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Renewable energy sources are essential to reduce the negative impacts on the environment caused by burning fossil fuels. Using solar photovoltaic installations in recent years means that decision-makers must consider infrastructure renewal decisions. An expenditure framework to achieve the optimal renovation period of photovoltaic modules is proposed here from an economic standpoint. This approach includes not only the investment and maintenance costs but also energy and emissions savings. A sensitivity analysis was carried out using a case study in south-eastern Spain, achieving that the optimal renovation period ranges between 17.0 and 24.7 years. Many factors are studied to identify those with the greatest influence on this indicator. Installing a solar power system is always a profitable choice considering that the installation lifetime is 25 years. Neglecting the influence of these limits may cause potential savings not fully exploited., CRUE-CSIC, Springer Nature, research project "DESENREDA" through the 2021 call "Estancias de movilidad en el extranjero Jose Castillejo" of the Ministerio de Universidades CAS21/00085, project "Hi-Edu Carbon" Erasmus Plus Programme, Key Action KA22021, action type 2021-1-SK01-KA220-HED-000023274

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This research was funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 603498 (RECARE project). Artemi Cerda thanks the Co-operative Research programme from the OECD (Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems) for its support with the 2016 CRP fellowship (OCDE TAD/CRP JA00088807)., The main goal of this research was to conduct a biophysical, economic, social, and perception-based approach to foresee the solutions that could be used to mitigate the soil loss problem cost-effectively in “La Ribera del Xúquer” district (Valencia Region, Spain). To achieve these goals, a farmer perception survey was carried out, and an assessment of the biophysical impact of catch crops on soil organic matter, bulk density, steady-state infiltration rate (double-ring infiltrometer) and runoff generation, and soil erosion (rainfall simulation experiments) was carried out in 2016. For the biophysical approach, two paired plots, i.e., catch crops vs. glyphosate herbicide treatment (in advance, control plot), were selected under clementine citrus production. The results show that soil organic matter increased from 1.14 to 1.63%, and bulk density decreased from 1.47 to 1.27 g cm− 3 after 10 years of treatments using catch crops. They also facilitated higher infiltration rates from 16.7 to 171 mm h− 1 and a delay in runoff generation from 149 to 654 s for control and catch crop plots. Both runoff rates (from 50.6 to 3.1%) and soil erosion (from 3.9 to 0.04 Mg ha− 1 h− 1) were reduced once the catch crops were deployed in the field. After surveying (2018–2019), farmers stated the use of catch crops as a speck of dirt and a cause of possible loss of reputation when used. Moreover, farmers (N = 73) would accept the catch crops as an effective nature-based alternative only if a subsidy of 131.17€ ha− 1 would be paid. The survey results also demonstrated that the farmers' community would see catch crop more as a benefit for the planet's health and society. Few constraints, such as ageing of the farmers’ population, lack of education and negative perception for other management factors, are the critical detrimental factors for adopting catch crops as a nature-based solution to reduce soil and water losses. There is a need for an effective agrarian extension service to change the fate of the current agriculture and achieve sustainability by adopting new management strategies in contemporary agricultural practices., Universidad de Granada/CBUA, European Commission 603498, Co-operative Research programme from the OECD (Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems) OCDE TAD/CRP JA00088807

In developing countries, the intensification of urban processes affects the correct management of the territories. Specific natural hazards such as landslides, floods or soil sealing are influencing several urban settlements worldwide. One example can be found in the oldest city of the world, i.e., Hamadan City, where floods are associated with human and economic losses and the destruction of several ancient sites. However, solutions to be implemented to reduce the risks in such a city are still scarce. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate roof rainwater harvesting (RRWH) in reducing the urban floods in Hamadan City. To achieve this goal, three different scenarios are tested, i.e., simulation of the rainfall-runoff process through the Hamadan City (1) without any RRWH, (2) considering that the harvested rainfall is used for household consumes, and (3) considering that the RRWH is used for garden irrigation. The results showed that scenario 2 (using harvested rainfall for household consumption) presented reductions of 30.4% and 28.52% in the inflow volume compared to scenario 1 respectively for 2-year and 100-year return periods, whereas these reductions were 38% and 31.9% for scenario 3. Besides, a remarkable difference was noted between scenarios 2 and 3. In scenario 3, we found that the current drainage network has more capability to transfer surface runoff through Hamadan City, which would help reduce the risk of floods in the city. Therefore, it is concluded that the policymakers and land managers should consider these possibilities, and awareness of the urban inhabitants must be enhanced to reduce the risks and promote sustainability.

