Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting with biochar application on sediment control and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) fodder yield increase in semiarid regions of China

  • Sediments, Sec 3 • Hillslope and River Basin Sediment Dynamics • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Drought and soil erosion are significant environmental challenges to agricultural production in the Loess Plateau of China. We hypothesized that ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting, especially tied-ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting, with biochar application would increase soil moisture, temperature, and alfalfa fodder yield, and reduce runoff and sediment yield.

Materials and methods

A split-plot design experiment was conducted to determine the effects of biochar application patterns (biochar application pattern and no biochar application pattern) and tillage practices (tied-ridging, open-ridging, and flat-planting) on soil temperature, moisture, runoff, sediment yield, fodder yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa during two consecutive alfalfa-growing years: 2019 and 2020.

Results

Biochar application decreased runoff, sediment yield, soil temperature, and increased soil water storage, compared to no biochar application. Open-ridging and tied-ridging significantly increased soil water storage, fodder yield, WUE of alfalfa, and decreased runoff and sediment yield, compared to flat-planting. Compared to no biochar application, soil water storage for biochar application increased by 34.51 mm during alfalfa growing season over two years. The mean runoff and sediment yield for no biochar application were 1.48–1.69 and 1.94–2.25 times greater than that for biochar application, respectively. Compared to flat-planting, the mean decrease of runoff and sediment yield was 27.4–31.9% and 60.1–64.7%, respectively, for open-ridging, while it was 37.1–55.2% and 71.8–82.4% for tied-ridging. The mean increase of soil water storage, fodder yield, and WUE of alfalfa for open-ridging was 39.5–52.1 mm, 26.2–31.7%, and 10.07–14.86 kg ha−1 mm−1, respectively, while it for tied-ridging was 31.2–60.5 mm, 26.5–35.2%, and 12.14–16.55 kg ha−1 mm−1 over two years.

Conclusions

Tied-ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting with biochar application is a potentially effective adaptation technology that could control soil erosion and increase alfalfa fodder yield in semiarid regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

RFRH:

Ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting

TRFRH:

Tied-ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting

WUE:

Water use efficiency

NFY:

Net fodder yield

AFY:

Actual fodder yield

References

  • Abrol V, Ben-Hur M, Verheijen FGA, Keizer JJ, Martins MAS, Tenaw H, Tchehansky L, Graber ER (2016) Biochar effects on soil water infiltration and erosion under seal formation conditions: rainfall simulation experiment. J Soils Sediments 16(12):2709–2719

  • Acosta-Rangel A, Li R, Mauk P, Santiago L, Lovatt CJ (2021) Effects of temperature, soil moisture and light intensity on the temporal pattern of floral gene expression and flowering of avocado buds. Sci Hortic-Amsterdam 280:109940

  • Araya A, Stroosnijder L (2010) Effects of tied-ridges and mulch on barley (Hordeum vulgare) rainwater use efficiency and production in Northern Ethiopia. Agr Water Manage 97(6):841–847

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Z, Cao XL, Niu JP (2021) Effects of exogenous ascorbic acid on seed germination and seedling salt-tolerance of alfalfa. PLoS One 16(4):0250926

    Google Scholar 

  • Faloyea OT, Alatisea MO, Ajayia AE, Ewulo BS (2019) Effects of biochar and inorganic fertiliser applications on growth, yield and water use efficiency of maize under deficit irrigation. Agr Water Manage 217:165–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang S, Zhao C, Jian S (2016) Canopy transpiration of Pinus tabulaeformis plantation forest in the Loess Plateau region of China. Environ Earth Sci 75(5):376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng WY, Yang F, Cen R, Liu J, Qu ZY, Miao QF, Chen HY (2021) Effects of straw biochar application on soil temperature, available nitrogen, and growth of corn. J Environ Manage 277:111331

  • Fister W, Heckrath G, Greenwood P, Kuhn NJ (2013) Erodibility of biochar from a sandy soil in Denmark, united nations convention to combat desertification, the economics of desertification, land degradation and drought: methodologies and analysis for decision-making. extended abstracts. UNCCD 2nd scientific conference

  • Fu GQ, Qiu XN, Xu XY, Zhang W, Zang F, Zhao CY (2021) The role of biochar particle size and application rate in promoting the hydraulic and physical properties of sandy desert soil. Catena 207(1):105607

  • Fu Q, Zhao H, Li H, Li TX, Hou RJ, Liu D, Ji Y, Gao Y, Yu PF (2019) Effects of biochar application during different periods on soil structures and water retention in seasonally frozen soil areas. Sci Total Environ 694:133732

  • Ge JM, Fan J, Yuan HY, Yang XT, Jin M, Wang S (2020a) Soil water depletion and restoration under inter-conversion of food crop and alfalfa with three consecutive wet years. J Hydrol 585:124851

