Cover crops and their erosion-reducing effects during concentrated flow erosion |
| |
Authors: | S. De Baets J. Poesen J. Meersmans L. Serlet |
| |
Affiliation: | a Dep. Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium;b Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre de Recherche Orléans, Avenue de la Pomme de Pin, CS 40001 Ardon, 45075 Orléans Cedex 2, France;c PROCLAM (Provincial Centre for Agriculture and Environment), Province of West-Flanders, Ieperseweg 87, B-8800 Beitem, Belgium |
| |
Abstract: | Cover crops are a very effective erosion control and environmental conservation technique. When cover crops freeze at the beginning of the winter period, the above-ground biomass becomes less effective in protecting the soil from water erosion, but roots can still play an important role in improving soil strength. However, information on root properties of common cover crops growing in temperate climates (e.g. Sinapis alba (white mustard), Phacelia tanacetifoli (phacelia), Lolium perenne (ryegrass), Avena sativa (oats), Secale cereale (rye), Raphanus sativus subsp. oleiferus (fodder radish)) is very scarce. Therefore, root density distribution with soil depth and the erosion-reducing effect of these cover crops during concentrated flow erosion were assessed by conducting root auger measurements and controlled concentrated flow experiments with 0.1 m topsoil samples. The results indicate that root density of the studied cover crops ranges between 1.02 for phacelia and 2.95 kg m− 3 for ryegrass. Cover crops with thick roots (e.g. white mustard and fodder radish) are less effective than cover crops with fine-branched roots (e.g. ryegrass and rye) in preventing soil losses by concentrated flow erosion. Moreover, after frost, the erosion-reducing potential of phacelia and oats roots decreased. Amoeba diagrams, taking into account both below-ground and above-ground plant characteristics, identified ryegrass, rye, oats and white mustard as the most suitable species for controlling concentrated flow erosion. |
| |
Keywords: | Rill erosion Winter crop Root distribution Soil conservation Erosion resistance |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|