Abstract
Natural resource conservation and rehabilitation are the best options to control land degradation and enhance biomass for fodder and fuelwood. Rainwater harvesting structures viz. Contour trench (CT), gradonie (G), box trench (BT) and V-ditch (VD) with a control were prepared in <10%, 10–20% and >20% slopes and Acacia catechu L. seedlings were planted in August 2005 to enhance soil water, nutrient and biomass and to rehabilitate degraded hill. Soil pH, SOC and NH4-N decreased while EC, NO3-N and PO4-P increased in June 2009. Soil water, nutrients, plant growth and biomass were highest (P < 0.05) in <10% and lowest in 10–20% slopes. Soil waters were 13 and 52% greater in >20 and <10% than in soil at 10–20% slope. The soil waters were 18, 16, 24 and 14% greater in CT, G, BT and VD treatments, respectively over control, which enhanced plant height and collar diameter in December 2009 over 2005. The highest growth and biomass were in CT and VD plots, respectively. Herbage biomass was highest (P < 0.05) in <10% slope in 2005, 10–20% slope in 2006/2008 and >20% slope in 2007/2009. Harvesting of rainwater increased herbage biomass by 24–71%, and was highest in VD plots. Conclusively, rainwater harvesting enhanced soil water, nutrients, vegetation covers and plant growth and biomass during restoration of degraded hills. Gradonie and CT/BT facilitated herbage and plant growth, respectively, whereas V-ditch was effective for both.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker TR, Burslem DFRP, Swaine MD (2003) Associations between tree growth, soil fertility and water availability at local and regional scales in Ghanaian tropical rain forest. J Trop Ecol 19:109–125
Baruah TC, Barthkumar HP (1999) A text book of soil analysis. Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, p 154
Cataldo DA, Haroon M, Schrader LE, Youngs VL (1975) Rapid colorimetric determination in plant tissue by nitration on salicylic acid. Comm Soil Sci Plant Anal 6:71–80
Champion HG, Seth SK (1968) A revised survey of the forest types of India. The Manager of Publications, New Delhi, p 404
Cohen IS, Lopes VL, Slack DC, Yanez CH (1995) Assessing risks of water harvesting systems in arid environment. J Soil Water Conserv 50:446–449
Danalatos NG, Kosmas CS, Moustakas NC, Assoglou N (1995) Rock fragments. II: their impact on soil physical properties and biomass production under Mediterranean conditions. Soil Use Manag 11:145–154
De Abelleyra D, Verdu AMC, Kruk BC, Satorre EH (2008) Soil water availability affects green area and biomass growth of Cynodon dactylon. Weed Res 48:248–256
Dwivedi P, Kushwaha SPS, Nandy S, Rathore CS (2006) Site suitability analysis for khair (Acacia catechu) in part of Doon valley using geoinformatics. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 34:187–191
Faroda AS, Joshi NL, Singh R, Saxena A (2007) Resource management for sustainable crop production in arid zone—a review. Indian J Agron 52:181–193
Ge F, Jianhui Z, Su Z, Nie X (2007) Response of changes in soil nutrients to soil erosion on a purple soil of cultivated sloping land. Acta Ecol Sinica 27:459–463
Givnish TJ (1986) On the economy of plant form and function. Cambridge University Press, New York, p 717
Guerrero-Campo J, Alberto F, Hodgson J, García-Ruiz JM, Montserrat-Martí G (1999) Plant community patterns in a gypsum area of NE Spain. I. Interactions with topographic factors and soil erosion. J Arid Environ 41:401–410
Gupta GN (1995) Rain water management for tree planting in Indian desert. J Arid Environ 31:219–235
Jackson ML (1973) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd., New Delhi
Jia Y, Li FM, Wang XL, Yang SM (2006) Soil water and alfalfa yields as affected by alternating ridges and furrows in rainfall harvest in a semiarid environment. Field Crop Res 97:167–175
Katra I, Lavee H, Sarah P (2008) The effect of rock fragment size and position on topsoil moisture on arid and semi-arid hillslopes. Catena 72:49–55
Li XR, Ma FY, Xiao HL, Wang XP, Kim KC (2004) Long-term effects of revegetation on soil water content of sand dunes in arid region of Northern China. J Arid Environ 57:1–16
Li WQ, Xiao-Jing L, Khan MA, Gul B (2008) Relationship between soil characteristics and halophytic vegetation in coastal region of north China. Pak J Bot 40:1081–1090
Ludwig JA, Wilcox BP, Breshears DD, Tongway DJ, Imeson AC (2005) Vegetation patches and runoff-erosion as interacting ecohydrological processes in semiarid landscapes. Ecology 86:288–297
Marion GM, Everett KR (2006) The effect of nutrient and water additions on elemental mobility through small tundra watersheds. Ecography 12:317–323
Nippert JB, Knapp AK (2007) Linking water uptake with rooting patterns in grassland species. Oecologia 153:261–272
Phillips JD, Turkington AV, Marion DA (2008) Weathering and vegetation effects in early stages of soil formation. Catena 72:21–28
Prinz D (2001) Water harvesting for afforestation in dry areas. In: Proceedings, 10th international conference on rainwater catchment systems, Mannheim, September 10–14, pp 195
Sehgal JL (1990) Soil resource mapping of India and its applications for land use planning. Nat Bureau of Soil Sur pub no. 25, pp 7–9
Singh G (2009) Soil water dynamics, growth of Dendrocalamus strictus and herbage productivity influenced by rainwater harvesting in Aravalli hills of Rajasthan. For Ecol Manag 258:2519–2528
Singh SP, Jain RC (1987) Yield of heartwood in Acacia catechu (khair) for use in katha manufacture. Indian For 113:404–408
Singh G, Rathod TR (2002) Plant growth, biomass production and soil water dynamics in a shifting dune of Indian desert. For Ecol Manag 171:309–320
Singh JS, Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK (1998) Soil water dynamics and vegetation patterns in a semiarid grassland. Plant Ecol 134:77–89
Sokal RR, Rohlf PJ (1981) Biometery, 2nd edn. W. H. Freeman, New York
Tokey OP, Bist RP (1992) Observations on the rooting pattern of some agroforestry trees in an arid region of north-western India. Agrofor Syst 18:254–263
Tsui CC, Chen ZS, Hsieh CF (2004) Relationships between soil properties and slope position in a lowland rain forest of southern Taiwan. Geoderma 123:131–142
Van Wesemael B, Poesen J, Kosmas CS, Danalatos NG, Nachtergaele J (1996) Evaporation from cultivated soils containing rock fragments. J Hydrol 82:62–82
Vohland K, Barry B (2009) A review of in situ rainwater harvesting (RWH) practices modifying landscape functions in African drylands. Agric Ecosyst Environ 134:119–127
Xu BP, Gichuki P, Shan L, Li FM (2006) Aboveground biomass production and soil water dynamics of four leguminous forages in semiarid region, northwest China. South Afr J Bot 72:507–516
Yong L, Wang CW, Hongliang T (2006) Research advances in nutrient runoff on sloping land in watersheds. Aquat Ecosyst Health Manag 9:27–32
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the Director Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur for providing necessary facilities for this study. The Division Staffs, State Forest Department, Rajasthan and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Banswara are gratefully acknowledged for their help in data recording, financial support and providing meteorological data.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Singh, G. Enhancing growth and biomass production of plantation and associated vegetation through rainwater harvesting in degraded hills in southern Rajasthan, India. New Forests 43, 349–364 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-011-9285-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-011-9285-5