Effect of slope farmland soil and water and soil nitrogen and phosphorus loss based on different crop and straw applications and ridge patterns in the basin of the main stream of the Songhua River

Abstract For soil and water erosion control in slope farmland, field experiments consisting of corn + no straw application + longitudinal ridge (CNL-CK), corn + stubble standing + cross ridge (CSSC), corn + straw application + cross ridge (CSC), soybean + straw application + cross ridge (SSC) and alfalfa + straw application + cross ridge (ASC) were conducted. Compared with the traditional CNL cropping pattern, soil loss in CSSC, CSC, SSC, and ASC was decreased 43.6%, 48.6%,58.2% and 62.1%, respectively, soil nitrogen loss load was decreased 53.8%, 50.8%, 62.1% and 66.2%, respectively, and soil phosphorus loss load was decreased 50.7%, 50.7%, 60.0%, and 66.7%, respectively. Runoff volume was decreased 42.4%, 52.3%, 54.6% and 61.0%, runoff nitrogen loss load was decreased 52.8%, 56.8%, 46.1% and 50.2%, respectively, and runoff phosphorus loss load was decreased 46.9%, 78.2%, 67.2%, and 62.7%, respectively. Soil and water erosion control of soybean and alfalfa were better than that of corn. Soil loss was decreased 19.2% and 26.7%, soil nitrogen loss load was decreased 22.9% and 31.3% respectively, soil phosphorus loss load was decreased 18.9% and 32.4% respectively, runoff volume was decreased 4.8% and 18.4% respectively, runoff nitrogen loss load was decreased −24.9% and −15.3% respectively, and runoff phosphorus loss load was decreased −50.4% and −71.2% respectively. Though runoff volume of SSC and ASC were lower than CSC, the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in SSC and ASC runoff liquid were higher than CSC, so the runoff nitrogen and phosphorus of SSC and ASC were increased. The runoff nitrogen and phosphorus loss load could be negligible because the soil nitrogen and phosphorus loss load were large. The concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus of all treatment runoff liquid was less than the environmental quality standards for class III surface water, so the runoff from slope farmland did not influence the water quality of the Songhua River.