scholarly journals The effect of straw mulch and compost application on the soil losses in potatoes cultivation

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 446-452
Author(s):  
Martin Král ◽  
Petr Dvořák ◽  
Ivana Capouchova

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of the straw mulch and compost application on the soil losses in potatoes cultivation. The three-year (2016–2018) exact field plot trials with the potato cv. Dicolora was carried out at the experimental station in Prague-Uhříněves. Wheat straw mulch in two doses 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2) was applied on the soil surface; the compost in a dose of 20 t/ha (CM) was shuffled to the surface soil layer. Both straw mulch and compost application contributed to the significant reduction of the soil losses compared to control untreated (C). In the average of 2016–2018, the lowest soil loss 17.54 g/m<sup>2</sup> (amount of the soil sediment caught) was found for the variant with the straw mulch treatment (SM2); it means the decrease of soil losses by 71.9% compared to C. Variant SM1 (lower rate of straw mulch in dose 2.5 t/ha) showed the soil loss 18.6 g/m<sup>2</sup> (the decrease by 70.2% compared to C). The similar results for both variants indicate that for effective soil protection, it is not necessary to use the high doses of the straw mulch. Regarding the distribution of precipitation during the vegetation season, intensive precipitation during the short time, especially when they came after the longer period of drought led to higher soil losses compared to the precipitation distributed regularly.  

2021 ◽  
Vol 930 (1) ◽  
pp. 012007
Author(s):  
R Haribowo ◽  
R Asmaranto ◽  
L T W N Kusuma ◽  
B G Amrina

Abstract Installation of mulch on agricultural land, besides reducing weed growth, can also protect the soil surface from rain and erosion. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of rice straw mulch in reducing surface runoff and soil loss before entering the river. The experimental soil materials were similar to those in Sumber Brantas village, Bumiaji Sub-District, Batu. Runoff modelling utilized the Armfield S12 Rainfall Simulator - Advanced Environmental Hydrology System, with rainfall of 1 and 1.7 l/min. Land with rice straw mulch was compared to land without mulch. The land slope was adjusted to study area conditions, with mild (9%) and steep (15%) slopes. The three-Way ANOVA method was utilized for statistical analysis. In all the experimental runs, it was found that straw mulch effectively reduced the sediment yields that could enter the river area by more than 50%. The results of ANOVA analysis on sediment yield also showed that the significance value of the interactions between slope, rain intensity, and mulch usage was 0 (p<0.05). These results show that the difference in variations in these three factors determines the sediment yield that occurs. In the future, comparing straw mulch with other materials to cover agricultural land should be conducted.


Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 991 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. I. A. Kinnell

Analyses undertaken in this paper show that the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) tends to overestimate low values of soil loss when the soil surface has a high capacity to infiltrate rainfall, but the degree of overestimation falls as the capacity of the soil to produce runoff increases. The USLE-M, a version of the USLE that uses the product of the runoff ratio and the EI30 as the event erosivity index, is more efficient in estimating soil loss because runoff is considered explicitly in the event erosivity index, whereas it is not in the USLE. The results show clearly that the problem of the USLE and the RUSLE overpredicting observed erosion losses, when erosion losses are low, is related to a large degree to model formula. In addition, the removal of restrictions to what constitutes a valid EI30 value increases the capacity of the RUSLE to overpredict low soil losses. As the USLE is an empirical model, values of USLE K, C, and P can only be used when the event erosivity parameter is EI30. Models like EPIC ignore this fact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 530-535
Author(s):  
Martin Král ◽  
Petr Dvořák ◽  
Ivana Capouchová

The frequent occurrence of years with extreme drought leads to the investigation of measures for mitigation of their impacts. The efficiency of organic mulch materials – straw and compost application as the preservation of potato production in drought conditions were verified in this study. Three mulching treatments were verified during the three experimental years (2016–2018) in an exact field trial with potatoes cv. Dicolora. Wheat straw mulch in the rate of 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2), compost in the rate of 20 t/ha (CM), and control block without any treatments (C) were used. The yield of marketable tubers (tuber over 40 mm) showed a significant increase by 21.2% at the straw mulch treatment (SM2) in comparison with control. As for the straw mulch (SM1) and compost mulch (CM), tubers yields increased by 12.8% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to control.  


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Layheang Song ◽  
Laurie Boithias ◽  
Oloth Sengtaheuanghoung ◽  
Chantha Oeurng ◽  
Christian Valentin ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;Humid tropical mountainous area experiences serious soil erosion due to rapid changes in landuse, sometimes implying erosion prone management practices. In this study, we hypothesized that keeping understorey in teak tree plantation would protect soil and avoid soil erosion. We assessed the effects of 4 management practices in teak tree plantation area on water and soil losses using 6 replicated 1-m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; microplots in four plantations situated in Northern Laos during the wet season of 2017. The landuses in the four plantations were teak without understorey (TNU), teak with low density of understorey (TLU), teak with high density of understorey (THU), and teak with broom grass, &lt;em&gt;Thysanolaena latifolia&lt;/em&gt; (TBG). During the wet season of 2017, we monitored surface runoff and soil loss for 22 rainfall events. We also measured some of the teak tree and understorey characteristics (i.e. height and percentage of cover) and the percentage areas of soil surface features (i.e. litter, free aggregates, crusting, etc.). Relationships among these variables was estimated through multiple statistics and regression analyses. We found that runoff coefficient and soil loss were the smallest for THU and TBG: runoff coefficient was 23% for both treatments, and soil losses were 465 and 381 g m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. Runoff coefficient and soil loss for TLU were 35% and 1115 g m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. We observed the highest runoff coefficient and soil loss under TNU (60%, 5455 g m&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;) associated to the highest crusting rate (82%). High runoff coefficient and soil loss under TNU was explained by the kinetic energy of rain drops falling from the broad leaves of the tall teak trees down to bare soil, devoid of plant residues, thus leading to severe soil surface crusting and detachment. Overall, promoting understorey such as broom grass in teak tree plantations would (1) limit surface runoff and improve soil infiltrability, thus increase the soil water stock available for both root absorption and groundwater recharge, and (2) mitigate soil loss and favour soil fertility conservation.&lt;/p&gt;


