| Issue |
E3S Web Conf.
Volume 613, 2025
XI International Conference on Advanced Agritechnologies, Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development (AGRITECH-XI 2025)
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 05005 | |
| Number of page(s) | 7 | |
| Section | Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202561305005 | |
| Published online | 07 February 2025 | |
Distribution of soil moisture on slopes of an agroforestry landscape complex
1 Federal Agricultural Kursk Research Center, 70b, Karl Marx str., Kursk, 305021, Russian Federation
2 Southwest State University, 94, 50 Let Oktyabrya st., Kursk, 305040, Russia
* Corresponding author: tarasovaa46@mail.ru
This study investigates the impact of a soil-protective agroforestry landscape complex on soil moisture distribution across different topographical positions. Experimental data collected from 2020 to 2024 were analyzed to compare moisture reserves in the top meter of soil on a watershed plateau and along the middle and lower sections of a west-facing slope. Two watersheds were examined: a control site without erosion control measures and an experimental site featuring runoff-regulating forest belts. The research was conducted on typical heavy loamy chernozem soil. Results revealed that in the control watershed, lacking forest belts, maximum moisture reserves consistently accumulated at the slope’s base due to subsurface lateral flow. In contrast, the watershed with the agroforestry complex exhibited a more uniform moisture distribution across topographical elements, with significantly reduced downslope water movement. This enhanced moisture retention is attributed to the forest belts’ ability to mitigate subsurface lateral flow towards the slope’s foot. These findings underscore the effectiveness of agroforestry systems in regulating soil moisture distribution, potentially improving water resource management and erosion control in agricultural landscapes.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2025
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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