  • Ge XG, Cao YH, Zhou BZ, Xiao WF, Tian XK, Li MH (2020b) Combined application of biochar and N increased temperature sensitivity of soil respiration but still decreased the soil CO2 emissions in moso bamboo plantations. Sci Total Environ 730:139003

  • Guo L, Liu Y, Wu GL, Huang Z, Cui Z, Cheng Z, Zhang RQ, Tian FP, He H (2019) Preferential water flow: Influence of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) decayed root channels on soil water infiltration. J Hydrol 578:124019

  • Gupta A, Rico-Medina A, Cao-Delgado AI (2020) The physiology of plant responses to drought. Science 368(6488):266–269

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Habtemariam LT, Mgeni CP, Mutabazi KD, Sieber S (2019) The farm income and food security implications of adopting fertilizer micro-dosing and tied-ridge technologies under semi-arid environments in central Tanzania. J Arid Environ 166:60–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haider FU, Coulter JA, Cai LQ, Saddam H, Sardar AC, J W, Zhang RZ, (2021) An overview on biochar production, its implications, and mechanisms of biochar-induced amelioration of soil and plant characteristics. Pedosphere 32(1):107–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han DD, Deng JC, Gu CJ, Mu XM, Gao P, Gao JJ (2020) Effect of shrub-grass vegetation coverage and slope gradient on runoff and sediment yield under simulated rainfall. Int J Sediment Res 36(1):29–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han FP, Zhang RLL, XC, (2016) Effect of biochar on the soil nutrients about different grasslands in the Loess Plateau. CATENA 137:554–562

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He T, Liu D, Yuan J, Luo J, Lindsey S, Bolan N, Ding W (2018) Effects of application of inhibitors and biochar to fertilizer on gaseous nitrogen emissions from an intensively managed wheat field. Sci Total Environ 628–629:121–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hossain MZ, Bahar MM, Sarkar B, Donne SW, Ok YS, Palansooriya KN, Kirkham MB, Chowdhury S, Bolan N (2020) Biochar and its importance on nutrient dynamics in soil and plant. Biochar 2:379–420

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou RJ, Li TX, Fu Q, Liu D, Li M, Zhou ZQ, Li QL, Zhao H, Yu PF, Yan JW (2020) Effects of biochar and straw on greenhouse gas emission and its response mechanism in seasonally frozen farmland ecosystems. Catena 194:104735

  • Hu YJ, Ma PH, Wu SF, Sun BH, Feng H, Pan XL, Zhang BB, Chen GJ, Duan CX, Lei Q, Siddique KHM, Liu BY (2020) Spatial-temporal distribution of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots and water use efficiency under ridge-furrow dual mulching. Agr Water Manage 240:106301

  • Hu A, Stroosnijder L (2010) Effects of tied ridges and mulch on barley (Hordeum vulgare) rainwater use efficiency and production in Northern Ethiopia. Agr Water Manage 97:841–847

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu Y, Sun B, Wu S, Feng H, Gao M, Zhang B, Liu Y (2021) After-effects of straw and straw-derived biochar application on crop growth, yield, and soil properties in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -maize (Zea mays L.) rotations: a four-year field experiment. Sci Total Environ 780:146560

  • Kan ZR, Liu QY, Wu G, Ma ST, Virk AL, Qi JY, Zhao X, Zhang HL (2021) Temperature and moisture driven changes in soil carbon sequestration and mineralization under biochar addition. J Environ Manage 277:111331

  • Kumar K, Dhorde A (2021) Impact of Land use Land cover change on Storm Runoff Generation: A case study of suburban catchments of Pune, Maharashtra, India. Environ Dev Sustain 23:4559–4572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee CH, Wang CC, Lin HH, Lee SS, Tsang DCW, Jien SH, Ok YS (2018) In-situ biochar application conserves nutrients while simultaneously mitigating runoff and erosion of an Fe-oxide-enriched tropical soil. Sci Total Environ 620:665–671

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li QL, Wang M, Fu Q, Li TX, Liu D, Hou RJ, Li H, Cui S, Ji Y (2020a) Short-term influence of biochar on soil temperature, liquid moisture content and soybean growth in a seasonal frozen soil area. J Environ Manage 266:110609

  • Li T, Cao XS, Qiu ML, Li Y (2020b) Exploring the spatial determinants of rural poverty in the interprovincial border areas of the loess plateau in China: a village-level analysis using geographically weighted regression. Int J Geo-Inf 9(6):345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li XY, Gong JD (2002) Effect of different ridge: furrow ratios and supplement irrigation on crop production in ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system with mulches. Agr Water Manage 54(3):243–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li YY, Zhang FB, Yang MY, Zhang JQ, Xie YG (2019) Impacts of biochar application rates and particle sizes on runoff and soil loss in small cultivated loess plots under simulated rainfall. Sci Total Environ 649:1403–1413

