SOIL EROSION AT SNOWMELT RUNOFF ON SLOPES WITH FOREST BELTS

• Main Author: V. M. Ivonin
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russian Scientific Research Institute of Land Improvement Problems 2021-05-01
• Series: Научный журнал Российского НИИ проблем мелиорации
• Subjects: forest belt; agroforestry; soil erosion; structural state of soil; snow melting
• Online Access: http://www.rosniipm-sm.ru/article?n=1200

Purpose: to study soil erosion on slopes with forest belts during snowmelt runoff. Methods. The studies were carried out in the basin of the river Kundryuchya (Rostov region), erosion was determined by the method of ravine volume. Results. With the growth of forest belts, snow plumes, where soil particles accumulate, gradually reform the granulometric and microaggregate composition, which is reflected in the structural state of the upper soil layer and the values of various coefficients and indicators characterizing the increase in water permeability and the decrease in washout. On the compacted arable land near forest belts (zone 5 H), an increase in the weight of winter wheat roots by the pre-winter period was recorded. A complex picture of the structural state and soil erosion in inter-strip fields is represented by equations and graphs showing a soil washout increase in the bare fallow area distancing from forest belts and an erosion decrease when approaching them. In the open area of bare fallow, soil erosion increases continuously with distance from the watershed. Soil erosion is minimal on winter wheat crops near forest belts. On an open slope, erosion is minimal at the watershed, increasing downslope. However, at the bottom of the slope (400–450 m from the watershed), erosion is suppressed by accumulation. Conclusion. Forest belts on slope fields activate accumulation processes, reducing erosion, not only by regulating the snowmelt water flow under the forest canopy, but also as a result of the reformation of the structural state of the upper soil layer during long-term fallout in snow plumes of silty, clay and other soil fractions introduced by the surface drain. On compacted arable land, the mass of winter wheat roots near forest belts has an additional effect on soil erosion. In an open area of a fallow field, soil erosion increases from the watershed to the bottom of the slope. On winter wheat crops on an open slope, soil erosion at the watershed is minimal, increasing towards the center of the slope, but at its bottom, accumulation suppresses erosion.