A study of methods for the revegetation of barren crusted Sahelian forest soils
1989
Chase, R.G. | Boudouresque, E.
In a study on revegetation of barren crusted Sahelian forest soils, the following treatments: tillage (T), mulching with tree branches (M), and tillage followed by mulching (TM) were tested. Half the study area was exposed to grazing. No fertilizers or seeds were used. During the first rainy season (1983, rainfall 550 mm), winds and water-deposited sand left seed in the plots, particularly those with a mulch. After four months the TM-treatment area had an average dry matter stand equal to that found in naturally vegetated areas of the adjacent forest. Plots established in 1984 produced one-tenth the dry matter that the 1983 plots produced in their first year. The one-year-old TM plots produced five times more dry matter during the droughty 1984 season than did plots established in that season. The T treatment area lost and the M treatment area gained in relative dry matter production in the second year. By the third year, the T treatment lost most of its effectiveness. Plots exposed to grazing produced less biomass, partially due to the dispersal of branches by passing animals. Separate tests showed that natural areas of sand accumulation and termite activity decrease runoff rates. Mulch was shown to decrease and stabilize soil temperatures while permitting water to move deeper into crusted soil than even the tillage treatment. These effects helped create a microenvironment that supports plant growth
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