Abstract
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.
Highlights
Soil erosion induced by rainfall is a serious environmental threat to ecosystems and water bodies
This paper addressed the effect of the size of rice straw mulch applied on the soil surface on runoff and soil loss
As expected and reported by few, for a given mulch size, runoff and soil loss decreased with increasing mulch application rate
Summary
Soil erosion induced by rainfall is a serious environmental threat to ecosystems and water bodies. Various factors influence soil loss, such as soil type, topography, rainfall characteristics, wind, vegetation cover and human activities. The influence of these factors is well documented in field studies (Dunne et al, 1991; Ekwue and Harrilal, 2010; Dunkerley, 2011) and laboratory studies (Römkens et al, 2001; de Lima et al, 2002, 2003, 2012; de Lima and Singh, 2003). Its effectiveness is affected by several factors such as mulch type, size, rate, cover percentage and spatial uniformity distribution (Poesen et al, 1994; Smets et al, 2008; Jordán et al, 2010; Choi et al, 2012; Gholami et al, 2013; Prats et al, 2017)
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