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li ZG, Gu CM, Zhang RH, Ibrahim M, Zhang GS, Wang L, Zhang RQ, Chen F, Liu Y (2017) The benefic effect induced by biochar on soil erosion and nutrient loss of slopping land under natural rainfall conditions in central China. Agr Water Manage 185:145–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim TJ, Spokas KA, Feyereisen G, Novak JM (2016) Predicting the impact of biochar additions on soil hydraulic properties. Chemosphere 142:136–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu HQ, Yang JH, Diao YF, Lei TW, Rahma AE (2021) The hydrodynamic mechanism of rainfall runoff from loess slope incorporated with straw. Land Degrad Dev 32(14):3812–3822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XL, Wang YD, Yan XQ, Hou HZ, Liu P, Cai T, Zhang P, Jia ZK, Ren XL, Chen XL (2020) Appropriate ridge-furrow ratio can enhance crop production and resource use efficiency by improving soil moisture and thermal condition in a semi-arid region. Agr Water Manage 240:106289

  • Mailapalli DR, Thompson AM (2011) Polyacrylamide coated Milorganite™ and gypsum for controlling sediment and phosphorus loads. Agr Water Manage 101(1):27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Major J, Rondon M, Molina D, Riha S, Lehmann J (2010) Maize yield and nutrition during 4 years after biochar application to a Colombian savanna oxisol. Plant Soil 333:117–128

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meng XP, Lian YH, Liu Q, Zhang P, Jia ZK, Han QF (2020) Optimizing the planting density under the ridge and furrow rainwater harvesting system to improve crop water productivity for foxtail millet in semiarid areas. Agr Water Manage 238:106220

  • Mesfin T, Tesfahunegn GB, Wortmann CS, Nikus O, Mamo M (2009) Tied-ridging and fertilizer use for sorghum production in semi-arid Ethiopia. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 85(1):87–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narjary B, Aggarwal P, Singh A, Chakraborty D, Singh R (2012) Water availability in different soils in relation to hydrogel application. Geoderma 187–188:94–101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nyamangara J, Nyagumbo I (2010) Interactive effects of selected nutrient resources and tied-ridging on plant growth performance in a semi-arid smallholder farming environment in central Zimbabwe. Nutr Cycl Agroecosys 88:103–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Obia A, Børresen T, Martinsen V, Cornelissen G, Mulder J (2017) Effect of biochar on crust formation, penetration resistance and hydraulic properties of two coarse-textured tropical soils. Soil till Res 170:114–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palangi S, Bahmani O, Atlassi-Pak V (2021) Effects of wheat straw biochar amendments to soil on the fate of deltamethrin and soil properties. Environ Technol Inno 23(6):101681

  • Peng X, Ye LL, Wang CH, Zhou H, Sun B (2011) Temperature and duration dependent rice straw-derived biochar: characteristics and its effects on soil properties of an Ultisol in southern China. Soil till Res 112:159–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu LJ, Wu YP, Shi ZY, Yu MZ, Zhao FB, Guan YH (2021) Quantifying spatiotemporal variations in soil moisture driven by vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau of China. J Hydrol 600(8):126580

  • Usowicz B, Lipiec J, Łukowski M, Marczewski W, Usowicz J (2016) The effect of biochar application on thermal properties and albedo of loess soil under grassland and fallow. Soil till Res 164:45–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Usowicz B, Lipiec J, Usowicz JB, Marczewski W (2013) Effects of aggregate size on soil thermal conductivity: comparison of measured and model-predicted data. Int J Heat Mass Tran 57:536–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Walter MT, Parlange JY (2013a) Modeling simple experiments of biochar erosion from soil. J Hydrol 499:140–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang JY, Mo F, Zhou H, Kavagi L, Nguluu SN, Xiong YC (2021a) Ridge-furrow with grass straw mulching farming system to boost rainfed wheat productivity and water use efficiency in semiarid Kenya. J Sci Food Agr 101(7):3030–3040

