Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
SOIL, 7, 511–524, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-511-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
SOIL, 7, 511–524, 2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-511-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article 11 Aug 2021
Original research article | 11 Aug 2021
Spatial distribution of argan tree influence on soil properties in southern Morocco
Mario Kirchhoff et al.
Related authors
No articles found.
Mehdi Rahmati, Lutz Weihermüller, Jan Vanderborght, Yakov A. Pachepsky, Lili Mao, Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi, Niloofar Moosavi, Hossein Kheirfam, Carsten Montzka, Kris Van Looy, Brigitta Toth, Zeinab Hazbavi, Wafa Al Yamani, Ammar A. Albalasmeh, Ma'in Z. Alghzawi, Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo, Antônio Celso Dantas Antonino, George Arampatzis, Robson André Armindo, Hossein Asadi, Yazidhi Bamutaze, Jordi Batlle-Aguilar, Béatrice Béchet, Fabian Becker, Günter Blöschl, Klaus Bohne, Isabelle Braud, Clara Castellano, Artemi Cerdà, Maha Chalhoub, Rogerio Cichota, Milena Císlerová, Brent Clothier, Yves Coquet, Wim Cornelis, Corrado Corradini, Artur Paiva Coutinho, Muriel Bastista de Oliveira, José Ronaldo de Macedo, Matheus Fonseca Durães, Hojat Emami, Iraj Eskandari, Asghar Farajnia, Alessia Flammini, Nándor Fodor, Mamoun Gharaibeh, Mohamad Hossein Ghavimipanah, Teamrat A. Ghezzehei, Simone Giertz, Evangelos G. Hatzigiannakis, Rainer Horn, Juan José Jiménez, Diederik Jacques, Saskia Deborah Keesstra, Hamid Kelishadi, Mahboobeh Kiani-Harchegani, Mehdi Kouselou, Madan Kumar Jha, Laurent Lassabatere, Xiaoyan Li, Mark A. Liebig, Lubomír Lichner, María Victoria López, Deepesh Machiwal, Dirk Mallants, Micael Stolben Mallmann, Jean Dalmo de Oliveira Marques, Miles R. Marshall, Jan Mertens, Félicien Meunier, Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi, Binayak P. Mohanty, Mansonia Pulido-Moncada, Suzana Montenegro, Renato Morbidelli, David Moret-Fernández, Ali Akbar Moosavi, Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi, Seyed Bahman Mousavi, Hasan Mozaffari, Kamal Nabiollahi, Mohammad Reza Neyshabouri, Marta Vasconcelos Ottoni, Theophilo Benedicto Ottoni Filho, Mohammad Reza Pahlavan-Rad, Andreas Panagopoulos, Stephan Peth, Pierre-Emmanuel Peyneau, Tommaso Picciafuoco, Jean Poesen, Manuel Pulido, Dalvan José Reinert, Sabine Reinsch, Meisam Rezaei, Francis Parry Roberts, David Robinson, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Otto Corrêa Rotunno Filho, Tadaomi Saito, Hideki Suganuma, Carla Saltalippi, Renáta Sándor, Brigitta Schütt, Manuel Seeger, Nasrollah Sepehrnia, Ehsan Sharifi Moghaddam, Manoj Shukla, Shiraki Shutaro, Ricardo Sorando, Ajayi Asishana Stanley, Peter Strauss, Zhongbo Su, Ruhollah Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi, Encarnación Taguas, Wenceslau Geraldes Teixeira, Ali Reza Vaezi, Mehdi Vafakhah, Tomas Vogel, Iris Vogeler, Jana Votrubova, Steffen Werner, Thierry Winarski, Deniz Yilmaz, Michael H. Young, Steffen Zacharias, Yijian Zeng, Ying Zhao, Hong Zhao, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1237–1263, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1237-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1237-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents and analyzes a global database of soil infiltration data, the SWIG database, for the first time. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists or they were digitized from published articles. We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models.
