Soil Water Conservation. Dynamics and Impact

• Main Author: Pirastru, Mario (auth)
• Other Authors: Keesstra, Saskia (auth), Di Prima, Simone (auth), Castellini, Mirko (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2019
• Subjects: Environmental science, engineering & technology; single-ring infiltrometer; water and soil conservation; van Genuchten model; vegetable production; tillage erosion; water infiltration; saturated soil hydraulic conductivity; sustainable land management; subsurface flow; delta plain; tied ridges; adaptation; spatial scale; vineyards; Richards equation; Follow-the-Innovation; hillslope; crop yields; transdisciplinary research; the meshless method; TOPMODEL; upgrading strategies; bimsoils; fraction transpiration soil water; saturated hydraulic conductivity; soil infiltration; cereals; FDR sensor; EM38; relative transpiration; infiltration; laboratory experiment; the Trefftz method; conservation agriculture; soil moisture storage; age of planting; DSSAT; Xin'anjiang model; local perception; numerical model; transient; soil tillage; field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity; soil properties; soil erosion; polyurethane foam; multi-parameter evaluation; post-fire soil hydraulic characterization; shallow groundwater; distributed model; Beerkan method; environmental change; response surface methodology; soil; The Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) software; three-dimensional model; decision tree modeling; water availability; bottomless bucket method; field observation; Malawi; specific leaf water content; yield; unsaturated soil; critical hydraulic gradient (CHG); sap flow; olive grove; infiltration rate; nitrogen use efficiency; field scattering; AquaCrop; microdose fertilization; data analysis procedures; macropore network; rainfall variability; soil block; innovation development; seedbed preparation; food security; peer effects; soil water content; electromagnetic induction meter (EM); soil water storage
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Human needs like food and clean water are directly related to good maintenance of healthy and productive soils. A good understanding of human impact on the natural environment is therefore necessary to preserve and manage soil and water resources. This knowledge is particularly important in semi-arid and arid regions, where the increasing demands on limited water supplies require urgent efforts to improve water quality and water use efficiency. It is important to keep in mind that both soil and water are limited resources. Thus, wise use of these natural resources is a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainability of human societies. This book collects 15 original scientific contributions addressing the state of the art of soil and water conservation research. Contributions cover a wide range of topics, including (1) recovery of soil hydraulic properties; (2) erosion risk; (3) novel modeling, monitoring and experimental approaches for soil hydraulic characterization; (4) improvement of crop yields; (5) water availability; and (6) soil salinity. This collection provides more insights into conservation strategies for effective and sustainable soil and water management.