Soil catena is the arrangement of soil on a mountain slope from top to bottom
Soil degeneration means loss of soil fertility
Soil erosion
Erosion removes the vegetative cover which protects the soil thus interfering with the soil texture. Wind erosion can lead to loss of fertility in arid areas. The coarser materials are deposited within short distance while the fine ones are deposited elsewhere. This leaves the original area depleted of its top fertile soil. Water erosion carries top soils either in suspension, solution or floods. Landslides can also cause erosion.
Burning of land.
Clearing farms through slash and burn methods used in shifting cultivation can lead to soil degeneration. The burning kills the microorganisms and thus robbing the soils of the organic matter. This in turn results in the deterioration of the soil structure. The soils become devoid of nitrogen because nitrogen fixing bacteria are killed. It further leads to the burning of humus and subsequent loss of fertility.
Monoculture
Planting one type of crop repeatedly, year after year, on the same plot can lead to soil degeneration. Such soils lack some nutrients, which cannot be gained from a single crop. This is why some farmers use fertilizers to counteract these deficiencies
Faimus answered the question on March 17, 2018 at 08:51
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