Runoff and soil loss as affected by land use change and plough direction in poor vegetation cover pastures

The effects of land use change and ploughing method on soil erosion in pastures have been widely known, nevertheless, there is not sufficient information about these human activities in the semi-arid regions, particularly in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of land use change and plough method on surface runoff, soil loss and crop yield in poor vegetation cover pastures, in a semi-arid region, NW Iran, 2014. Four short pastures with 12.6, 15.37, 17 and 19.4% slope steepness were considered in the area and six plots (3m×10m) were installed in each land early autumn 2013. The plots were consisted of pasture vegetation cover, rainfed wheat cultivation up to down slope and rainfed wheat cultivation on the contours. A total of 24 plots were investigated using completely randomized block design at two replicates. Runoff and soil loss were measured at the plots under natural rainfall events during 8 months growth period. Soil loss was also measured at the plots outlets after each natural rainfall event causing runoff during the study period. Significant differences were found between the cultivated plots and pasture plots in runoff and soil loss (p