Soil, a

limited
resource we
depend upon,
but take for
granted
 Soil Erosion
 What causes soil erosion?
 How serious of a problem is it?
 Good news and bad news from the U.S.
 What is desertification?
 How do salts degrade the soil?
 CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

Wind WHY
CARE
about
Water #1 soil
erosion?

People
Impacts of Soil Erosion
 Loss of soil fertility
 Sediment runoff causes
problems in surface water
(pollution, clog ditches, boat
channels, reservoirs)
 Renewable only on LONG
timeframes (200-1,000yrs. for 1
inch)
Soil Erosion

On Ag. land in U.S. today, soil is eroding 16 times faster

than it is created
Global Soil Erosion

Areas of serious concern

Areas of some concern
Stable or nonvegetative areas
Fig. 14-7 p. 280
Causes of Desertification
Overgrazing
Deforestation
Erosion
Salinization
Soil Compaction
Natural Climate Change
World Desertification

Fig. 14-9 p. 282

Desertification: causes and consequences.
•Occurring on 1/3 of world’s land
SALINIZATION
1. Irrigation
water contains
small amounts
of dissolved
salts
2. Evaporation
and
transpiration
leave salts
behind
3. Salt builds up
on soil
Reducing and Cleaning Up Salinization
Reduce irrigation
Switch to salt-tolerant crops
Flush soils
Not growing crops for 2-5 years
Install underground drainage
 Soil Degradation on Irrigated Land
 Salinization Evaporation Evaporation
Transpiration
 Waterlogging
1. Precipitation and
irrigation water
percolate
downward
2. Water table rises Waterlogging
3. Bad for roots
Less permeable
clay layer

Fig. 14-11 p. 283

What controls soil productivity?

 Water -infiltration, drainage, storage

 Nutrients/toxins (12/17)
 Gas Exchange -CO2 out, O2 in
 Strength/rooting volume
 Waste Disposal
 Seed/seedling nursery
Where is the best soil?
Where are the productive soils?

We see what we know. The more we know, the

more options we realize we have w/ the world’s
soils.
What are some threats?
 Finite arable land: 1.1 billion hectares
 1961 0.32 ha/p; today 0.15 ha/p; 2050 0.12 ha/p
 Erosion – today 12-40 Mg/ha  30% agricultural
lands irreversibly damaged.
 Desertification – e.g., 27% China affected w/ new
2500 km2/yr.
 Salinization- affects 20% of world’s 250+ million
hectares of irrigated lands.
 Contamination w/ heavy metals.
 Urbanization and other competing uses.
 Problematic off-site issues & competing uses.
Threats? Think little things.
 Compaction or loss of porosity.
 Loss soil organic matter.
 Loss CEC other buffering potential. Doolittle Prairie –
e.g., 10% reduction
in pore volume
= 152 m3/ha
= 2200 ft3/ac
-less gas exchange,
water storage, root
volume; poorer
nursery.
-water quality &
quantity, air quality
 Soil Conservation
 What is soil conservation and how does it work?
 What are some methods for reducing soil erosion?
 Inorganic versus organic fertilizers
Soil Conservation
Involves many ways of reducing soil erosion and restoring
fertility to soil.
Conventional Tillage
Farmers plow the land and then
break up and smoothes soil to
make a planting surface
 Leaves soil vulnerable to
erosion
 Midwest tillage often down in
fall (winter bare)
Conservation Tillage
Disturbing the soil as little as
possible while planting crop
 Not tilling over winter
 Planting without disturbing
soil
 Special equipment “inject” soil
with seed, fertilizer etc.
 In 2003 45% of U.S. farms
Terracing
Used on
steep
slopes
Reduces
erosion
and water
loss
 Contour
planting
Planting crops
in rows across
the slope
Strip Cropping
Alternating
crops from row
crops and crops
that completely
Cover Crops: can be planted cover surface
right after harvest to hold onto
soil during winter
Alley Cropping: several crops planted together in rows
(alleys) Increases shade (less water) Provide wind
breaks
Windbreaks
SOIL RESTORATION
 Organic fertilizer

 Animal manure

 Compost

 Crop rotation

 Commercial inorganic fertilizer

Organic Fertilizer
Has decreased in the U.S.
due in part because
most farmers no longer
raise livestock and it
costs too much to
transport
 Poop Factory and
Phillies Soil
 Inorganic fertilizers
have taken off
Inorganic Fertilizers
Nitrogen, Phosphorous,
Potassium
 Grown in usage
worldwide
 Credited with increasing
crop yields (1/4 of world
crops)
 Many problems
associated .
“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and
land.”
- Ibid.

“What greater grief than the loss of one's native

land.”
-Euripides

“The land belongs to the future”

-Willa Cather