Abstract
Soil erosion and runoff of cultivated land will cause farmland to be degraded and the downstream to be contaminated, which has aroused extensive attention worldwide. The conventional soil loss prediction model revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) is capable of more significantly simulating and predicting the amount of soil loss, but this model often cannot achieve the satisfied prediction accuracy when the rainfall distribution of 1 year is significantly inconsistent with the annual distribution law. In this study, the 3-year field experiments were performed in Jilin, China. Besides, an improved revised universal soil loss equation (IRUSLE) was provided with a novel vegetation cover and management factor (C). It considered the interaction between rainfall distribution and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) by theoretical analysis and the genetic algorithm. It was reported that IRUSLE model can achieve more effective simulation result than RULSE model, as well as laying a theoretical basis for soil loss prediction.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).
References
Abdo H, Salloum J (2017) Mapping the soil loss in Marqya basin: Syria using RUSLE model in GIS and RS techniques. Environ Earth Sci 76:1–10
Alexakis DD, Hadjimitsis DG, Agapiou A (2013) Integrated use of remote sensing, GIS and precipitation data for the assessment of soil erosion rate in the catchment area of “Yialias” in Cyprus. Atmos Res 131:108–124
Bagagiolo G, Biddoccu M, Rabino D, Cavallo E (2018) Effects of rows arrangement, soil management, and rainfall characteristics on water and soil losses in Italian sloping vineyards. Environ Res 166:690–704
Barrena-González J, Rodrigo-Comino J, Gyasi-Agyei Y, Pulido M, Cerdá A (2020) Applying the RUSLE and ISUM in the Tierra de Barros vineyards (Extremadura, Spain) to estimate soil mobilisation rates. Land 9(3):93
Bayat F, Monfared AB, Jahansooz MR, Esparza ET, Keshavarzi A, Morera AG, Fernández MP, Cerdà A (2019) Analyzing long-term soil erosion in a ridge-shaped persimmon plantation in eastern Spain by means of ISUM measurements. Catena 183:104176
Beskow S, Mello CR, Norton LD, Curi N, Viola MR, Avanzi JC (2009) Soil erosion prediction in the Grande River basin, Brazil using distributed modeling. Catena 79:49–59
Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Cavallo E, Opsi F, Previati M, Canone D (2013) Hillslope vineyard rainfall-runoff measurements in relation to soil infiltration and water content. Procedia Environ Sci 19:351–360
Biddoccu M, Guzmán G, Capello G, Thielke T, Strauss P, Winter S, Zaller JG, Nicolai A, Cluzeau D, Popescu D, Bunea C, Hoble A, Cavallo E, J.A. Gómez J.G. (2020) Evaluation of soil erosion risk and identification of soil cover and management factor (C) for RUSLE in European vineyards with different soil management. International Soil and Water Conservation Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2020.07.003
Capello G, Biddoccu M, Ferraris S, Cavallo E (2019) Effect of tractor passes on hydrological and soil erosion processes in tilled and grassed vineyards. Water 11:2118
Cerdà A, Rodrigo-Comino J, Giménez-Morera A, Keesstra SD (2018a) Hydrological and erosional impact and farmer’s perception on catch crops and weeds in citrus organic farming in Canyoles river watershed, Eastern Spain. Agric Ecosyst Environ 258:49–58
Cerdà A, Rodrigo-Comino J, Novara A, Brevik EC, Vaezi AR, Pulido M, Giménez-Morera A, Keesstra SD (2018b) Long-term impact of rainfed agricultural land abandonment on soil erosion in the Western Mediterranean basin. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment 42(2):202–219
Cerdà A, Rodrigo-Comino J, Yakupoğlu T, Dindaroğlu T, Terol E, Mora-Navarro G et al (2020) Tillage Versus No-Tillage. Soil properties and hydrology in an organic persimmon farm in Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Water 12(6):1539
Dissanayake DMSLB, Morimoto T, Ranagalage M (2019) Accessing the soil erosion rate based on RUSLE model for sustainable land use management: a case study of the Kotmale watershed, Sri Lanka. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment 5(1):291–306
Dutta S (2016) Soil erosion, sediment yield and sedimentation of reservoir: a review. Model Earth Syst Environ 2:123
Fang G, Yuan T, Zhang Y, Wen X, Lin R (2019) Integrated study on soil erosion using RUSLE and GIS in Yangtze River Basin of Jiangsu Province (China). Arab J Geosci 12(5):173
Fu S, Liu B, Liu H, Xu L (2011) The effect of slope on interrill erosion at short slopes. Catena 84(1–2):29–34
Ganasri BP, Ramesh H (2016) Assessment of soil erosion by RUSLE model using remote sensing and GIS - a case study of Nethravathi Basin. Geosci Front 7:953–961
Grismer M (2012) Standards vary in studies using rainfall simulators to evaluate erosion. Calif Agric 66(3):102–107
Gu Z, Wu X, Zhou F, Sanchez-Azofeifa GA, Feng J, Qiu N (2015) Analysis of time scale influences on water and soil conservation effects for trees on experimental plots using vegetation fractional coverage. For Sci 61(1):67–75
