Abstract: Artificially piled landform is accumulated of the spoil resulted from the urban construction and mining activities. Tens of billions of cubic meters of spoils are made globally every year, which occupy a large amount of lands and lead to severe soil and rock erosion. Microtopography modification can effectively regulate surface runoff, control soil erosion, and improve surfacemicro-abitat. Here, we reviewed the erosion characteristics of artificially piled landform,summarized recent progress in the research of the microtopography modification methods, i.e., terrace, level bench, level trench, fishscale pit and waterproof ridge. The applicable field,advantages and disadvantages of different micro-opography modification methods were figured out, and the effects of different micro-opography strategies on sediment reduction, water and nutrient storage, and vegetation restoration were discussed. Furthermore, this review uncovered the problems in the methods of micro-opography modification and combined application of land preparation measures, and put forward the future research direction of runoff erosion mechanism and hydrological principles. This review provides a reference for the soil and water conservation of artificially piled landforms.

Key words: apple orchard, WinEPIC model, partial least squares regression, water productivity, soil moisture dynamics