The effect of flood on soil degradation in Gorganrud River Basin

Floods affect soil properties due to the quality and quantity of material transported and its intensity andspeed. At the end of ۱۳۹۷, the occurrence of heavy rain, flooding of rivers, caused floods in Golestanprovince. The flood damaged ۳۱۷,۰۰۰ hectares of arable land and ۶,۳۳۹ hectares of garden. The purposeof this study is to investigate the effect of the mentioned flood on the soil quality of arable lands inGorganrud river basin, Golestan province in north of Iran. For this study, two flood-affected areas wereselected (Figure. ۱). From each area ۲۰ soil samples were collected in depth of ۰-۳۰ cm and compare theresults with the control area. Results obtained from the soil testing revealed an increase in Soil-P and Soil-K, Clay, Silt, Carbonates and Electrical Conductivity (EC) with flooding. A significant decrease in Carbon,Nitrogen, Sand and Microbial Respiration (MR) were found for the topsoil of flooded area (Figure ۲ and۳). Flood had the most negative reaction in aerobic bacteria. It may had affected on total nitrogen (TN) andtotal organic carbon (TOC) levels. It is recommended to use a cover crop immediately after soil dries topromote growth of microorganisms that are essential for nutrient cycling.

کلیدواژه ها:

Flood ، Soil Quality ، Microbial Respiration ، Gorganrud