Soil water repellency in rangelands of Extremadura (Spain) and its relationship with land management

Long-term degradation of fragile landscape systems

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
The aims of this work are to determine the degree and spatial occurrence of soil water repellency and to define its relationship with site characteristics, such as soil, vegetation and land management in rangelands of SW Spain. Field work was conducted in September 2009 in 22 environmental units belonging to 10 farms, distributed throughout the region of Extremadura. The Molarity of an Ethanol Droplet (MED) method was used for measuring water repellency of the soil surface. With respect to ground cover, water repellency was highest at sites covered by holm oak litter. At soil surfaces covered by cork oak litter, dry grass and mosses the degree of repellency was lower. Almost all sites with a bare soil surface were hydrophilic. A significant positive relationship between livestock density and the degree of bare soil existed, and consequently, areas with high animal numbers were dominantly hydrophilic. No significant relationships were encountered between the degree of soil water repellency and soil properties.


Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2013, vol. 103, p. 53-61, nombre de pages : 9, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2013

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena