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AMPLIFIED SOIL DEGRADATION AFTER 38 YEARS OF THE DRAINAGE NETWORK ON THE UPPER TERRACES OF THE MOLDOVA RIVER (ROMANIA)
Abstract
The main objective of our studies undertaken is to determine the causes of the increased degradation of the soil from upper terraces of Moldova's river catchment. In the studied area from the western part of the Suceava Plateau (North-Eastern Romania) was built in 1978-1980 with a drainage network consisting of channels and underground drains. These works have been associated with leveling, deep loosening, mole drainage and liming. The studied settlement is located on the terrace platform with an average altitude of 390 m, a relatively flat land (slope 2-5?). The average values of the climatic parameters have 8.2В°C temperature and annual rainfall of 625 mm. The distribution of precipitations in months and seasons are uneven and periodically records a large amounts of rainfall in 24 hours and 1-5 consecutive days. The dominant soils are Glosic, stagnic albic Livisols with poor internal drainage, especially on the illuvial horizon with a clay content of more than 40%. The land use was land in crop but after 1990 it is used as a meadow. Our studies on the characteristics of meadows lands began in 1994 and consisted in the measurement of the absorption drain flows, the determination of the soil humidity and the geometric and hydraulic parameters of the drainage network, state of compactness and bulk density values. Following the studies, it was found that during the period 2008-2018 the degradation of the lands and the drainage-drainage network increased. Land degradation consisted in increasing the surface with water stagnation (i), especially in spring during snow melt, after the summer torrential rains and autumn rainfall. Soil degradation has increased due to the compaction processes (ii) favored by overgrazing (iii), especially when the soil is too wet or poorly covered with vegetation. The enlargement of the surfaces land with water stagnation were due to the clogging of drainage channels and drains (iv), as well as to the micro depressions (v) resulting from the more pronounced local compaction of the soil. Changing the composition of the vegetal cover led to the decrease of grassland quality and to increase susceptibility of the soil degradation.
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