Conversion of the virgin desert to agricultural lands can obviously alter some soil properties; however, little is known about how this conversion impacts soil mechanical properties and wind erosion. The present study therefore aimed at assessing the impacts of agricultural exploitation on aggregate stability, mechanical properties and wind erosion of desert soils in Abarkooh plain, central Iran. To do so, three land uses were assessed: (1) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), (2) pistachio (Pistacia vera L.), and (3) the adjacent virgin desert soils. Ten sites including three land uses were selected. At the time of soil sampling, the vane shear test was performed. Then, the composite soil samples (0–20 cm depth) were taken for laboratory analyses. Soil organic carbon, bulk density, mean weight diameter, wind erosion rate, wind erodible fraction, shear strength value, cohesion (c), and angle of internal friction (φ) were measured. The results showed that soil organic carbon content in the croplands was greater than that of desert. Nevertheless, according to findings, soil gravel, electrical conductivity, and bulk density decreased with cultivation. Compared to the desert (0.21 mm), wheat (1.71 mm) and pistachio (1.34 mm) fields had a higher dry mean weight diameter of soil. The wind erosion rate in the desert (1.48 g m⁻² s⁻¹) was 16.4 and 13.5 times greater than those of wheat and pistachio fields, respectively. Also, the wind erodible fraction in the desert was significantly higher (85%) compared to the cultivated soils (52–58%). The value of φ was greater in wheat‒cropped soil (41.05°) than in the desert (36.90°). The c values (21.39–22.46 kPa), vane shear strength (14.36–14.78 kPa) and shear strength values (22.14–23.49 kPa) in the croplands were 5.2–5.4, 5.0–5.1, and 4.9–5.2 times greater than those of desert, respectively. These results revealed that sustainable use of irrigated desert lands could be an appropriate method which significantly improves soil mechanical resistance against wind erosion.

将原始沙漠转化为农田会明显改变一些土壤特性；然而，关于这种转化如何影响土壤机械性能和风蚀的了解甚少。因此，本研究旨在评估农业开发对伊朗中部阿巴库平原的沙漠土壤的骨料稳定性，机械性能和风蚀的影响。为此，评估了三种土地用途：（1）小麦（Triticum aestivum L。），（2）开心果（Pistacia veraL.），以及（3）邻近的原始沙漠土壤。选择了包括三个土地用途在内的十个地点。在土壤取样时，进行叶片剪切试验。然后，将复合土壤样品（0-20厘米深）进行实验室分析。土壤有机碳，容重，平均重量直径，风蚀率，风蚀分数，抗剪强度值，内聚力（c）和内摩擦角（φ）进行了测量。结果表明，农田土壤有机碳含量高于沙漠。然而，根据研究结果，土壤砾石，电导率和堆积密度随耕种而降低。与沙漠（0.21毫米）相比，小麦（1.71毫米）和开心果（1.34毫米）的土壤干均重直径更高。沙漠（1.48 gm ^-2 s ^-1）的风蚀率分别是小麦和开心果的风蚀率的16.4和13.5倍。此外，沙漠中的风蚀分数比耕地（52–58％）高得多（85％）。小麦播种土壤（41.05°）中的φ值大于沙漠（36.90°）中的φ值。该ç耕地的叶片抗拉强度（21.39-22.46 kPa），叶片抗剪强度（14.36-14.78 kPa）和抗剪强度（22.14-23.49 kPa）分别是沙漠的5.2-5.4、5.0-5.1和4.9-5.2倍，分别。这些结果表明，可持续利用灌溉的沙漠土地可能是一种适当的方法，可以显着提高土壤对风蚀的机械抵抗力。