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Furrow Water Harvesting as a Restoration Tool: Impacts on Soil Salinity, Moisture Dynamics, and Vegetation Diversity
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Banafshe Yasrebi *   , Mehri Dinarvand , Sayed Hossein Arami |
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Abstract: (7 Views) |
| Soil salinization and limited water availability are among the most important constraints affecting vegetation establishment and ecosystem recovery in arid and semi‑arid regions. Water‑harvesting techniques have been widely applied as practical approaches to improve soil moisture conditions and enhance ecological restoration in degraded drylands. Among these techniques, furrow systems can modify surface microtopography, concentrate runoff, and increase infiltration, thereby potentially improving soil physicochemical conditions and creating favorable microsites for plant establishment. This study investigated the effects of a furrow-based water‑harvesting system on soil salinity, soil moisture distribution, and vegetation biodiversity in a degraded dryland ecosystem. Field sampling was conducted in furrow-treated and untreated (control) plots. Soil samples were collected at three depths (0–30, 30–60, and 60–90 cm) to evaluate electrical conductivity (EC) as an indicator of soil salinity and gravimetric soil moisture as a measure of water availability within the soil profile. Vegetation data were also recorded to assess biodiversity responses using species richness and diversity indices. Statistical analyses were performed to compare treatments, and depending on the characteristics of the data, Mann–Whitney U tests and Welch’s t‑tests were applied. To reduce the risk of Type I error due to multiple comparisons, p‑values were adjusted using Bonferroni and false discovery rate (FDR) corrections. The results showed that the furrow treatment significantly reduced soil salinity across all sampled depths compared with the control plots, indicating effective redistribution and leaching of soluble salts from the root zone. Soil moisture content was also higher in the furrow plots, with the most pronounced and statistically significant increases observed in the subsurface layers (30–60 and 60–90 cm). In contrast, differences in soil moisture in the surface layer (0–30 cm) were not statistically significant, which may be attributed to rapid evaporation and the transient nature of surface moisture conditions in dryland environments. Vegetation analyses indicated a positive ecological response to the furrow treatment, with higher species richness and greater plant abundance recorded in the treated plots. Diversity indices reflecting species richness responded more clearly than indices weighted by species dominance, suggesting that improvements in soil conditions initially promote species establishment before substantial shifts in community structure occur. Overall, the findings demonstrate that furrow-based water‑harvesting systems can significantly improve soil physicochemical conditions by reducing salinity and enhancing soil moisture availability, particularly in deeper soil layers that are critical for plant growth during dry periods. These improvements contribute to more favorable conditions for vegetation establishment and biodiversity recovery. Therefore, furrow systems can serve as an effective and low‑cost management practice for ecological restoration and sustainable land management in degraded arid and semi‑arid landscapes. |
Article number: 6 |
| Keywords: Furrow system, soil salinity, electrical conductivity, soil moisture, biodiversity, dryland restoration, water harvesting. |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/06/8 | Revised: 2026/06/24 | Accepted: 2026/06/28 | ePublished ahead of print: 2026/07/5
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