Soil nutrients losses by wind erosion in a citrus crop at southeast Spain
- Authors: Segovia C.1, Gómez J.D.2, Gallardo P.3, Lozano F.J.3, Asensio C.3
-
Affiliations:
- Departamento de Economía y Empresa
- Departamento de Suelos
- Departamento de Agronomía, CEIA3, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación
- Issue: Vol 50, No 6 (2017)
- Pages: 756-763
- Section: Soil Erosion
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1064-2293/article/view/224057
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229317060114
- ID: 224057
Cite item
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of wind erosion on the productivity of citric crops over gypsiric Fluvisols in Gador area (Almeria, SE Spain) by blowing air through a wind tunnel. Wind erosion varies considerably depending on time since the last tillage. This is because a physical crust forms after tilling which protects the soil from wind. Crust formation in the study area is strongly favored by dew, which causes them to form in around a week. The repeated measurements ANOVA, as a nonparametric alternative to the ANOVA, using the Geiiser method and the Friedman test shows significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in the fractions of very fine sand and coarse silt, which confirmed that very fine sand and coarse silt are the fractions most susceptible to loss from wind. The same statistical analysis for fertility showed smaller differences in organic carbon and K2O content, while N and P2O5 increased. Nutrients lost from wind imply an additional fertilization cost for a crop to be economically feasible. The cost of this restoration of nutrients lost from the soil because of wind erosion was based on experimental data taken in crusted soil and immediately after tilling. Losses in organic matter (O.M.), N, P2O5 and K2O were estimated based on the cost of fertilizers most commonly used in the area.
Keywords
About the authors
C. Segovia
Departamento de Economía y Empresa
Email: casensio@ual.es
Spain, Almería, 04120
J. D. Gómez
Departamento de Suelos
Email: casensio@ual.es
Mexico, Chapingo, Estado de México, 56230
P. Gallardo
Departamento de Agronomía, CEIA3, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación
Email: casensio@ual.es
Spain, Almería, 04120
F. J. Lozano
Departamento de Agronomía, CEIA3, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación
Email: casensio@ual.es
Spain, Almería, 04120
C. Asensio
Departamento de Agronomía, CEIA3, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación
Author for correspondence.
Email: casensio@ual.es
Spain, Almería, 04120