Impact of grazing and tillage on water erosion in northeastern syria

Abstract

Impact of grazing and tillage on water erosion under natural rainfall conditions was investigated during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 rainy seasons in the Abd Al-Aziz mountain region, northeastern Syria. The grazing impact was not significant (0.4 Mg ha-1 y-1 at most) because the vegetation coverage was relatively abundant. Tillage enhanced soil loss (1.4 Mg ha-1 y-1) presumably due to the mechanical disturbance and the removal of shrub species. The ratio of the total nitrogen content in the sediments to that in the bulk soils (enrichment ratio) in the cropland exceeded unity, suggesting the selective removal of the organic matter by water erosion. Measures to reduce water erosion and to replenish organic matter should be taken. © 2000 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.