Modifying human activities is key to achieving land degradation neutrality in rangelands. Rangeland stakeholders encompass different ownership regimes; however, little is known about whether different ownership models benefit or degrade social conditions and ecosystem services in the Middle East. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of Collective or Council ownership on social and ecological indicators in the wintery rangeland of Iran. The study included a social network analysis of the 187 stakeholders in the communal rangelands of Kalat (NE Iran). We considered social network variables such as density, reciprocity, transitivity, geodesic distance and E–I (external–internal) and degree centrality combined with ecological indicators such as condition, forage yield and trend in range condition. The stocking rate was 2.43 AU ha−1 in Council rangelands and 0.94 AU ha−1 for Collective rangelands, with both exceeding recommended carrying capacity. Herbage mass and canopy cover were both higher in the Collective (247 kg/ha; 59%) than Council rangelands (140 kg/ha; 48.3%). Density (47.6% and 48.6%) and reciprocity (54.2% and 53.7%) were higher for Collective rangelands than Council rangelands, but were lower for geodesic distance (1.5 and 1.7–1.8) for trust and collaboration ties. Collective rangelands showed more bridging ties (55%) than the council rangelands (27.5%), suggesting they would be more resilient when problems occur. It concluded that social capital was richer in the Collective rangelands, which creates a willingness in operators to contribute to participatory management of rangelands to improve their condition. Finally suggested new tools and policies, and possible financial and pedagogic support be provided to the Council rangelands to increase social capital and improve outcomes.

Evaluation of grazing impacts on land degradation processes is a difficult task due to the heterogeneity and complex interacting factors involved. In this paper, we designed a new methodology based on a predictive index of grazing susceptibility to land degradation index (GSLDI) built on artificial intelligence to assess land degradation susceptibility in areas affected by small ruminants (SRs) of sheep and goats grazing. The data for model training, validation, and testing consisted of sampling points (erosion and no-erosion) taken from aerial imagery. Seventeen environmental factors (e.g., derivatives of the digital elevation model, small ruminants’ stock), and 55 subsequent attributes (e.g., classes/features) were assigned to each sampling point. The impact of SRs stock density on the land degradation process has been evaluated and estimated with two extreme SRs’ density scenarios: absence (no stock), and double density (overstocking). We applied the GSLDI methodology to the Curvature Subcarpathians, a region that experiences the highest erosion rates in Romania, and found that SRs grazing is not the major contributor to land degradation, accounting for only 4.6%. This methodology could be replicated in other steep slope grazing areas as a tool to assess and predict susceptible to land degradation, and to establish common strategies for sustainable landuse practices., Consiliul National al Cercetarii Stiintifice (CNCS) Unitatea Executiva pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior, a Cercetarii, Dezvoltarii si Inovarii (UEFISCDI) PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-1180

To achieve sustainability and land degradation neutrality in rangeland ecosystems, understanding the growth stages of key plants to develop land management and conservation plans is vital. This study was conducted to determine the nutritional value of Gundelia tournefortii and its changes during different growth stages as one of the most dominant rangeland plants in Khorasan Razavi province, NE of Iran. The plants were randomly sampled in three stages of growth (vegetative, flowering and seeding) in the Senowbar rangeland and eventually moved to the laboratory for chemical analysis. Results showed that crude fiber and acid-detergent fiber and neutral-detergent fiber increased and dry matter, crude protein, ether extract decreased. Ash, Ca, P, K and Na decreased during plant matured; furthermore, these changes were statistically significant (Duncan’s test, 99% and 95%). Dry matter intake, digestible dry matter and relative feed value decreased during growth, which was statistically significant (p

