Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences Paper

Vol 23, Issue 2, 2021; Page No.(149-157)

DOES PATTERNS OF SOIL ERODIBLE FRACTION IN ARID REGION RELATE WITH LANDFORM TYPES?

MANISH MATHUR, SHACHI AGRAWAL AND SWAMI SUNDARAMOORTHY

Abstract

Understanding and quantifying the large, unexplained variability in soil erosion data are critical for advancing erosion science, evaluating soil erosion models, and designing erosion experiments. Soil erodible factor has been quantified around the globe with regard to soil properties, land use types and their management methods, but more empirical research is needed to connect the soil erodible fraction (EF) factor and landform types. In this research, we investigated the likely interactions between EF and landform types (Older Alluvial Plain: OAP, Younger Alluvial Plain; YAP and Hilly Undulating Terrain; HUT) and with their biotic (plant community dynamics) and abiotic (soil) components in hot arid region of the India. EF’s behaviors on 36 lands related to specific landform and their interactions with predictor (plant species richness, diversity, evenness, soil nitrogen, phosphorus, moisture, gravel proportion and bare patch index, pH and electric conductivity) were evaluated using non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and through partial least square regression. This research proposed that EF was not primarily governed by landform type. At the landform level we found significant negative relationships of species richness and diversity with EF at OAP and YAP. Bare patch size was positively related with EF at OAP only. After sequential use of Variable Importance for the Projection (VIPs), we found that with cumulative data set, richness, species diversity, soil moisture, gravel content and phosphorus were the significant predictors for EF.