Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea
Non-sustainable agricultural practices can alter the quality of soil and water. A sustainable soil management requires detailed understanding of how tillage affects soil quality, erosion, and leaching processes. Agricultural soils in the Haean catchment (South Korea) are susceptible to erosion by w...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/679467 |
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| author | Marianne Ruidisch Sebastian Arnhold Bernd Huwe Christina Bogner |
| author_facet | Marianne Ruidisch Sebastian Arnhold Bernd Huwe Christina Bogner |
| author_sort | Marianne Ruidisch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-sustainable agricultural practices can alter the quality of soil and water. A sustainable soil management requires detailed understanding of how tillage affects soil quality, erosion, and leaching processes. Agricultural soils in the Haean catchment (South Korea) are susceptible to erosion by water during the monsoon. For years, erosion-induced losses have been compensated by spreading allochthonous sandy material on the fields. These anthropogenically modified soils are used for vegetable production, and crops are cultivated in ridges using plastic mulches. To evaluate whether the current practice of ridge cultivation is sustainable with regard to soil quality and soil and water conservation, we (i) analysed soil properties of topsoils and (ii) carried out dye tracer experiments. Our results show that the sandy topsoils have a very low soil organic matter content and a poor structure and lack soil burrowers. The artificial layering induced by spreading sandy material supported lateral downhill water flow. Ridge tillage and plastic mulching strongly increased surface runoff and soil erosion. We conclude that for this region a comprehensive management plan, which aims at long-term sustainable agriculture by protecting topsoils, increasing soil organic matter, and minimizing runoff and soil erosion, is mandatory for the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-66d7386c92bd48e3a870e3382df303b2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-7667 1687-7675 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-66d7386c92bd48e3a870e3382df303b22025-02-03T01:22:47ZengWileyApplied and Environmental Soil Science1687-76671687-76752013-01-01201310.1155/2013/679467679467Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South KoreaMarianne Ruidisch0Sebastian Arnhold1Bernd Huwe2Christina Bogner3Soil Physics Group, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, GermanySoil Physics Group, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, GermanySoil Physics Group, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, GermanyEcological Modelling, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Straße 1–3, 95448 Bayreuth, GermanyNon-sustainable agricultural practices can alter the quality of soil and water. A sustainable soil management requires detailed understanding of how tillage affects soil quality, erosion, and leaching processes. Agricultural soils in the Haean catchment (South Korea) are susceptible to erosion by water during the monsoon. For years, erosion-induced losses have been compensated by spreading allochthonous sandy material on the fields. These anthropogenically modified soils are used for vegetable production, and crops are cultivated in ridges using plastic mulches. To evaluate whether the current practice of ridge cultivation is sustainable with regard to soil quality and soil and water conservation, we (i) analysed soil properties of topsoils and (ii) carried out dye tracer experiments. Our results show that the sandy topsoils have a very low soil organic matter content and a poor structure and lack soil burrowers. The artificial layering induced by spreading sandy material supported lateral downhill water flow. Ridge tillage and plastic mulching strongly increased surface runoff and soil erosion. We conclude that for this region a comprehensive management plan, which aims at long-term sustainable agriculture by protecting topsoils, increasing soil organic matter, and minimizing runoff and soil erosion, is mandatory for the future.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/679467 |
| spellingShingle | Marianne Ruidisch Sebastian Arnhold Bernd Huwe Christina Bogner Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| title | Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea |
| title_full | Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea |
| title_fullStr | Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea |
| title_short | Is Ridge Cultivation Sustainable? A Case Study from the Haean Catchment, South Korea |
| title_sort | is ridge cultivation sustainable a case study from the haean catchment south korea |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/679467 |
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