A good understanding of the levels and distribution patterns of soil properties and/or quality indicators is a prerequisite for developing sustainable agricultural land management programs. Traditional assessments of these parameters of soil fertility status are somewhat costly, in both economics and time aspects. Different modelling techniques have been proposed as a useful tool for determination of soil quality indicators and development of soil fertility maps, but to what extent these results are reliable remains under-quantified in many regions worldwide. To address this uncertainty, Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) and Parametric analyses were conducted to ascertain the soil fertility status of a semiarid region in the Northeast of Iran for some selected crops: alfalfa, corn silage, potato, sugar beet, tomato and wheat. The Fuzzy-AHP and Parametric techniques using soil suitability indices were estimated for each crop and each soil delineation was achieved by Ordinary Kriging. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used as a compensatory method to allow tradeoffs among the selected criteria. Our results demonstrated that from the Fuzzy-AHP analysis, the soil fertility indices ranged from moderate to high for production of alfalfa; from low to high for production of corn silage and sugar beet; moderate to high for production of potato and tomato; and from low to moderate for production of wheat. However, the parametric analysis showed soil fertility classes ranging from very low to high for production of all the selected crops. High correlations were also observed between soil fertility indices predicted by both models. Similarly, the capacities of both models to predict soil fertility status for production of the selected crops were also highly correlated. The preference for the cultivation of the selected crops based on the Fuzzy-AHP analysis was sugar beet > corn silage > wheat > alfalfa > tomato > potato. On the other hand, using Parametric techniques, the crops preferences for cultivation ranked as corn silage > wheat > alfalfa > sugar beet > tomato > potato. We concluded that the findings would help to develop sustainable plans of cultivation based on patterns related to soil fertility classes depending on each crop’s requirement.

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This study was part of the research project "Incidence of global change in contrasted Mediterranean landscapes," GLOMED-LAND (CSO2016-75898-P), funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness., Assessing soil hydrological conditions can provide essential information for understanding the environmental processes that affect ecosystem services and, particularly in the context of ongoing climate change. This is key in areas affected by water scarcity such as the Mediterranean belt. Therefore, the main goals of this research are (i) to assess the main rainfall dynamics and trends of some representative hotspots along with southern Spain and (ii) to determine the impact on the soil available water content (AWC) over the last two decades. An analysis of daily precipitation and soil hydrological conditions was combined with soil sampling (543) and laboratory analyses to evaluate the properties related to the soil infiltration and retention capacity. The results show that the organic factors control soil properties and their hydrodynamics in southern Spain. Furthermore, a general declining trend in soil water availability is observed over the last two decades. This is more extreme in arid and semi-arid areas, where there have been several years in the last decade with more than 200 days without the available water content. Moreover, in these areas, heavy rainfall during specific moments of the year is the key factor that manifests a greater incidence in areas with steeper slopes, which in turn, also conditions the biological factors and the hydrodynamics of the soil. In short, in the context of climate change, the analysis of soil hydrological dynamics could be used to identify biodiversity thresholds in the Mediterranean area and even to detect phenological changes in specific plant species., Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness CSO2016-75898-P

Natural soil-forming factors such as landforms, parent materials or biota lead to high variability in soil properties. However, there is not enough research quantifying which environmental factor(s) can be the most relevant to predicting soil properties at the catchment scale in semi-arid areas. Thus, this research aims to investigate the ability of multivariate statistical analyses to distinguish which soil properties follow a clear spatial pattern conditioned by specific environmental characteristics in a semi-arid region of Iran. To achieve this goal, we digitized parent materials and landforms by recent orthophotography. Also, we extracted ten topographical attributes and five remote sensing variables from a digital elevation model (DEM) and the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM), respectively. These factors were contrasted for 334 soil samples (depth of 0–30 cm). Cluster analysis and soil maps reveal that Cluster 1 comprises of limestones, massive limestones and mixed deposits of conglomerates with low soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay contents, and Cluster 2 is composed of soils that originated from quaternary and early quaternary parent materials such as terraces, alluvial fans, lake deposits, and marls or conglomerates that register the highest SOC content and the lowest sand and silt contents. Further, it is confirmed that soils with the highest SOC and clay contents are located in wetlands, lagoons, alluvial fans and piedmonts, while soils with the lowest SOC and clay contents are located in dissected alluvial fans, eroded hills, rock outcrops and steep hills. The results of principal component analysis using the remote sensing data and topographical attributes identify five main components, which explain 73.3% of the total variability of soil properties. Environmental factors such as hillslope morphology and all of the remote sensing variables can largely explain SOC variability, but no significant correlation is found for soil texture and calcium carbonate equivalent contents. Therefore, we conclude that SOC can be considered as the best-predicted soil property in semi-arid regions.