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
João L. M. P. de Lima ◽  
Lara Santos ◽  
Babar Mujtaba ◽  
M. Isabel P. de Lima

Abstract. Application of crop residues (mulch) over the soil surface is a common practice to control soil erosion and promote infiltration. This laboratory study aimed at investigating the effect of different rice straw mulch sizes on runoff and sediment transport. The experimental runs were conducted using a soil flume of adjustable slope and a rainfall simulator, considering bare soil and three different soil covers: 1, 2 and 5 t ha−1 application rates, for three sizes of rice straw mulch (10, 30 and 200 mm). The experimental results showed that for the same mulch application rate (by weight), the smaller mulch sizes (i.e. high surface coverage percentage) presented less soil loss. For example, 90 % soil loss reduction was achieved for smaller sizes of rice straw mulch and 80 % for the bigger size. The results of this study are an important contribution to the understanding of the soil loss process in small basins and to the definition of relevant soil conservation measures, at the plot/field scale.


1964 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. Anderson ◽  
G. C. Russell

The effects of applying a wheat straw mulch at various rates to a trash-free summerfallow field immediately after seeding spring and winter wheat were studied for 9 years. Rates of 4000 and 5000 lb or more per acre significantly depressed mean yields of spring and winter wheat, respectively. Straw at rates of 4000 to 5000 lb completely shaded the soil surface when spread uniformly. Higher rates delayed maturity up to 4 to 6 days, shortened height of plants, occasionally lowered nitrate production, and had a negligible effect on plant population and percentage protein of the grain. Each 1000-lb increment of bright straw depressed the late-morning temperature in the 4- to 8-in. depth of soil by an average value of 0.51° F during the early growth period. The depression increased with the season to a value of 0.65° F by mid-June and then decreased to a value of 0.25° F by mid-July, when the crop, in the headed-out stage, almost completely shaded the soil surface.A quantity of mulch up to 4000 lb per acre can be used without deleterious effects on the crop. Quantities of 4000 lb or more should be managed so that the soil temperature depression associated with complete shading of the soil is avoided.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Kai Yang ◽  
Zejun Tang ◽  
Jianzhang Feng

Sandy soils are prone to nutrient losses, and consequently do not have as much as agricultural productivity as other soils. In this study, coal fly ash (CFA) and anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) granules were used as a sandy soil amendment. The two additives were incorporated to the sandy soil layer (depth of 0.2 m, slope gradient of 10°) at three CFA dosages and two PAM dosages. Urea was applied uniformly onto the low-nitrogen (N) soil surface prior to the simulated rainfall experiment (rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm/min). The results showed that compared with no addition of CFA and PAM, the addition of CFA and/or PAM caused some increases in the cumulative NO3−-N and NH4+-N losses with surface runoff; when the rainfall event ended, 15% CFA alone treatment and 0.01–0.02% PAM alone treatment resulted in small but significant increases in the cumulative runoff-associated NO3−-N concentration (p < 0.05), meanwhile 10% CFA + 0.01% PAM treatment and 15% CFA alone treatment resulted in nonsignificant small increases in the cumulative runoff-associated NH4+-N concentration (p > 0.05). After the rainfall event, both CFA and PAM alone treatments increased the concentrations of NO3−-N and NH4+-N retained in the sandy soil layer compared with the unamended soil. As the CFA and PAM co-application rates increased, the additive effect of CFA and PAM on improving the nutrient retention of sandy soil increased.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Stanko Vršič ◽  
Marko Breznik ◽  
Borut Pulko ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino

Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m2) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6763
Author(s):  
Mongi Ben Zaied ◽  
Seifeddine Jomaa ◽  
Mohamed Ouessar

Soil erosion remains one of the principal environmental problems in arid regions. This study aims to assess and quantify the variability of soil erosion in the Koutine catchment using the RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) model. The Koutine catchment is located in an arid area in southeastern Tunisia and is characterized by an annual mean precipitation of less than 200 mm. The model was used to examine the influence of topography, extreme rainstorm intensity and soil texture on soil loss. The data used for model validation were obtained from field measurements by monitoring deposited sediment in settlement basins of 25 cisterns (a traditional water harvesting and storage technique) over 4 years, from 2015 to 2018. Results showed that slope is the most controlling factor of soil loss. The average annual soil loss in monitoring sites varies between 0.01 and 12.5 t/ha/y. The storm events inducing the largest soil losses occurred in the upstream part of the Koutine catchment with a maximum value of 7.3 t/ha per event. Soil erosion is highly affected by initial and preceding soil conditions. The RUSLE model reasonably reproduced (R2 = 0.81) the spatiotemporal variability of measured soil losses in the study catchment during the observation period. This study revealed the importance of using the cisterns in the data-scarce dry areas as a substitute for the classic soil erosion monitoring fields. Besides, combining modeling of outputs and field measurements could improve our physical understanding of soil erosion processes and their controlling factors in an arid catchment. The study results are beneficial for decision-makers to evaluate the existing soil conservation and water management plans, which can be further adjusted using appropriate soil erosion mitigation options based on scientific evidence.


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