate the effects of rainfall from those of physical and management characteristics in plot data is discussed briefly.

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996 citations

Predicting Rainfall erosion losses

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W. H. Wischmeier

01 Jan 1978

988 citations

A modeling approach to determining the relationship between erosion and soil productivity [EPIC, Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator, mathematical models]

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James Williams, C.A. Jones, P.T. Dyke

01 Jan 1984

TL;DR: A mathematical model developed to determine the relationship between soil erosion and soil productivity throughout the U.S. and Hawaii indicates that EPIC is capable of simulating erosion and crop growth realistically.

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Abstract: ABSTRACT A mathematical model called EPIC (Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator) was developed to determine the relationship between soil erosion and soil productivity throughout the U.S. EPIC continuously simulates the processes involved simultaneously and realistically, using a daily time step and readily available inputs. Since erosion can be relatively slow process, EPIC is capable of simulating hundreds of years if necessary. EPIC is generally applicable, computationally efficient, and capable of computing the effects of management changes on outputs. The model must be comprehensive to define the erosion-productivity relationship adequately. EPIC is composed of physically-based components for simulating erosion, plant growth, and related processes and economic components for assessing the cost of erosion, determining optimal management strategies, etc. The EPIC components include weather simulation, hydrology, erosion-sedimentation, nutrient cycling, plant growth, tillage, soil temperature, economics, and plant environment control. Typical results are presented for 15 of the 163 tests performed in the continental U.S. and Hawaii. These results generally indicate that EPIC is capable of simulating erosion and crop growth realistically.

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958 citations