Railways play a key role in the connection between urban and rural areas and enhance the economic sectors of many countries. However, little is known about wind regimes within the railway corridors, particularly in developing countries. The main aim of this research is to identify and analyze wind regimes and sand drift potential (DP) within the Sarakhs-Mashhad railway corridor based on 3-h wind speed data collected during the last two decades (1996–2016). Our results showed that the highest frequency of winds in the three monitored stations was from the northwest (NW) and north (N) for the Sarakhs (NW=21.5%, N=9.3%) and Torbat-e Jam (N=16%, NW=28.4%), and from the south (S) and east (E) for the Mashhad (S=13.49%, E=13.3%). Monthly analysis of wind regime showed that the mean frequency of calm winds increased from 26% in Torbat-e Jam to 46% in Sarakhs. Annual assessment of the sand rose graph showed that Torbat-e Jam registered the highest DP values (DP= 336, RDP= 211) and the Mashhad area the lowest (DP= 71, RDP= 22). Looking at the complete Sarakhs-Mashhad railway line corridor, summer months (particularly July) recorded the highest frequency of sand drift potential, while the autumn season recorded the lowest values. Some railway stations such as Sarakhs, Gonbadli, and Robate Sharif in the vicinity of Sarakhs Erg have the greatest threats of damage by sand movement. We recommend an increase in the stabilizing activities using biological methods of native plant species, especially planting perpendicularly to the erosive prevailing wind direction (north–northwest).

Assessment of the variation of soil erosion and sediment mobilization at different hillslope positions using the 137Cs tracing technique has been carried out for the Dapotou closed watershed, a representative depression in the karst gabin basin in Southwest China. The results showed that the annual soil erosion rates in the shoulders, backslopes, and footslopes were 0.87, 0.35 and 0.49 cm year−1, respectively, while the soil sediment deposition rate in the depression bottom was 2.68 cm year−1. The average annual soil erosion modulus of the complete hillslope was 632 t km−2year−1, which confirmed the seriousness of erosion according to the gradation of the karst soil erosion standards. For the whole catchment, the sediment delivery ratio was estimated as 0.82. To identify which factor could play the most important role in influencing the estimates using 137Cs, a linear correlation and principal component analysis were conducted. The results showed that 137Cs concentrations at different soil depths of the different hillslope positions were significantly correlated with soil organic matter and total nitrogen (P

Suitable vineyard soils enhance soil stability and biodiversity which in turn protects roots against erosion and nutrient losses. There is a lack of information related to inexpensive and suitable methods and tools to protect the soil in Mediterranean sloping vineyards (>25° of slope inclination). In the vineyards of the Montes de Malaga (southern Spain), a sustainable land management practice that controls soil erosion is actually achieved by tilling rills in the down-slope direction to canalize water and sediments. Because of their design and use, we call them agri-spillways. In this research, we assessed two agri-spillways (between 10 m and 15 m length, and slopes between 25.8° and 35°) by performing runoff experiments under extreme conditions (a motor driven pump that discharged water flows up to 1.33 l s-1 for 12 to 15 minutes: ≈1000 l). The final results showed: i) a great capacity by these rills to canalize large amounts of water and sediments; and, ii) higher water flow speeds (between 0.16 m s-1 and 0.28 m s-1) and sediment concentration rates (up to 1538.6 g l-1) than typically found in other Mediterranean areas and land uses (such as badlands, rangelands or extensive crops of olives and almonds). The speed of water flow and the sediment concentration were much higher in the shorter and steeper rill. We concluded that agri-spillways, given correct planning and maintenance, can be a potential solution as an inexpensive method to protect the soil in sloping Mediterranean vineyards.

