Thursday, March 28, 2024
General Agriculture

Factors that Determine the Amount of Wind Erosion

The following factors determine the amount of wind erosion:

Soil erodibility relates mainly to texture and structure. Soils high in fine sand are most liable to wind erosion; soils high in clay are least liable.

Organic soils are also easily eroded by wind after they have been drained. If soil grains are cemented into larger soil aggregates, they are less likely to be blown away.

Soil roughness makes a larger still air layer at the soil surface. Each clod or ridge also acts like a tiny windbreak to slow the wind and to capture blowing soil.

Climatic conditions that promote wind erosion include low rainfall, low humidity, high temperatures, and high winds. Dry, windy conditions cause faster soil drying, and dry soil is more erodable than moist soil. Dry soil also supports a thinner vegetative cover.

Length of field affects erosion. On the leading edge of a field, there is no wind erosion. As the wind travels across the field, it picks up more and more soil grains, like an avalanche.

Vegetative cover protects the soil, as does a mulch. Bare soil, on the other hand, is fully exposed to the erosive force of wind.

These factors together can be arranged to create a soil loss formula similar to the USLE. It is called the Wind Erosion Equation, or WEE. Since WEE is more complex to apply than the USLE, and generally considered less reliable, it will not be detailed in this text.

Read Also: The Six (6) Climatic Factors Affecting Crop Production

Water erosion removes the topsoil, reduces yields, and deposits sediments in streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Wind also strips the topsoil, blows away the smallest soil particles, and buries ditches and other structures.

Falling raindrops and running water detach soil particles from the soil surface and carry them away. Depending on the slope, erosion removes soil as a sheet or creates rills and gullies. Water erosion is promoted by bare and erodable soil, long or steep slopes, and the lack of conservation practices.

Soil scientists use the Universal Soil Loss Equation to compute soil loss. The USLE accounts only for losses from sheet and rill erosion and will understate soil loss where there is ephemeral or gully erosion. Using the USLE, a specialist can suggest practices to keep a farm productive.

Growing vigorous crops, maintaining organic matter, and avoiding over tillage and compaction help to control erosion. Both conservation tillage and crop rotation sharply curb erosion.

Contour tillage, contour strip- cropping, and terraces are effective ways to slow runoff. Where these are not enough to stop runoff, they may be combined with grassed waterways or outlets to carry the excess off the field without erosion.

Read Also: Definition of Water and Wind Erosion

Agric4Profits

Benadine Nonye is an agricultural consultant and a writer with over 12 years of professional experience in the agriculture industry. - National Diploma in Agricultural Technology - Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Science - Master's Degree in Science Education... Visit My Websites On: 1. Agric4Profits.com - Your Comprehensive Practical Agricultural Knowledge and Farmer’s Guide Website! 2. WealthinWastes.com - For Effective Environmental Management through Proper Waste Management and Recycling Practices! Join Me On: Twitter: @benadinenonye - Instagram: benadinenonye - LinkedIn: benadinenonye - YouTube: Agric4Profits TV and WealthInWastes TV - Pinterest: BenadineNonye4u - Facebook: BenadineNonye

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