Intercepting Sediment and Nutrient Loss: The Role of Soil Amendments under Different Slope Gradients
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/pjmls.v8i2.3334Keywords:
Nutrient loss, Runoff, Soil amendments, Slope gradientAbstract
Agricultural land use on sloppy areas is susceptible to nutrient loss via surface runoff, which would result in negative impacts on downstream waters. However, the linkage between nutrition loss and off-site crop production has been rarely reported in the sloppy lands of Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of soil amendments on runoff, sediment, and nutrient loss across different soil slope gradients. A four-year field study was conducted at the Soil and Water Conservation Research Station, Fateh Jang, from 2019 to 2022 to evaluate the benefits of various soil amendments to minimize the sediment and nutrient loss. Three soil amendments, including chemical fertilizer (29:79:29 NPK kg ha-1), compost (750 kg ha-1), and gypsum (1000 kg ha-1), were applied at various slope gradients (1%, 5%, and 10%) alongside a control (no amendment) while using groundnut as test crop. After every rainfall event of ≥ 20 mm, run-off was collected in collection drums (200 L capacity) installed against every slope gradient. Following the collection, the quantity of water, sediment, and nutrients lost was measured for comparison. Results showed that a significant decrease in water (39% and 32%), sediment (45% and 32% respectively), and nutrient loss (71% and 106%) was quantified in gypsum and compost treatments, respectively, compared to the control. It was further noticed that chemical fertilizer treatment resulted in higher pod (1297 kg h-1) and straw yields (1462 kg h-1), but could not offer an effective shield against sediment and nutrient loss. We found that the higher the slope gradient, the higher the soil, water, and nutrient losses. Hence, it is concluded that gypsum and compost should be applied along with chemical fertilizer to reduce the runoff, sediment and nutrient loss without compromising the grain and straw yield of groundnut. Therefore, the prioritization of gypsum and compost treatments along with fertilizers is recommended as an effective strategy for mitigating soil and water erosion and ensuring sustainable agricultural practices in regions characterized by undulating topography.
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