Huggett AJ (2005) The concept and utility of ‘ecological thresholds’ in biodiversity conservation. Biol Conserv 124(3):301–310
Hughes TP, Kerry JT, Alvareznoriega M, Alvarezromero JG, Anderson KD, Baird AH et al (2017) Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals. Nature 543(7645):373–377
Iserloh T, Ries JB, Cerdà A, Echeverría MT, Fister W, Geißler C et al (2013) Comparative measurements with seven rainfall simulators on uniform bare fallow land. Z Geomorphol, Supplementary Issues 57(1):11–26
Jiang C, Zhang H, Wang X, Feng Y, Labzovskii L (2019a) Challenging the land degradation in China’s Loess Plateau: benefits, limitations, sustainability, and adaptive strategies of soil and water conservation. Ecol Eng 127:135–150
Jiang C, Zhang H, Zhang Z, Wang D (2019b) Model-based assessment soil loss by wind and water erosion in China’s Loess Plateau: dynamic change, conservation effectiveness, and strategies for sustainable restoration. Glob Planet Chang 172:396–413
Keesstra SD (2007) Impact of natural reforestation on floodplain sedimentation in the Dragonja basin, SW Slovenia. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. The Journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group 32(1):49–65
Keesstra SD, Bruijnzeel LA, Van Huissteden J (2009) Meso-scale catchment sediment budgets: combining field surveys and modeling in the Dragonja catchment, southwest Slovenia. Earth Surf Process Landf 34(11):1547–1561
Keesstra SD, Bouma J, Wallinga J, Tittonell P, Smith P et al (2016) The significance of soils and soil science towards realization of the United Nations sustainable development goals. Soil 2:111–128
Keesstra S, Mol G, de Leeuw J, Okx J, de Cleen M, Visser S (2018a) Soil-related sustainable development goals: four concepts to make land degradation neutrality and restoration work. Land 7(4):133
Keesstra S, Nunes J, Novara A, Finger D, Avelar D, Kalantari Z, Cerdà A (2018b) The superior effect of nature based solutions in land management for enhancing ecosystem services. Sci Total Environ 610:997–1009
Keesstra SD, Rodrigo-Comino J, Novara A, Giménez-Morera A, Pulido M, Di Prima S, Cerdà A (2019) Straw mulch as a sustainable solution to decrease runoff and erosion in glyphosate-treated clementine plantations in Eastern Spain. An assessment using rainfall simulation experiments. Catena 174:95–103
Li Y, Quine TA, Yu HQ, Govers G, Six J, Gong DZ, Van Oost K (2015) Sustained high magnitude erosional forcing generates an organic carbon sink: test and implications in the Loess Plateau, China. Earth Planet Sci Lett 411:281–289
Liu J, Gao G, Wang S, Jiao L, Wu X, Fu B (2018) The effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss: multidimensional structure analysis and scale characteristics. J Geogr Sci 28(1):59–78
Liu Y, Xin Y, Xie Y, Wang W (2019) Effects of slope and rainfall intensity on runoff and soil erosion from furrow diking under simulated rainfall. Catena 177:92–100
López-Vicente M, Calvo-Seas E, Álvarez S, Cerdà A (2020) Effectiveness of cover crops to reduce loss of soil organic matter in a rainfed vineyard. Land 9:230
Lu D, Li G, Valladares GS, Batistella M (2004) Mapping soil erosion risk in Rondonia, Brazilian Amazonia: using RUSLE, remote sensing and GIS. Land Degrad Dev 15(5):499–512
Mahala A (2018) Soil erosion estimation using RUSLE and GIS techniques—a study of a plateau fringe region of tropical environment. Arab J Geosci 11(13):335
Martínez-Zavala L, López AJ, Bellinfante N (2008) Seasonal variability of runoff and soil loss on forest road backslopes under simulated rainfall. Catena 74(1):73–79
Mermut AR, Luk SH, Römkens MJM, Poesen JWA (1997) Soil loss by splash and wash during rainfall from two loess soils. Geoderma 75(3–4):203–214
Moradi E, Rodrigo-Comino J, Terol E, Mora-Navarro G, Marco da Silva A, Daliakopoulos NI et al (2020) Quantifying soil compaction in persimmon orchards using ISUM (improved stock unearthing method) and core sampling methods. Agriculture 10(7):266
Moreno-de Las Heras M, Merino-Martín L, Nicolau JM (2009) Effect of vegetation cover on the hydrology of reclaimed mining soils under Mediterranean-Continental climate. Catena 77(1):39–47
Naqvi HR, Mallick J, Devi LM, Siddiqui MA (2013) Multi-temporal annual soil loss risk mapping employing revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model in Nun Nadi Watershed, Uttrakhand (India). Arab J Geosci 6(10):4045–4056
Peña-Angulo D, Nadal-Romero E, González-Hidalgo JC, Albaladejo J, Andreu V, Barhi H et al (2020) Relationship of weather types on the seasonal and spatial variability of rainfall, runoff, and sediment yield in the western Mediterranean basin. Atmosphere 11(6):609
Pradeep GS, Krishnan MN, Vijith H (2015) Identification of critical soil erosion prone areas and annual average soil loss in an upland agricultural watershed of Western Ghats, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and RUSLE techniques. Arab J Geosci 8(6):3697–3711
Prasannakumar V, Shiny R, Geetha N, Vijith H (2011) Spatial prediction of soil erosion risk by remote sensing, GIS and RUSLE approach: a case study of Siruvani river watershed in Attapady valley, Kerala, India. Environ Earth Sci 64:965–972
