Integrating UAV-LiDAR and Field Experiments to Survey Soil Erosion Drivers in Citrus Orchards Using an Exploratory Machine Learning Approach Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Laura Cambronero-Ruiz, Lucía Moreno-Cuenca, Jesús González-Vivar, María Teresa González-Moreno, Víctor Rodríguez-Galiano Water Switzerland, 2025 Citrus orchards are especially vulnerable owing to low inter-row vegetation cover, and frequent tillage. Here, we combine controlled field experiments with proximal remote sensing–derived geomorphometric variables and machine learning (ML) to identify key factors of erosion in a Mediterranean climate citrus plantation located close to Seville and the National Park of Doñana (Southern Spain) on Gleyic Regosols (clayic, arenic). We conducted rainfall simulations with 30 s sampling, measured infiltration (mini-disc infiltrometer), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs; Guelph permeameter), compaction (penetrologger), and soil respiration (gas analyzer) at multiple points, and derived high resolution morphometric indices from proximal sensing (UAV-LiDAR). Linear models and Random Forests were trained to explain three responses: soil loss, sediment concentration (SC), and runoff. Results show that soil loss is most strongly associated with maximum compaction and Kfs (multiple regression: R2 = 0.68; adjusted R2 = 0.52; p = 0.063), while SC increases with surface compaction and exhibits weak relationships with topographic metrics. Runoff decreases with average infiltration, which is related to compaction (β = −4.83 ± 2.38; R2 = 0.34; p = 0.077). Diagnostic checks indicate centered residuals with mild heteroscedasticity and a few high leverage observations. Random Forests captured part of the variance for soil loss (≈29%) but performed poorly for runoff, consistent with limited sample size and modest nonlinear signal. Morphometric analysis revealed gentle relief but pronounced convergent–divergent patterns that modulate hydrological connectivity. There were strong differences in the experiments conducted close to the trees and in the tractor trails. We conclude that compaction and near surface hydraulic properties are the most influential and measurable controls of erosion at plot scale and the UAV-LiDAR could not give us extra-insights. We highlight that integrating standardized field protocols with proximal morphometrics and ML can be the best method to prioritize a small set of explanatory variables, helping to reduce experimental effort while maintaining explanatory power.
Introducing earhtworms to generate sustainable microenvironments able to modify soil hydrological properties on vineyards José Carvajal-Pachón, Laura Cambronero-Ruiz, Francisco Serrano-Bernardo, Víctor Hugo Durán Zuazo, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, 2025 Water infiltration and other physical soil properties are crucial determinants of soil quality and productivity. While it's established that earthworms can enhance soil structure, there's limited research quantifying their impact on these processes, particularly in vineyards. This study assesses the effect of introducing earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) into soils under controlled conditions, focusing on improvements in soil infiltration, respiration, aggregate stability, moisture, and other key soil properties within Mediterranean vineyards. The research was conducted from December 2023 to April 2024, utilizing experimental microenvironments designed to mimic the natural conditions of vineyard soils in Granada, Spain. Results demonstrated that earthworm activity significantly increased both infiltration capacity and rate. Notably, infiltration was twice as fast in the treated plots from the third measurement onward. Furthermore, earthworms enhanced organic matter accumulation, with gains exceeding 1%, and boosted soil respiration by over 50 ppm. Although aggregate stability showed less dramatic improvement, the data indicate that earthworm-created galleries foster beneficial microenvironments for soil dynamics. These findings highlight the potential of earthworms as regenerative agents in degraded agricultural soils, emphasizing their capacity to support sustainable agricultural practices and mitigate the effects of climate change. Further long-term research in real-world settings is recommended to validate the scalability of these results.
Conducting an in situ evaluation of erodibility in a Mediterranean semi-arid and conventional vineyard in Granada province (Southern Spain) through rainfall simulation experiments José Parra Ortega, Laura Cambronero, María Alcarria Salas, José Luis Rodríguez, Víctor Hugo Durán-Zuazo, Saskia D. Keesstra, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino Euro Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2024 Vineyards in Europe has been fundamental for food, drink and cosmetic production, and job creation; however, in recent decades due to increased cultivation intensity, numerous negative consequences, including erosion, have been observed. Erodibility or susceptibility to erosion is a little-studied parameter in vineyards but is crucial for analyzing the vulnerability of this crop. Therefore, in this research, a small portable rainfall simulator was used as a useful tool for assessing erodibility, combined with other methods such as soil analyses or infiltration measurements in a semi-arid vineyard located in the Granada province (Spain) considering 20 different hotspots at diverse hillslope positions along the inter-rows and close to the traffic roads. The experiments were conducted in spring 2022 under dry soil conditions. Our results display susceptibility to erosion, particularly on steeper parts such as the shoulder and backslopes. In these areas, runoff gained momentum, carrying a significant sediment load, diminishing the effectiveness of stone cover, and occasionally leading to its removal, especially near the roads. Nevertheless, it is observed that increased roughness plays a mitigating role by slowing down runoff. Using linear correlation analysis and Spearman rank coefficient, we observed this effect is linked to factors such as stoniness, vegetation, and moderate tillage. Conversely, in the flatter zones, primarily in lower areas, reduced runoff and delayed onset are primarily influenced by factors such as roughness, type of cover, material composition, and organic matter content. We concluded that this study case can demonstrate that erodibility in vineyards can shed light as an extra parameter to inform farmers, rural inhabitants, and policymakers about the extreme problem of the vulnerable soils of vineyards.
