Abstract: (4870 Views)
Floodwater spreading (FWS) for the artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG),
is an easy and economical method of desertification control. An integrated
approach to desertification control based on FWS for the ARG was adopted in the
Gareh Bygone Plain in southern Iran. Deposition of the suspended load (SL),
carried by floodwater into the sedimentation hasins and infiltration ponds,
stabilizes the drifting sand and reclaims the eroded rangeland on which the ARG
projects are executed. Results of some of the physical and chemical analyses
performed on the one to four-year-old sediment samples obtained from the first
three sedimentation basins at the Gareh Bygone Plain ARG scheme show that of
the 19 factors analyzed, only two changed significantly due to the settlement of the
SL in the basins: sand content decreased by 7.9 and 3.8% at the 0-10 and 0-30
cm depth respectively; and the ESP increased by 17.2% at the 0-30 cm depth.
Regression equations were developed correlating soil content of organic matter,
total N,P, saturation percentage and CEC with silt + clay content. These
relationships indicate the geological origin of N and perhaps P and the importance
of SL in the fertility status of the drifting sand.
Subject:
Soil Science Received: 2010/03/11 | Accepted: 2010/03/11 | Published: 2010/03/11