Solarisation application by mulching the soil with a polyethene plastic film has a significant influence on soil thermal characteristics (TCs), which, in turn, show a strong impact on soil energy balance and agricultural productivity. In countries like Iraq with highly populated cities, such as Baghdad, that need large quantities of agriproducts, this kind of clean energy should play a key role in sustainable agricultural production. However, little is known about the effects of different soil solarisation systems in specific cultivated fields for this country characterised by an arid climate and silty clay soils. Therefore, an experimental study was conducted to investigate changes in soil TCs under different soil solarisation systems (black and clear plastics) at three different soil depths in a two-factor factorial design. Also, both the black and clear plastic plots were compared with a control (without mulch) plot treatment. Three different soil TCs were assessed, namely soil thermal flux (qℎ), soil thermal conductivity (k), and soil volumetric heat capacity (Cv). The results of this study indicated that the soil solarisation application had a significant influence on soil TCs. Soil qℎ decreased with increasing soil depth, while k and Cv exhibited an opposite trend. The black plastic mulch treatment produced higher soil qℎ, k, and Cv values than both the clear plastic and the control treatments. Moreover, high diurnal variability of the TCs was also registered, and the clear plastic conserved a higher temperature than the black one during the night hours. During daylight, the black mulch reached a maximum temperature of 70 °C. It is recommended that more research should be conducted to get new insights on the interplay of the different seasons, and different crops and soil types.

Pollution of roadside soils by heavy metals (HMs) presents serious concern throughout the world and, specifically, in India, due to the increasing traffic and anthropogenic activities. Understanding this problematic, policymakers and land managers will be able to design correct and sustainable land plans to avoid human health problems. The current study was conducted in order to determine the sources and levels of contamination by physiochemical parameters and HMs (Cu, Co, Cr and Pb) in roadside soils of Jalandhar, Punjab. A total of 90 samples were collected in triplicates from different sites and analysed for physiochemical and heavy metals. The average values of Cu, Co, Cr and Pb were found less than the permissible limits of Indian soils. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that HMs are positively correlated with each other, indicating a similar source of their origin. Further results of correlation analysis were supported by cluster analysis and Principal component analysis also indicated that HMs have the same source of origin mainly anthropogenic (agricultural and transportation activities), while soil properties have the same source of origin. The results of contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, potential contamination index, pollution index and ecological risk index showed that soils are moderately contaminated by HMs. In the future, further research would be needed to understand which specific factor (agriculture, industry and urban residues) could be considered as the main driving factor. We conclude that this study can provide the baseline data for policymakers and stakeholders to help the protection of soil ecosystem.

Coastal lagoon ecosystems are vulnerable to eutrophication, which leads to the accumulation of nutrients from the surrounding watershed over the long term. However, there is a lack of information about methods that could accurate quantify this problem in rapidly developed countries. Therefore, various statistical methods such as cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square (PLS), principal component regression (PCR), and ordinary least squares regression (OLS) were used in this study to estimate total organic matter content in sediments (TOM) using other parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3), biological oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate (PO4), total phosphorus (TP), salinity, and water depth along a 3-km transect in the Gomishan Lagoon (Iran). Results indicated that nutrient concentration and the dissolved oxygen gradient were the most significant parameters in the lagoon water quality heterogeneity. Additionally, anoxia at the bottom of the lagoon in sediments and re-suspension of the sediments were the main factors affecting internal nutrient loading. To validate the models, R2, RMSECV, and RPDCV were used. The PLS model was stronger than the other models. Also, classification analysis of the Gomishan Lagoon identified two hydrological zones: (i) a North Zone characterized by higher water exchange, higher dissolved oxygen and lower salinity and nutrients, and (ii) a Central and South Zone with high residence time, higher nutrient concentrations, lower dissolved oxygen, and higher salinity. A recommendation for the management of coastal lagoons, specifically the Gomishan Lagoon, to decrease or eliminate nutrient loadings is discussed and should be transferred to policy makers, the scientific community, and local inhabitants.

The use of machinery in vineyards is increasing soil compaction and erosion. However, there is a lack of information about the impacts of different management practices on soil conditions of vineyards. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess soil compaction in Croatian vineyards under four different management systems: no-tillage (NT) system, conventional tillage (CT), yearly inversed grass covered (INV-GC) and tillage managed (INV-T) treatments. Four key top-soil (0–20 cm) parameters were assessed in the different land uses: bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), soil water content (SWC) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes. Tractor traffic increased the BD and PR in all treatments, with exception of CT treatment, as consequence of tillage. SWC showed higher values in INV-GC treatment during the dry period; meanwhile, it was similar during the wet season in every management type. Lower CO2 fluxes were found in INV-GC and NT than in the CT and INV-T treatments.