[Live fence and cover plants as alternatives of soil conservation at hillsides]
1995
Rodriguez P, O.S.
A summary of the experience with vetiver and other grasses used in soil erosion research in Venezuela is presented. The need for accelerated data production through simulated tests in the field is highlighted. Four experiments were conducted under field simulated rainfall conditions at 1800 masl in the mountain coastal range of Venezuela, with 5 m length and 0,5 m width plots and an average rainfall intensity of 55,6 mm/ha using a double nozzle rainfall simulator, on an Aquic Paleudult soil with different humidity contents and two 15% and 26 % slopes respectively, in order to evaluate the efficiency of five different-hedgerow conditions: 50 cm wide Vetiveria zizaniodes (Vetiver), Agapanthus africanus (Lily), Nephrolepis sp. (Fern), Andropogon citratum (Lemmon frass) and no hedgerow, and five levels of pine needles: 0 Mg/ha, 0,5 Mg/ha, 1.5 Mg/ha, 3 Mg/ha and 5 Mg/ha used as a mulch. Overland flow was simulated in order to obtain equivalent slope lengths. Hedgerows and mulch are good conservation measures, especially when they are combined. The residue requirements are less when the slope is protected by hedgerows, and larger intervals between hedgerows are possible provided there is mulch on the surface of the soil between hedgerows. A table is presented as a semiquantitative model to design spacing between hedgerows taking into account rainfall erosivity, soil erodability and crop-management intensity.
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