Prasannakumar V, Vijith H, Abinod S, Geetha N (2012) Estimation of soil erosion risk within a small mountainous sub-watershed in Kerala, India, using revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) and geoinformation technology. Geosci Front 3:209–215
Rahman MR, Shi ZH, Chongfa C (2009) Soil erosion hazard evaluationan integrated use of remote sensing, GIS and statistical approaches with biophysical parameters towards management strategies. Ecol Model 220:1724–1734
Ranagalage M, Estoque RC, Murayama Y (2017) An urban heat island study of the Colombo Metropolitan Area, Sri Lanka, based on Landsat data (1997–2017). ISPRS Int J Geo-Inf 6:189
Ranagalage M, Estoque RC, Handayani HH, Zhang X, Morimoto T, Tadono T, Murayama Y (2018) Relation between urban volume and land surface temperature: a comparative study of planned and traditional cities in Japan. Sustainability 10(7):1–17
Renard KG (1997) Predicting soil erosion by water: a guide to conservation planning with the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). United States Government Printing
Rodrigo-Comino J, Giménez-Morera A, Panagos P, Pourghasemi HR, Pulido M, Cerdà A (2020a) The potential of straw mulch as a nature-based solution for soil erosion in olive plantation treated with glyphosate: a biophysical and socioeconomic assessment. Land Degrad Dev 31:1877–1889. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3305
Rodrigo-Comino J, Senciales-González JM, Terol E, Mora-Navarro G, Gyasi-Agyei Y, Cerdà A (2020b) Impacts of weather types on soil erosion rates in vineyards at “Celler del Roure” experimental research in eastern Spain. Atmosphere 11(6):551
Schmidt M, Lipson H (2013) Eureqa (version 0.99.5 beta) [software]. Available at www.eureqa.com
Schuur EA, Mcguire AD, Schadel C, Grosse G, Harden JW, Hayes DJ et al (2015) Climate change and the permafrost carbon feedback. Nature 520(7546):171–179
Serrano-Muela MP, Nadal-Romero E, Lana-Renault N, González-Hidalgo JC, López-Moreno JI, Beguería S, Sanjuan Y, García-Ruiz JM (2015) An exceptional rainfall event in the central western Pyrenees: spatial patterns in discharge and impact. Land Degrad Dev 26(3):249–262
Shit PK, Nandi AS, Bhunia GS (2015) Soil erosion risk mapping using RUSLE model on jhargram sub-division at West Bengal in India. Model Earth Syst Environ 1:28
Snelder DJ, Bryan RB (1995) The use of rainfall simulation tests to assess the influence of vegetation density on soil loss on degraded rangelands in the Baringo District, Kenya. Catena 25(1–4):105–116
Visser S, Keesstra S, Maas G, De Cleen M (2019) Soil as a basis to create enabling conditions for transitions towards sustainable land management as a key to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Sustainability 11(23):6792
Wen X, Deng X, Zhang F (2019) Scale effects of vegetation restoration on soil and water conservation in a semi-arid region in China: resources conservation and sustainable management. Resour Conserv Recycl 151:104474
Williams JR (1995) Chapter 25: the EPIC model. In: Singh VP (ed) Computer models of watershed hydrology. Water resource publication, pp 909–1000
Williams J, Nearing M, Nicks A, Skidmore E, Valentin C, King K, Savabi R (1996) Using soil erosion models for global change studies. J Soil Water Conserv 51:381–385
Wischmeier WH, Smith DD (1978) Predicting rainfall erosion losses: a guide to conservation planning (No. 537). Department of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration
Xin Y, Liu G, Xie Y, Gao Y, Liu B, Shen B (2019) Effects of soil conservation practices on soil losses from slope farmland in northeastern China using runoff plot data. Catena 174:417–424
Zhang JH, Lobb DA, Li Y, Liu GC (2004) Assessment of tillage translocation and tillage erosion by hoeing on the steep land in hilly areas of Sichuan, China. Soil Tillage Res 75(2):99–107
Zhao J, Vanmaercke M, Chen L, Govers G (2016) Vegetation cover and topography rather than human disturbance control gully density and sediment production on the Chinese. Geomorphology 274:92–105
Ziadat FM, Taimeh AY (2013) Effect of rainfall intensity, slope, land use and antecedent soil moisture on soil erosion in an arid environment. Land Degrad Dev 24(6):582–590
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Yu Bai analyzed and interpreted the soil loss data and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. Haifeng Cui performed the calculation of the model. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethical approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent to publish
Not applicable.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Marcus Schulz
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bai, Y., Cui, H. An improved vegetation cover and management factor for RUSLE model in prediction of soil erosion. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 21132–21144 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11820-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11820-x