Pasture degradation effects on soil quality indicators at different hillslope positions in a semiarid region of western Iran

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 375 - 381
• Main Authors: Ayoubi, Shamsollah, Emami, Nazanin, Ghaffari, Nasrin, Honarjoo, Naser, Sahrawat, Kanwar L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: aggregate stability; Biodegradation; Biogeosciences; Biological; Biological properties; Biomass; Bulk density; Cation exchange; cation exchange capacity; Chemical properties; Cultivated lands; Cultivation; Degradation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Environmental Science and Engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Geochemistry; Geology; Geomorphology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Indicators; Land use; Marine and continental quaternary; microbial biomass; Microorganisms; nitrogen content; Organic carbon; Organic phosphorus; Original Article; Particulate organic phosphorus; Pasture; Pastures; phosphorus; physicochemical properties; Position indicators; potassium; Protected areas; Semiarid lands; semiarid zones; Soil (material); soil organic carbon; Soil quality; soil sampling; Soil sciences; Soils; Surficial geology; Terrestrial Pollution; Water management; Iran; Middle East; Asia; Slope position; Soil quality; Hillslope; Pasture; Land use change; biomass; potassium; cation exchange capacity; nitrogen; chemical properties; degradation; respiration; cultivated soils; slopes; quality; depth; land use; bulk density; ecosystems; organic materials; semi-arid environment; organic carbon; stability; phosphorus
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-013-2440-x

A study was made to determine the influence of pasture degradation on soil quality indicators that included physical, chemical, biological and micromorphological attributes, along the hillslope positions in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, western Iran. Soil samples from different slope positions were collected from 0 to 30 cm depth for physical and chemical properties and from 0 to 15 cm depth for biological properties at two adjacent sites in the two ecosystems: natural pasture and cultivated land. Soil quality indicators including bulk density, mean weight diameter, soil organic carbon (SOC), particulate organic material (POM) in aggregate fractions, total nitrogen, available potassium, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, soil microbial respiration (SMR) and microbial biomass C and N were determined. The results showed that SOC decreased cultivation from 1.09 to 0.77 % following pasture degradation. The POM decreased by about 19.35 % in cultivated soils when compared to natural pasture; also, SMR and microbial biomass C and N decreased significantly following pasture degradation. Furthermore, aggregate stability and pore spaces decreased, and bulk density increased in the cultivated soils. Overall, our results showed that long-term cultivation following pasture degradation led to a decline in soil quality in all selected slope positions at the site studied in the semiarid region.