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Zhao WW, Jia LZ, Hu XP, Cherubini F (2021b) Soil desiccation trends after afforestation in the Loess Plateau of China. J Soils Sediments 21:1165–1176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Wei SP, Horton R, Shao MA (2011) Effects of vegetation and slope aspect on water budget in the hill and gully region of the Loess Plateau of China. CATENA 87(1):90–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Q, Li FC, Zhang DK, Liu QL, Li G, Liu XN, Li XL, Chen J (2018) Sediment control and fodder yield increase in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) production with tied-ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting on sloping land. Field Crop Res 225:55–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang B, Zhang GH, Shi YY, Zhang XC, Ren ZP, Zhu LJ (2013b) Effect of natural restoration time of abandoned farmland on soil detachment by overland flow in the Loess Plateau of China. Earth Surf Proc Land 38(14):1725–1734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei WL, Yang HQ, Fan MS, Chen HQ, Guo DY, Cao J, Yakov K (2020) Biochar effects on crop yields and nitrogen loss depending on fertilization. Sci Total Environ 702:134423

  • Wu S, Wu P, Feng H, Merkley GP (2011) Effects of alfalfa coverage on runoff, erosion and hydraulic characteristics of overland flow on loess slope plots. Front Env Sci Eng 5(1):76–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xin X, Sun Z, Xiao J, Feng LS, Yang N, Liu Y (2021) Ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting planting and its effect on soil erosion and soil quality in sloping farmland. Agron J 113:863–877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiong JB, Yu RH, Ejazul I, Zhu FH, Zha JF, Muhammad IS (2020) Effect of biochar on soil temperature under high soil surface temperature in coal mined arid and semiarid regions. Sustainability 12:8238–8247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu PF, Li TX, Fu Q, Liu D, Hou RJ, Zhao H (2021) Effect of biochar on soil and water loss on sloping farmland in the black soil region of northeast China during the spring thawing period. Sustainability 13(3):1460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang CC, Wang YQ, Sha MA (2021) Controlling gully- and revegetation-induced dried soil layers across a slope-gully system. Sci Total Environ 755(2):142444

  • Zhang DK, Wang Q, Li G, Li XL, Sample DJ (2019a) Optimum ridge width and suitable mulching material for sainfoin production with ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting in semiarid regions of China. Arid Land Res Manag 33(3):274–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang DX, Pan GX, Wu G, Kibue GW, Li LQ, Zhang XH, Zheng JW, Zheng JF, Cheng K, Joseph S, Liu XY (2015) Biochar helps enhance maize productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions under balanced fertilization in a rainfed low fertility inceptisol. Chemosphere 142:106–133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang FB, Huang CH, Yang MY, Zhang JQ, Shi WY (2019b) Rainfall simulation experiments indicate that biochar addition enhances erosion of loess-derived soils. Land Degrad Dev 30(18):2272–2286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang QQ, Song YF, Wu Z, Yan XY, Gunina A, Kuzyakov Y, Xiong ZQ (2020a) Effects of six-year biochar amendment on soil aggregation, crop growth, and nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiencies in a rice-wheat rotation. J Clean Prod 242:118435

  • Zhang ZX, Whish JPM, Bell LW, Nan ZB (2017) Forage production, quality and water-use-efficiency of four warm-season annual crops at three sowing times in the Loess Plateau region of China. Eur J Agron 84:84–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang DK, Wang Q, Zhou XJ, Liu QL, Wang XY, Zhao XL, Zhao WC, He CG, Li XL, Li G, Chen J (2020b) Suitable furrow mulching material for maize and sorghum production with ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting in semiarid regions of China. Agr Water Manage 228:105928

  • Zhao H, Xiong YC, Li FM, Wang RY, Qiang SC, Yao TF, Mo F (2012) Plastic film mulch for half growing-season maximized WUE and yield of potato via moisture temperature improvement in a semi-arid agroecosystem. Agr Water Manage 104(2):68–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao WC, Wang Q, Wang XY, Zhao XL, Zhang DK, Zhou XJ, Mai XH, Chen J (2021) Runoff prediction of rainwater harvesting ridge based on modified SCS-CN model. J Soil Water Conserv 35(2):96–105 (Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere thanks to Maureen M. Vance, Ex-Manager Adult Reading Assistance Scheme, Christchurch, New Zealand, for improving the English in this paper.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42061050 and 41661059).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Wucheng Zhao, Erastus Mak-Mensah, Qi Wang, Xiaoyun Wang, Dengkui Zhang, Xujiao Zhou & Xiaole Zhao

  2. Dingxi Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dingxi, 743000, China

    Jin Chen

  3. Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Qinglin Liu

  4. College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Xiaoling Li

Authors
  1. Wucheng Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Erastus Mak-Mensah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Qi Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xiaoyun Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dengkui Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xujiao Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Xiaole Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jin Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Qinglin Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Xiaoling Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qi Wang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Simon Pulley

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhao, W., Mak-Mensah, E., Wang, Q. et al. Effects of ridge-furrow rainwater-harvesting with biochar application on sediment control and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) fodder yield increase in semiarid regions of China. J Soils Sediments 22, 1885–1899 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03179-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03179-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation