The Effects of Mulch Cover on Splash Erosion in Makurdi Town

Sa Iorkua

doi:10.4314/gjpas.v18i3-4.7

Abstract

Soil erosion has continued to be a serious environmental problem, particularly among the farming communities. In Benue State, the dominant economic activity is subsistence farming which is done under sub humid rainfall conditions. Splash erosion resulting from intense rainfall therefore poses severe problems that can be alienated through good soil management practices including mulching. This paper assessed the effects of mulch cover on splash erosion in Makurdi Town. Data was collected on splashed sediments in an experimental station in Benue State University, Makurdi for a period of one rainy season in 2007. Sediment collectors were attached to 5 soil trays placed at an angle of 5 degrees to collect the amount of splash yield at every rain event. One each of the 5 trays was covered with groundnut chafes, rice husk, grasses and soyabeans chafes with the last tray as control. The soils were oven dried and measured. The result of the splash yield shows that splash from bare surface is(46.48kg/m2/yr) more than that from the four mulch treatments combined (40.85 kg/m2/yr). The effect of the various mulch materials used in checking splash was also compared. The result indicates that the differences between the mulched materials used in this study are not statistically significant. Local crop farmers in parts of Benue State can plant cover crop and mulch heaps during sowing season in addition to goodtillage methods to check splash erosion.KEYWORDS: Splash erosion, soil tray, mulch, sediments, urban centre

Highlights

Increased anthropogenic pressure on land resources has led to soil erosion and land degradation world wide, especially in the seasonally humid tropical areas including Benue state
The effect of the various mulch materials used in checking splash was compared using the amount of sediments collected under each mulch
Gross splash was high for the soil tray without mulch cover

Summary

Introduction

Increased anthropogenic pressure on land resources has led to soil erosion and land degradation world wide, especially in the seasonally humid tropical areas including Benue state. The system of agriculture in these areas frequently leaves the land bare for varying lengths of time, leading to various types of water erosion, including rainsplash erosion and surface wash. The rainfall runoff usually does not have enough power to detach and entrain most soil particles; it relies on rainsplash to detach such particles (Van Dijk, et al, 2003). It requires actual field measurement for real assessment and appreciation of the extent /intensity of splash erosion. According to them, mulching has effects on splash erosion and soil physical properties beside the other climatological effects

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