Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics
Although intensive agriculture is necessary to sustain the world's growing population, accelerated soil erosion contributes to a decrease in the environmental health of ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Reversing the process of land degradation using vegetative measures is of utm...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Solid Earth |
| Online Access: | http://www.solid-earth.net/8/217/2017/se-8-217-2017.pdf |
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| author | D. Mandal P. Srivastava N. Giri R. Kaushal A. Cerda N. M. Alam |
| author_facet | D. Mandal P. Srivastava N. Giri R. Kaushal A. Cerda N. M. Alam |
| author_sort | D. Mandal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although intensive agriculture is necessary to sustain the world's growing
population, accelerated soil erosion contributes to a decrease in the
environmental health of ecosystems at local, regional and global scales.
Reversing the process of land degradation using vegetative measures is of
utmost importance in such ecosystems. The present study critically analyzes
the effect of grasses in reversing the process of land degradation using a
systematic review. The collected information was segregated under three
different land use and land management situations. Meta-analysis was applied
to test the hypothesis that the use of grasses reduces runoff and soil erosion.
The effect of grasses was deduced for grass strip and in combination with
physical structures. Similarly, the effects of grasses were analyzed in
degraded pasture lands. The overall result of the meta-analysis showed that
infiltration capacity increased approximately 2-fold after planting
grasses across the slopes in agricultural fields. Grazing land management
through a cut-and-carry system increased conservation efficiencies by 42
and 63 % with respect to reduction in runoff and erosion, respectively.
Considering the comprehensive performance index (CPI), it has been observed that
hybrid Napier (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>) and sambuta (<i>Saccharum
munja</i>) grass seem to posses the most desirable attributes as an effective grass barrier for the western Himalayas and Eastern Ghats, while natural grass
(<i>Dichanthium annulatum</i>) and broom grass (<i>Thysanolaena maxima</i>) are
found to be most promising grass species for the Konkan region of the Western Ghats and the northeastern Himalayan region, respectively. In addition to these
benefits, it was also observed that soil carbon loss can be reduced by
83 % with the use of grasses. Overall, efficacy for erosion control of
various grasses was more than 60 %; hence, their selection should be based
on the production potential of these grasses under given edaphic and
agro-ecological conditions. The present analysis also indicated that grass
must be used as a vegetative strip to maintain soil quality in sloppy arable
areas (8.5 Mha) of Indian hilly regions. Similarly, due attention should be
paid for establishing grasses in 3 Mha of degraded pasture lands and
3.5 Mha of shifting cultivation areas in India to reverse the land degradation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T23:06:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2049939c00554956a1014878ad9989e0 |
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| issn | 1869-9510 1869-9529 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T23:06:40Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Solid Earth |
| spelling | doaj.art-2049939c00554956a1014878ad9989e02022-12-21T18:47:08ZengCopernicus PublicationsSolid Earth1869-95101869-95292017-02-018121723310.5194/se-8-217-2017Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropicsD. Mandal0P. Srivastava1N. Giri2R. Kaushal3A. Cerda4N. M. Alam5ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248195, Uttarakhand, IndiaICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248195, Uttarakhand, IndiaICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248195, Uttarakhand, IndiaICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248195, Uttarakhand, IndiaDepartment of Geography, University of Valencia, Blasco Ibañez, Valencia, SpainICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248195, Uttarakhand, IndiaAlthough intensive agriculture is necessary to sustain the world's growing population, accelerated soil erosion contributes to a decrease in the environmental health of ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Reversing the process of land degradation using vegetative measures is of utmost importance in such ecosystems. The present study critically analyzes the effect of grasses in reversing the process of land degradation using a systematic review. The collected information was segregated under three different land use and land management situations. Meta-analysis was applied to test the hypothesis that the use of grasses reduces runoff and soil erosion. The effect of grasses was deduced for grass strip and in combination with physical structures. Similarly, the effects of grasses were analyzed in degraded pasture lands. The overall result of the meta-analysis showed that infiltration capacity increased approximately 2-fold after planting grasses across the slopes in agricultural fields. Grazing land management through a cut-and-carry system increased conservation efficiencies by 42 and 63 % with respect to reduction in runoff and erosion, respectively. Considering the comprehensive performance index (CPI), it has been observed that hybrid Napier (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>) and sambuta (<i>Saccharum munja</i>) grass seem to posses the most desirable attributes as an effective grass barrier for the western Himalayas and Eastern Ghats, while natural grass (<i>Dichanthium annulatum</i>) and broom grass (<i>Thysanolaena maxima</i>) are found to be most promising grass species for the Konkan region of the Western Ghats and the northeastern Himalayan region, respectively. In addition to these benefits, it was also observed that soil carbon loss can be reduced by 83 % with the use of grasses. Overall, efficacy for erosion control of various grasses was more than 60 %; hence, their selection should be based on the production potential of these grasses under given edaphic and agro-ecological conditions. The present analysis also indicated that grass must be used as a vegetative strip to maintain soil quality in sloppy arable areas (8.5 Mha) of Indian hilly regions. Similarly, due attention should be paid for establishing grasses in 3 Mha of degraded pasture lands and 3.5 Mha of shifting cultivation areas in India to reverse the land degradation.http://www.solid-earth.net/8/217/2017/se-8-217-2017.pdf |
| spellingShingle | D. Mandal P. Srivastava N. Giri R. Kaushal A. Cerda N. M. Alam Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics Solid Earth |
| title | Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics |
| title_full | Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics |
| title_fullStr | Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics |
| title_short | Reversing land degradation through grasses: a systematic meta-analysis in the Indian tropics |
| title_sort | reversing land degradation through grasses a systematic meta analysis in the indian tropics |
| url | http://www.solid-earth.net/8/217/2017/se-8-217-2017.pdf |
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