J. Rodrigo Comino, C. Brings, T. Lassu, T. Iserloh, J. M. Senciales, J. F. Martínez Murillo, J. D. Ruiz Sinoga, M. Seeger, and J. B. Ries
Solid Earth, 6, 823–837, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-823-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-823-2015, 2015
J. León, M. Seeger, D. Badía, P. Peters, and M. T. Echeverría
Solid Earth, 5, 131–140, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-131-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-131-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Soil degradation (chemical, physical and biological)
Assessing soil redistribution of forest and cropland sites in wet tropical Africa using 239+240Pu fallout radionuclides
Significant soil degradation is associated with intensive vegetable cropping in a subtropical area: a case study in southwestern China
Spatial variations, origins, and risk assessments of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in French soils
Complex soil food web enhances the association between N mineralization and soybean yield – a model study from long-term application of a conservation tillage system in a black soil of Northeast China
Understanding the role of water and tillage erosion from 239+240Pu tracer measurements using inverse modelling
Variation of soil organic carbon, stable isotopes, and soil quality indicators across an erosion–deposition catena in a historical Spanish olive orchard
Impacts of land use and topography on soil organic carbon in a Mediterranean landscape (north-western Tunisia)
Spatial assessments of soil organic carbon for stakeholder decision-making – a case study from Kenya
How serious a problem is subsoil compaction in the Netherlands? A survey based on probability sampling
Enzymatic biofilm digestion in soil aggregates facilitates the release of particulate organic matter by sonication
Exploring the linkage between spontaneous grass cover biodiversity and soil degradation in two olive orchard microcatchments with contrasting environmental and management conditions
Determination of hydrological roughness by means of close range remote sensing
Can we manipulate root system architecture to control soil erosion?
SF3M software: 3-D photo-reconstruction for non-expert users and its application to a gully network
Gully geometry: what are we measuring?
Short-term recovery of soil physical, chemical, micro- and mesobiological functions in a new vineyard under organic farming
Ecological soil quality affected by land use and management on semi-arid Crete
Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health
Florian Wilken, Peter Fiener, Michael Ketterer, Katrin Meusburger, Daniel Iragi Muhindo, Kristof van Oost, and Sebastian Doetterl
SOIL, 7, 399–414, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-399-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-399-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study demonstrates the usability of fallout radionuclides 239Pu and 240Pu as a tool to assess soil degradation processes in tropical Africa, which is particularly valuable in regions with limited infrastructure and challenging monitoring conditions for landscape-scale soil degradation monitoring. The study shows no indication of soil redistribution in forest sites but substantial soil redistribution in cropland (sedimentation >40 cm in 55 years) with high variability.
Ming Lu, David S. Powlson, Yi Liang, Dave R. Chadwick, Shengbi Long, Dunyi Liu, and Xinping Chen
SOIL, 7, 333–346, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-333-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-333-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Land use changes are an important anthropogenic perturbation that can cause soil degradation, but the impacts of land conversion from growing cereals to vegetables have received little attention. Using a combination of soil analyses from paired sites and data from farmer surveys, we found significant soil degradation in intensive vegetable cropping under paddy rice–oilseed rape rotation in southwestern China. This study may alert others to the potential land degradation in the subtropics.
Claire Froger, Nicolas P. A. Saby, Claudy C. Jolivet, Line Boulonne, Giovanni Caria, Xavier Freulon, Chantal de Fouquet, Hélène Roussel, Franck Marot, and Antonio Bispo
SOIL, 7, 161–178, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-161-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-161-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Pollution of French soils by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known as carcinogenic pollutants, was quantified in this work using an extended data set of 2154 soils sampled across France. The map of PAH concentrations in French soils revealed strong trends in regions with heavy industries and around cities. The PAH signatures indicated the influence of PAH emissions in Europe during the industrial revolution. Health risks posed by PAHs in soils were low but need to be considered.