Assessing Relative Gully Morphometric Change After Extreme Rainfall Events: A UAV‐Based GIS Framework Applied to the 2024 DANA in Southern Spain J Rodrigo‐Comino, MT González‐Moreno, L Moreno‐Cuenca, ... Transactions in GIS 30 (1), e70214 , 2026 2026
Integrating UAV-LiDAR and Field Experiments to Survey Soil Erosion Drivers in Citrus Orchards Using an Exploratory Machine Learning Approach J Rodrigo-Comino, L Cambronero-Ruiz, L Moreno-Cuenca, ... Water 17 (24), 3541 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Scaling up analysis of human impacts on hydrological connectivity in Mediterranean viticultural landscapes: From hillslope to a watershed perspective L Cambronero, Y Yu, J Rodrigo-Comino Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 100700 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Introducing earhtworms to generate sustainable microenvironments able to modify soil hydrological properties on vineyards J Carvajal-Pachón, José , Cambronero-Ruiz, Laura , Serrano-Bernardo ... Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics 75 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
The Use of UAVs in Viticulture to Assess Earth Surface Processes and Vegetation Changes L Cambronero, J Gónzalez-Vivar, S Demir, F Serrano-Bernardo, ... Drones and Unmanned Systems, 130 , 2025 2025
Sustainable development and integrated soil management: tools and keys for surveying the landscape evolution and degradation processes in Mediterranean mountainous regions J Rodrigo-Comino, L Cambronero, MT Gonzalez-Moreno, SD Keesstra, ... Environmental Sustainability and Global Change, 19-31 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Assessing water storage capacity and wettability of plants and woody fragments in post-fire environments: a case study in Los Guájares, SE Spain A Klamerus-Iwan, LC Ruiz, CM Gómez, A Warczyk, PD Singh, MO Khan, ... Trees, Forests and People 17, 100607 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Conducting an in situ evaluation of erodibility in a Mediterranean semi-arid and conventional vineyard in Granada province (Southern Spain) through rainfall simulation experiments JP Ortega, L Cambronero, M Alcarria Salas, JL Rodríguez, ... Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration 9 (2), 797-808 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Comunidades energéticas y patrimonio cultural: el caso del barrio del Realejo (Granada) BP Pérez, MPD Cuevas, LC Ruíz Geografía: cambios, retos y adaptación: libro de actas. XXVIII Congreso de … , 2023 2023
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Assessing water storage capacity and wettability of plants and woody fragments in post-fire environments: a case study in Los Guájares, SE Spain A Klamerus-Iwan, LC Ruiz, CM Gómez, A Warczyk, PD Singh, MO Khan, ... Trees, Forests and People 17, 100607 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Conducting an in situ evaluation of erodibility in a Mediterranean semi-arid and conventional vineyard in Granada province (Southern Spain) through rainfall simulation experiments JP Ortega, L Cambronero, M Alcarria Salas, JL Rodríguez, ... Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration 9 (2), 797-808 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Integrating UAV-LiDAR and Field Experiments to Survey Soil Erosion Drivers in Citrus Orchards Using an Exploratory Machine Learning Approach J Rodrigo-Comino, L Cambronero-Ruiz, L Moreno-Cuenca, ... Water 17 (24), 3541 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Scaling up analysis of human impacts on hydrological connectivity in Mediterranean viticultural landscapes: From hillslope to a watershed perspective L Cambronero, Y Yu, J Rodrigo-Comino Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 100700 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Sustainable development and integrated soil management: tools and keys for surveying the landscape evolution and degradation processes in Mediterranean mountainous regions J Rodrigo-Comino, L Cambronero, MT Gonzalez-Moreno, SD Keesstra, ... Environmental Sustainability and Global Change, 19-31 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Introducing earhtworms to generate sustainable microenvironments able to modify soil hydrological properties on vineyards J Carvajal-Pachón, José , Cambronero-Ruiz, Laura , Serrano-Bernardo ... Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics 75 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Assessing Relative Gully Morphometric Change After Extreme Rainfall Events: A UAV‐Based GIS Framework Applied to the 2024 DANA in Southern Spain J Rodrigo‐Comino, MT González‐Moreno, L Moreno‐Cuenca, ... Transactions in GIS 30 (1), e70214 , 2026 2026
The Use of UAVs in Viticulture to Assess Earth Surface Processes and Vegetation Changes L Cambronero, J Gónzalez-Vivar, S Demir, F Serrano-Bernardo, ... Drones and Unmanned Systems, 130 , 2025 2025
Comunidades energéticas y patrimonio cultural: el caso del barrio del Realejo (Granada) BP Pérez, MPD Cuevas, LC Ruíz Geografía: cambios, retos y adaptación: libro de actas. XXVIII Congreso de … , 2023 2023
