Assessment of Effects of Bandsars Use on Soil Properties in Desert Areas (Case Study: Southern Sabzevar Region, Khorasan Razavi)

Abstract

In many areas of Iran wher water is scarce, including the western Khorasan, people have understood the importance of water and soil resources. They have made great efforts to protect them, and they also gained valuable experiences. The use of these experiences in the construction of the Bandsars allowed optimizing the water and soil resources and the localization of watershed management operations which will improve the effectiveness of those operations. The bandsars cause the sedimentation of suspended particles by controlling the flow rate, and consequency, in addition to the increase in soil fertility, improve the recharge of groundwater, vegetation cover and desertification control. This research studies the effect of the use of flood in bandsars, located in the south of the city of Sabzevar on soil fertility using both field and laboratory methods. To achieve this, 5 Bandsars sites were selected in the study area, and in each site 3 soil profiles inside the bandsars and also 3 profiles outside the Bandsars with 60 cm depth were digged. The soil samples were collected from three depths of 0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm. Soil samples were transported to the laboratory and the amount of organic mater, N, P and K were measured. Results were analysed using t as well as Dankan tests. Results showed that the values of the fertilizing elements such as organic mater, N, P are different between inside and outside the bandsars, and are higher inside the bandsars comparing to the related outside areas. Although this difference is not statistically significant in some cases, it can be concluded that Bandsars improved soil fertility.

Keywords

• flood water utilization
• organic materials
• arid areas
• soil fertility
• combating desertification