https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Index ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:31223 Wed 11 Apr 2018 12:12:05 AEST ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:32436 −1) were carried out in two citrus plantations at paired sites (Control versus CPB), in La Costera District in Eastern Spain. Forty circular (0.25 m²) plots were installed in four rows (4 × 5 = 20 plots) in control (CON) and CPB plots (20 + 20 = 40 plots) to perform the rainfall simulations over one hour. The cost of chipping ranged from 102 to 253 € ha⁻¹, and was related to the size of the farm. The soil quality, runoff and erosion assessment showed that CPB is a suitable strategy. CPB increased organic matter from 1.3% to 2.9% after 10 years in the 0–2 cm depth layer, while the 4–6 cm layer was largely not affected (OM moved from 1.1 to 1.3% after 10 years), and soil bulk density showed a similar trend: a decrease from 1.36 to 1.16 g cm⁻³ in the surface layer with no change in the subsurface layer. The hydrological and erosional responses were different between CON and CPB. The CON plots initiated ponding (40 s) and runoff (107 s) earlier than the CPB plots (169 and 254 s, respectively); and runoff discharge was 60% in CON vs 43% in CPB plots. Sediment concentration was four times larger in the CON plots than in the CPB (11.3 g l⁻¹ vs 3 g l⁻¹), and soil erosion was 3.8 Mg ha⁻¹ h^-1 vs 0.7 Mg ha⁻¹h⁻¹. CPB mulches were effective at controlling soil and water losses in Mediterranean citrus plantations as they showed the relationship between vegetation/litter cover and soil erosion rates. However, the farmer’s perception survey showed that the use of CPB was not welcomed nor accepted by the farmers. Policies that aim to promote CPB as soil conservation mulch need to be promoted by subsidies as the farmers requested, and by education to demonstrate the positive effects of CPB to of the farming community.]]> Tue 05 Jun 2018 14:58:10 AEST ]]> https://ogma.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/ /manager/Repository/uon:34247 Pinus halepensis M.) is the species commonly used for afforestation in the Mediterranean and is very successful when natural recovery takes place, however, the original forests were composed of Holm oaks (Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia L.). There is little information about the hydrological and erosional impact of this change of vegetation cover stimulated by a millennia old forest use in the Mediterranean, and a century old afforestation policies and natural recovery as a consequence of land abandonment. To get insights in the effect of plant species on runoff generation and soil erosion, individual trees should be selected. Plots of 1 m² are necessary to identify homogeneous patches, and were installed under Aleppo pine (4 plots) and Holm oaks (4 plots) in a 30(34)-years old plant cover recovered after a forest fire that took place in 1979. A raingauge was installed in the study site to characterize the rainfall. The soil erosion plots were built with metal borders and each plot drained to a collector (gutter) and a 60 L container to store the surface runoff. Runoff was measured after each rainfall event and sediment concentration was determined by desiccation. Results show that Aleppo pine covered soils yield six times more runoff (232 mm, 8.31%) than Holm oaks (40 mm, 1.4%) during the experimental period of 2010-2014, when rainfall amount 2,721.1 mm. Runoff sediment concentration was higher in the Aleppo pine plots (4.9 g 1⁻¹) than in the Holm oaks plots (2.6 g 1⁻¹). Soil erosion rate was ten times higher in Aleppo pine (2.6 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹) than in Holm oaks (0.26 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹).]]> Fri 22 Feb 2019 16:55:50 AEDT ]]>