•Trade-off of dryland forage farming production and soil water consumption were studied.•Sweet sorghum showed the highest yield, two and five times of sudangrass and forage maize.•Soil water ...consumption was in 0–150 cm for maize and 50–100 cm for sorghum and sudangrass.•Average evapotranspiration of forage maize was 10 % and 15 % higher than sorghum and sudangrass.•Dryland sweet sorghum with higher yield, less water consumption and similar nutritional quality.
Drought-tolerant forage crops have huge development potential in drylands taking into account the current global challenges (climate change, natural resources overexploitation and increasing food demand). However, little is known about the trade-off among yield, nutritional quality, and soil water consumption for dryland forage farming production in semi-arid regions. This research compared the two-year yield and soil water consumption characteristics of sweet sorghum (Sorghum dochna), sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense) and forage maize (Zea mays) under natural rainfall condition. The soil water content up to 200 cm soil depth –at 10-cm intervals– and dry matter yield of the different forage crops were evaluated in a set of plots in 2017 and 2018, and the nutritional quality of these crops were measured in 2018. Three replicate plots were established for each forage crop. Results showed that the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of sudangrass were significantly lower than those of sweet sorghum and forage maize (P < 0.05). Sudangrass presented the higher in vitro dry matter digestibility coefficient (IVDMD). The yield of sweet sorghum was significantly higher than that of sudangrass and forage maize. Different soil water consumption patterns were observed among the forage crops, happening mostly in the 0–150 cm soil layer in the forage maize plots, and in the 0–100 cm soil layer in the sweet sorghum and sudangrass plots. The average daily evapotranspiration (ETd) of forage maize was about 10 % and 15 % higher than that of sweet sorghum and sudangrass, respectively. Forage sorghum presented the highest yield, less soil water consumption, and similar nutritional quality to forage maize, and thus, it is an advisable option for forage production in the soil water-limited semi-arid regions.
Cover crops (CCs) minimize the loss of soil in permanent cropping systems where the soil is usually bare due to intense tillage or overuse of herbicides. The topsoil, the richer layer in soil organic ...carbon and organic matter (OM), is affected by water erosion. Nature-based solutions appear as a suitable option for sustainable farming. In this study, the effectiveness of two years of CC management to reduce the OM loss is evaluated in a rainfed vineyard in a rolling landscape (Huesca, NE Spain). Two sediment traps collected runoff over 15 months. Topsoil OM contents (1.64% and 1.60%) and sediment/soil OM enrichment ratio (2.61 and 3.07) were similar. However, the average annual rate of OM loss was 3.6 times higher in the plot with lower vegetation cover than in the plot with CCs (1.29 vs. 0.35 kgOM ha−1 yr−1). The concentration of OMSed showed a negative relationship with the net soil loss; and significant differences appeared between the OMSed in the months with low and moderate-to-high ground cover. CCs are an excellent nature-based solution to control the unsustainable soil and OM losses measured in vineyards, which will contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
•The aggregated index of sediment connectivity (AIC) was applied for the first time on large regional scale.•Both structural connectivity and functional connectivity were calculated and compared.•The ...role of AIC factors in the sediment patterns over the months of the year were analysed.•Correlation coefficient between monthly sediment yield data and AIC were calculated as an attempt to validate the AIC result.
Hydrological and sediment dynamics have changed considerably on the Chinese Loess Plateau during the last six decades due to large scale land use changes and numerous water regulation actions. Understanding the mechanism of sediment transport change and its effects is of great importance to food and environmental security. Numerical approaches are useful to map and assess spatio-temporal patterns in sediment dynamics. This study evaluates monthly and annual sediment connectivity in the Wei River Basin (134,800 km2) at the basin and sub-basin scales using the aggregated index of sediment connectivity (AIC). For the first time, this index is applied on this relatively large regional scale. The two objectives were to (1) evaluate the performance of the AIC at the regional scale, addressing substantial differences among areas, and (2) analyze how each AIC sub-factor co-determines the monthly sediment and connectivity patterns. Results show that AIC has strong or moderate positive correlation with sediment yield from 15 out of 23 stations in the Wei and Jing sub-basin. The Jing sub-basin has the highest sediment connectivity due to degraded vegetation, while the Beiluo sub-basin has the lowest sediment connectivity on average due to better ecological restoration. Within the year, sediment connectivity is highest in April and lowest in January, due to the rainfall regime and intra-annual land cover variations. Among the AIC factors, the rainfall factor has the highest effect on sediment connectivity, implying that functional connectivity (graded by rainfall and soil cover) determines sediment dynamics more than structural connectivity (mainly determined by topography and soil permeability). This study provides one of the first large-scale estimates of spatial and temporal sediment connectivity from hillslopes to river stream and including large reservoirs, which can be further employed to implement regional ecological construction works and environmental catchment management.
•Rainfall duration, depth and intensity influence on the magnitude of soil moisture.•Rainfall factors did not influence on the soil moisture temporal components.•The thresholds of rain parameters to ...modify soil moisture depended on soil depth.•The different cultivars and zones had little influence on soil moisture dynamic.•The seasonal component affected the magnitude but not the timing of soil moisture.
The time elapsed between the moments of maximum rainfall intensity and maximum soil moisture, known as peak to peak (P2P), is part of the hydrological response of the soil, but literature has missed this metric in any woody crop. In a vineyard with permanent vegetation cover (humid climatic conditions), the influence of two cultivars (Agudelo and Blanco Legítimo) and two zones (rows and inter-row areas) on the values of soil moisture response time, absolute change in moisture (ΔS) and P2P was evaluated for 118 rainfall events in three soil layers. 12 capacitance probes and a weather station were used, and data measured every 15 min. A positive response (ΔS > 0) was observed in 79 %, 73 % and 67 % of all events at soil depth of 5, 15 and 25 cm, decreasing ΔS with increasing soil depth. Differences of ΔS were significant among layers, but not among cultivars and zones. The maximum ΔS occurred at 15 cm, while the minimum was observed at 25 cm. No response was evident when specific thresholds were not reached: rainfall depth (0.60 mm event−1), maximum intensity (1.20 mm h−1) or duration (30 min). Topsoil conditions –high rainfall interception by the dense cover and high soil organic matter content– influenced the results at 5 cm. Rain parameters correlated well with ΔS, but weak with the response time and P2P. P2P occurred earlier in the rows than between the rows, especially at 15 cm. Shorter P2P appeared in Agudelo, with significant differences in the rows at 5 cm. P2P differed significantly among layers, increasing P2P with soil depth. Similar ΔS values appeared in Spring and Autumn, and were significantly different than those in Summer, but P2P did not differ significantly among seasons. Therefore, the magnitude and timing of the soil hydrological response were independent processes.
Even during the continuing world pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV‐2), consumers remain exposed to the risk of getting infected by existing, emerging, or ...re‐emerging foodborne and waterborne viruses. SARS‐CoV‐2 is different in that it is transmitted directly via the airborne route (droplets and aerosols) or indirect contact (surfaces contaminated with SARS‐CoV‐2). International food and health organizations and national regulatory bodies have provided guidance to protect individuals active in food premises from potential occupational exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2, and have recommended chemicals effective in controlling the virus. Additionally, to exclude transmission of foodborne and waterborne viruses, hygiene practices to remove viral contaminants from surfaces are applied in different stages of the food chain (e.g., food plants, food distribution, storage, retail sector, etc.), while new and enhanced measures effective in the control of all types of viruses are under development. This comprehensive review aims to analyze and compare efficacies of existing cleaning practices currently used in the food industry to remove pathogenic viruses from air, nonfood, and food contact surfaces, as well as from food surfaces. In addition, the classification, modes of transmission, and survival of food and waterborne viruses, as well as SARS‐CoV‐2 will be presented. The international guidelines and national regulations are summarized in terms of virucidal chemical agents and their applications.
•Blocking effects of Pisha sandstone on water leakage in sandy land were examined.•Inserted Pisha sandstone in sandy land changed the vertical distribution of soil water.•Inserted Pisha sandstone at ...10–15 cm depth caused high permeability resistance.•Inserted Pisha sandstone effectively hindered the downward leakage of sandy soil water.
Quick water seepage in sandy soils results in a serious restriction for ecological restoration, becoming a worldwide urgent research issue in arid areas. Search for practical solutions are focused on reserving the limited rainfall into topsoil layer to meet plant water demand. Based on fieldwork, this study evaluates the blocking effects of Pisha sandstone on soil water leakage, by inserting sandstone layers in the different soil depths (10–15 cm, 20–25 cm, 30–35 cm), which act as isolation layers within the sandy soil. Results showed that the inserted Pisha sandstone layers significantly decreased the soil water infiltration rates at the different stages and cumulative infiltration. The inserted sandstone layer at the depth of 10–15 cm presented the highest permeability resistance, and its initial infiltration rate, stable infiltration rate and average infiltration rate decreased by 102.42 mm h−1, 144.30 mm h−1 and 132.79 mm h−1, respectively. Meanwhile, the soil water content in the 5–10, 20–25, and 30–35 cm soil layers increased by 2.17%, 2.20%, and 1.37%, respectively, due to the inserted Pisha sandstones. This experimental study proves that the insertion of Pisha sandstones effectively hinders the downward penetration of soil water in sandy soil. These findings provide a new alternative for an effective solution of the fast water leakage problem of sandy land.
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