Effects of land use on soil erosion and nutrient loss in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

By comparing field measurements from 1989, 1997, and 1998, the differences between farmland (sloping farmland, sloping farmland with contour cultivation, terraced farmland) and orchard (terraced orchard, unterraced orchard), in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, were significant for runoff (P<0.01), erosion (P<0.05) and nutrient loss (P<0.05). Taking into account economic costs and environmental influences, reasonable and sustainable land use on slopes of 25 in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area should be unterraced orchard.