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Abstract: Wind erosion and accumulated sand are recognized as the primary forms of cropland desertification in the arid and semiarid region, Inner Mongolia. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the effects of wind erosion and accumulated sand on soil properties and crop growth properties in this region. A field experiment was conducted from 2001 to 2002 on desertified cropland with gradients of wind erosion and accumulated sand to investigate changes in soil and crop growth properties resulting from desertification in the Horqin sandy land. Results indicated that the soil environment degraded significantly and crop growth and biomass were seriously restrained by wind erosion. In the severely eroded cropland, soil clay, organic matter, total N and P, available N and P, average soil moisture decreased by 59.6%, 71.2%, 67.4%, 31.4%, 64.5%, 38.8% and 51.8%, respectively. Erosion increased soil pH from 8.66 to 8.92; delayed plant life cycle by 6 days, decreased plant height and diameter by 15.5% and 29.1%, and decreased above and below ground biomass and seed yield by 87.3%, 47.9% and 96.5%, respectively. Effects of a little accumulated sand were fewer on soil properties and crop growth and seed yield compared to wind erosion, severe accumulated sand effects on the cropland remain to be studied further. The results of correlation analysis showed that crop biomass and seed production were significantly correlated to organic matter, total N, pH and soil moisture under circumstance of worsened soil environment. In the windy and sandy region in Inner Mongolia, some measures to control cropland erosion should be introduced including construction of windbreak, stubble cultivation, increased organic fertilizer and spring irrigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the Horqin Sand Land, more than half of the original pasture area has been converted to farmland over the last century. A field experiment was conducted from 2000 to 2001 on five croplands in the Horqin Sand Land of Inner Mongolia to examine differences in soil properties, crop productivity and irrigation effects across different soils in the region to assess their relative suitability for cultivation, in the face of continued pressure for conversion of these generally fragile, sandy soils to agriculture. Two irrigated croplands studied were originally sandy meadow (ISM) and sandy grassland (ISG), and three dry croplands were from sandy meadow (DSM), sandy grassland (DSG) and fixed sand dunes (DFD). Results showed that most measured properties of soils, and crop productivity, differed among the five croplands. The silt+clay fraction, bulk density, organic matter content, total N and P, available N and P, average soil moisture and temperature, plant height and aboveground biomass were as follows in the DSM|DSG|DFD soils: 51.1%|47.5%|24.3%; 1.44g/cm3|1.49g/cm3|1.58g/cm3; 6.3g/kg|4.6g/kg|3.4g/kg; 0.55g/kg|0.33g/kg|0.21g/kg; 0.21g/kg|0.17g/kg|0.13g/kg; 27.0mg/kg|13.7mg/kg|7.7mg/kg; 2.9mg/kg|2.9mg/kg|3.0mg/kg; 9.4%|7.0%|6.2%; 21.4°C|21.7°C|22.0°C; 225cm|220cm|181cm; and 2116g/m2|1864g/m2|1338g/m2. Corresponding values for ISM|ISG soils were: 54.3%|47.9%; 1.42g/cm3|1.49g/cm3; 8.5g/kg|6.4g/kg; 0.58g/kg|0.42g/kg; 0.20g/kg|0.19g/kg; 29.0mg/kg|23.3mg/kg; 4.7mg/kg|7.9mg/kg; 13.0%|10.1%; 21.0°C|21.1°C; 266cm|245cm; and 2958g/m2|2702g/m2. In general, the ecological origin of a cropland was a stronger determinant of its current characteristics than was irrigation history, although irrigation was correlated with significantly increased organic matter content, some soil nutrient levels, and aboveground biomass productivity. Results indicate that fixed sand dunes should not be converted to cropland because of their very sandy and poorer soil, lower biomass productivity and greater wind-erosion risk. Although both the sandy meadow and sandy grassland may be reclaimed for farming, the cropland derived from the sandy meadow had higher resistance to wind erosion and higher crop productivity, so is somewhat more suitable than sandy grassland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rain-fed agriculture is widespread in Inner Mongolia, northern China, where wind erosion of farmland is very common because of sandy soil and dry, windy weather. However, very little is known about the effects of wind erosion on soil physical and chemical properties in this region. A field experiment was conducted in sandy farmland, where erosional and depositional gradients were established to evaluate the effects of wind erosion and leeward sand accumulation on soil texture, nutrient content, soil water, and soil temperature. The research showed that long term wind erosion could result in significant soil coarseness, infertility and dryness. Severe erosion reduced clay by 59.6%, organic C by 71.2%, total N by 67.4%, total P by 31.4%, available N by 64.5%, available P by 38.8%, and average soil water content by 51.8%, compared with non-eroded farmland in the study region. The sand fraction (particles>0.05 mm), pH and ground-surface temperature increased by 6.2%, 3.7%, and 2.2 °C, respectively. Accumulated sand also caused a decrease in nutrients and soil water content. Under severe sand accumulation, clay was reduced by 2.0%, organic C by 19.3%, total N by 21.7%, total P by 13.7%, available N by 52.5%, and average soil water content by 26.6%. The sand fraction, pH, available P, and ground-surface temperature increased by 0.2%, 0.9%, 5.8% and 2.8 °C, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Considerable deposition of (137)Cs was observed in the northwestern coastal area of Japan in March 2002. Since there were no nuclear explosions or serious nuclear accidents in the early 2000s, transport of previously contaminated dust appears to be the only plausible explanation for this event. In March 2002, there was a massive sandstorm on the East Asian continent, and the dust raised by the storm was transported across the sea to Japan. This dust originated in Mongolia and northeastern China, in an area distant from the Chinese nuclear test site at Lop Nor or any other known possible sources of (137)Cs. Our radioactivity measurements showed (137)Cs enrichment in the surface layer of grassland soils in the area of the sandstorm, which we attributed to accumulation as a result of past nuclear testing. We suggest that the grassland is a potential source of (137)Cs-bearing soil particles. Since the late 1990s, this area has experienced drought conditions, resulting in a considerable reduction of vegetation cover. We attribute the prodigious release of (137)Cs-bearing soil particles into the atmosphere during the sandstorm and the subsequent deposition of (137)Cs in Japan to this change.