Shixiu Zhang, Liang Chang, Neil B. McLaughlin, Shuyan Cui, Haitao Wu, Donghui Wu, Wenju Liang, and Aizhen Liang
SOIL, 7, 71–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-71-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-71-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Long-term conservation tillage results in more complex and heterogeneous activities of soil organisms relative to conventional tillage. This study used an energetic food web modelling approach to calculate the mineralized N delivered by the whole soil community assemblages and highlighted the essential role of soil food web complexity in coupling N mineralization and soybean yield after a 14-year application of conservation tillage in a black soil of Northeast China.
Florian Wilken, Michael Ketterer, Sylvia Koszinski, Michael Sommer, and Peter Fiener
SOIL, 6, 549–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-549-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Soil redistribution by water and tillage erosion processes on arable land is a major threat to sustainable use of soil resources. We unravel the role of tillage and water erosion from fallout radionuclide (239+240Pu) activities in a ground moraine landscape. Our results show that tillage erosion dominates soil redistribution processes and has a major impact on the hydrological and sedimentological connectivity, which started before the onset of highly mechanised farming since the 1960s.
José A. Gómez, Gema Guzmán, Arsenio Toloza, Christian Resch, Roberto García-Ruíz, and Lionel Mabit
SOIL, 6, 179–194, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-179-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-6-179-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The long-term evolution of soil organic carbon in an olive orchard (planted in 1856) was evaluated and compared to an adjacent undisturbed natural area. Total soil organic carbon in the top 40 cm of the soil in the orchard was reduced to 25 % of that in the undisturbed area. The deposition downslope in the orchard of sediment coming from the eroded upslope area did not increase the accumulation of organic carbon in soil, but it quadrupled available phosphorus and improved overall soil quality.
Donia Jendoubi, Hanspeter Liniger, and Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
SOIL, 5, 239–251, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-239-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-239-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This paper is original research done in north-western Tunisia; it presents the impacts of the topography (slope and aspect) and the land use systems in the SOC storage in a Mediterranean area. It provides a soil spectral library, describes the variation of SOC under different conditions, and highlights the positive impact of agroforestry as good management in improving the SOC. Therefore this finding is very important to support decision making and inform sustainable land management in Tunisia.
Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Constance Neely, Sabrina Chesterman, and Mieke Bourne
SOIL, 4, 259–266, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-259-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-259-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Land degradation impacts the health and livelihoods of about 1.5 billion people worldwide. The state of the environment and food security are strongly interlinked in tropical landscapes. This paper demonstrates the integration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and land health maps with socioeconomic datasets into an online, open-access platform called the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool for Turkana County in Kenya.
Dick J. Brus and Jan J. H. van den Akker
SOIL, 4, 37–45, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-37-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-37-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Subsoil compaction is an important soil threat. It is caused by heavy machines used in agriculture. The aim of this study was to estimate how large the area with overcompacted subsoils is in the Netherlands. This was done by selecting locations randomly and determining the porosity and bulk density of the soil at these locations. It appeared that 43 % of the soils in the Netherlands is overcompacted, and so we conclude that subsoil compaction is indeed a serious problem in the Netherlands.
Frederick Büks and Martin Kaupenjohann
SOIL, 2, 499–509, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-499-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-499-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Soil aggregate stability and POM occlusion are integral markers for soil quality. Besides physico-chemical interactions, biofilms are considered to aggregate primary particles, but experimental proof is still missing. In our experiment, soil aggregate samples were treated with biofilm degrading enzymes and showed a reduced POM occlusion and an increased bacteria DNA release compared with untreated samples. Thus, biofilms are assumed to be an important factor of POM occlusion in soil aggregates.
E. V. Taguas, C. Arroyo, A. Lora, G. Guzmán, K. Vanderlinden, and J. A. Gómez
SOIL, 1, 651–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-651-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-651-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Biodiversity indices for spontaneous grass cover were measured in two olive orchards in southern Spain with contrasting site conditions and management to evaluate their potential for biodiversity metrics of soil degradation. Biodiversity indices were relatively high for agricultural areas. No correlation between the biodiversity indicators and soil quality features were observed. The mere use of vegetation presence as a proxy might mask relative intense soil degradation processes.
A. Kaiser, F. Neugirg, F. Haas, J. Schmidt, M. Becht, and M. Schindewolf
SOIL, 1, 613–620, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-613-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-613-2015, 2015
A. Ola, I. C. Dodd, and J. N. Quinton
SOIL, 1, 603–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-603-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-603-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Plant roots are crucial in soil erosion control. Moreover, some species respond to nutrient-rich patches by lateral root proliferation. At the soil surface dense mats of roots may block soil pores thereby limiting infiltration, enhancing runoff; whereas at depth local increases in shear strength may reinforce soils at the shear plane. This review considers the potential of manipulating plant roots to control erosion.
C. Castillo, M. R. James, M. D. Redel-Macías, R. Pérez, and J. A. Gómez
SOIL, 1, 583–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-583-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-583-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
- We present SF3M, a new graphical user interface for implementing a complete 3-D photo-reconstruction workflow based on freely available software, in combination with a low-cost survey design for the reconstruction of a several-hundred-metres-long gully network.
- This methodology implied using inexpensive means, little manpower, in a short time span, being a promising tool for gully erosion evaluation in scenarios with demanding budget and time constraints and reduced operator expertise.
J. Casalí, R. Giménez, and M. A. Campo-Bescós
SOIL, 1, 509–513, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-509-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-509-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Despite gullies having been intensively studied in the past decades, there is no general consensus on such basic aspects as the correct determination of the geometry (width and depth) of these erosion features. Therefore, a measurement protocol is proposed to characterize the geometry of a gully by its effective width and effective depth, which, together with its length, would permit the definition of the equivalent prismatic gully (EPG); this would facilitate the comparison between gullies.
E. A. C. Costantini, A. E. Agnelli, A. Fabiani, E. Gagnarli, S. Mocali, S. Priori, S. Simoni, and G. Valboa
SOIL, 1, 443–457, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-443-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-443-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Earthworks carried out before planting a new vineyard caused, in the surface soil layer, an increase in lime and a decline in soil OC and N contents, along with a reduction in the abundance and diversity of microbial and mesofauna communities. Five years after the new vineyard establishment, soil was still far from its original quality and this limited vine development. The reduced OM input resulting from the management and the poor residue biomass was a major factor in delaying soil resilience.
J. P. van Leeuwen, D. Moraetis, G. J. Lair, J. Bloem, N. P. Nikolaidis, L. Hemerik, and P. C. de Ruiter
SOIL Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/soild-2-187-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soild-2-187-2015, 2015
Manuscript not accepted for further review
R. Zornoza, J. A. Acosta, F. Bastida, S. G. Domínguez, D. M. Toledo, and A. Faz
SOIL, 1, 173–185, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-173-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-173-2015, 2015
Cited articles
Aït Hssaine, A. and Bridgland, D.:
Pliocene–Quaternary fluvial and aeolian records in the Souss basin, southwest Morocco: A geomorphological model,
Global Planet. Change,
68, 288–296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2009.03.002, 2009.
Alados, C. L. and El Aich, A.:
Stress assessment of argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) in response to land uses across an aridity gradient: Translational asymmetry and branch fractal dimension,
J. Arid Environ.,
72, 338–349, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.06.015, 2008.
Allington, G. R. H. and Valone, T. J.:
Islands of Fertility: A Byproduct of Grazing?,
Ecosystems,
17, 127–141, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-013-9711-y, 2014.
Chakhchar, A., Haworth, M., El Modafar, C., Lauteri, M., Mattioni, C., Wahbi, S., and Centritto, M.:
An Assessment of Genetic Diversity and Drought Tolerance in Argan Tree (Argania spinosa) Populations: Potential for the Development of Improved Drought Tolerance,
Front. Plant Sci.,
8, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00276, 2017.
Chakir, L., Aït Hssaine, A., and Bridgland, D.:
Morphogenesis and morphometry of alluvial fans in the High Atlas, Morocco: A geomorphological model of the fans of the Wadi Beni Mhammed, Souss valley,
International Journal of Environment,
3, 294–311, https://doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i3.11090, 2014.
Charrouf, Z. and Guillaume, D.:
Sustainable Development in Northern Africa: The Argan Forest Case,
Sustainability,
1, 1012–1022, https://doi.org/10.3390/su1041012, 2009.
Charrouf, Z. and Guillaume, D.:
The argan oil project: going from utopia to reality in 20 years,
OCL – Oilseeds and fats, Crops and Lipids,
25, D209, https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2018006, 2018.
Chepil, W. S.:
Dynamics of Wind Erosion: 1. Nature of Movement of Soil by Wind,
Soil Sci.,
60, 305–302, https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-194510000-00004, 1945.
Chepil, W. S.:
Factors that influence clod structure and erodibility of soil by wind: III. Calcium carbonate and decomposed organic matter,
Soil Sci.,
77, 473–480, 1954.
Coe, R.:
It's the Effect Size, Stupid: What effect size is and why it is important,
Annual Conference of the British Educational Research Association, University of Exeter, England, 12–14 September 2002, 16 pp.,
available at: https://dradamvolungis.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/its-the-effect-size-stupid-what-effect-size-is-why-it-is-important-coe-2002.pdf (last access: 6 August 2021), 2002.
Culmsee, H.:
Vegetation and pastoral use in the Western High Atlas Mountains (Morocco). An assessment of sustainability from the geobotanical perspective,
in: Volume 119. Pour une Nouvelle Perception des Fonctions des Montagnes du Maroc, Actes du 7eme Colloque Maroco–Allemand, Série: Colloques et Séminaires, Rabat, Morocco, 2005,
edited by: Aït Hamza, M. and Popp, H.,
Publications de la Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Rabat, Rabat, Morocco, 2005.
FAO:
Trees, forests and land use in drylands: the first global assessment – Full report, FAO Forestry Paper No. 184,
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2019.
Faouzi, H.:
L'exploitation du bois-énergie dans les arganeraies: entre soutenabilité et degradation (région des Haha, Haut-Atlas Occidental, Maroc),
Les Cahiers d'Outre-Mer,
262, 155–182, 2013.
Hopmans, J. W., Šimůnek, J., Romano, N., and Durner, W.:
Tension Disc Infiltrometer,
in: Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 4. Physical Methods,
edited by: Dane, J. H. and Topp, G. C.,
Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 981–983, 2002.
Hssaisoune, M., Boutaleb, S., Benssaou, M., Bouaakkaz, B., and Bouchaou, L.:
Physical Geography, Geology, and Water Resource Availability of the Souss-Massa River Basin,
in: The Souss-Massa River Basin, Morocco,
edited by: Choukr-Allah, R., Ragab, R., Bouchaou, L., and Barceló, D.,
Springer International Publishing, Basel, Switzerland, 27–56, https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2016_68, 2016.
Jones, A., Breuning-Madsen, H., Brossard, M., Dampha, A., Deckers, J., Dewitte, O., Gallali, T., Hallet, S., Jones, R., Kilasara, M., Le Roux, P., Micheli, E., Montanarella, L., Spaargaren, O., Thiombiano, L., Van Ranst, E., Yemefack, M., and Zougmoré, R. (Eds.):
Soil Atlas of Africa,
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, European Commission, https://doi.org/10.2788/52319, 2013.
Le Bissonais, Y.:
Aggregate stability and assessment of soil crustability and erodibility: I. Theory and methodology,
Eur. J. Soil Sci.,
47, 425–437, 1996.
Le Polain de Waroux, Y. and Lambin, E. F.:
Monitoring degradation in arid and semi-arid forests and woodlands: The case of the argan woodlands (Morocco),
Appl. Geogr.,
32, 777–786, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2011.08.005, 2012.
Majourhat, K., Jabbar, Y., Hafidi, A., and Martínez-Gómez, P.:
Molecular characterization and genetic relationships amongst most common identified morphotypes of critically endangered rare Moroccan species Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae) using RAPD and SSR markers,
Ann. For. Sci.,
65, 805, https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2008069, 2008.
Mensching, H.:
Geographische Handbücher: Marokko. Die Landschaften im Maghreb,
Keysersche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Heidelberg, Germany, 1957.
Moukrim, S., Lahssini, S., Rhazi, M., Mharzi Alaoui, H., Benabou, A., Wahby, I., El Madihi, M., Arahou, M., and Rhazi, L.:
Climate change impacts on potential distribution of multipurpose agro-forestry species: Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels as case study,
Agroforest. Syst.,
93, 1209–1219, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0232-8, 2019.
Pérez, F. L.:
Plant Organic Matter Really Matters: Pedological Effects of Kūpaoa (Dubautia menziesii) Shrubs in a Volcanic Alpine Area, Maui, Hawai'i,
Soil Systems,
3, 31, https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3020031, 2019.
Peter, K. D., d'Oleire-Oltmanns, S., Ries, J. B., Marzolff, I., and Aït Hssaine, A.:
Soil erosion in gully catchments affected by land-levelling measures in the Souss basin, Morocco, analysed by rainfall simulation and UAV remote sensing data,
Catena,
113, 24–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2013.09.004, 2014.
Ravi, S., Breshears, D. D., Huxman, T. E., and D'Odorico, P.:
Land degradation in drylands: Interactions among hydrologic-aeolian erosion and vegetation dynamics,
Geomorphology,
116, 236–245, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.11.023, 2010.
Seif-Ennasr, M., Zaaboul, R., Hirich, A., Caroletti, G. N., Bouchaou, L., El Morjani, Z. E. A., Beraaouz, E. H., McDonnell, R. A., and Choukr-Allah, R.:
Climate change and adaptive water management measures in Chtouka Aït Baha region (Morocco),
Sci. Total Environ.,
573, 862–875, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.170, 2016.
Solorio, S. F. J., Wright, J., Franco, M. J. A., Basu, S. K., Sarabia, S. L., Ramírez, L., Ayala, B. A., Aguilar, P. C., and Ku, V. J. C.:
Silvopastoral Systems: Best Agroecological Practice for Resilient Production Systems Under Dryland and Drought Conditions,
in: Quantification of Climate Variability, Adaptation and Mitigation for Agricultural Sustainability,
edited by: Ahmed, M. and Stockle, C. O.,
Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, 233–250, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32059-5, 2017.
Soni, M. L., Subbulakshmi, V., Yadava, N. D., Tewari, J. C., and Dagar, J. C.:
Silvopastoral Agroforestry Systems: Lifeline for Dry Regions,
in: Agroforestry Research Developments,
edited by: Dagar, J. C. and Tewari, J. C.,
Nova Science Publishers Inc., New York, USA, 245–305, 2016.
Stocking, M. and Elwell, H.:
Vegetation and erosion: A review,
Scott. Geogr. Mag.,
92, 4–16, 1976.
Tatarko, J.:
Soil Aggregation and Wind Erosion: Processes and Measurements,
Ann. Arid Zone,
40, 251–263, 2001.
Vásquez-Méndez, R., Ventura-Ramos, E., Oleschko, K., Hernández-Sandoval, L., and Domínguez-Cortázar, M. A.:
Soil Erosion Processes in Semiarid Areas: The Importance of Native Vegetation,
in: Soil Erosion Studies,
edited by: Godone, D.,
InTech, London, United Kingdom, 25–40, 2011.
Short summary
This study found that the influence of argan trees on soil properties in southern Morocco is mostly limited to the area covered by the tree crown. However, the tree influences the bare soil outside the crown positively in specific directions because wind and water can move litter and soil particles from under the tree to the areas between the trees. These findings, based on soil samples around argan trees, could help structure reforestation measures.
This study found that the influence of argan trees on soil properties in southern Morocco is...
