COMPARISON OF THREE SOIL EROSION CONTROL TREATMENTS

COMPARISON OF THREE SOIL EROSION CONTROL TREATMENTS A Research Paper Presented for the Master of Science in Agriculture and Natural Resources Degree ...
Author: Reginald Sutton
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COMPARISON OF THREE SOIL EROSION CONTROL TREATMENTS

A Research Paper Presented for the Master of Science in Agriculture and Natural Resources Degree The University of Tennessee at Martin

Eatedal Alqusaireen December 2012

Acknowledgments I would like to thank all the people that helped me finish this project. I am grateful to my advisor, Dr. Sandy Mehlhorn, for her help and support during the project. Special thanks to Dr. Barb Darroch for her close monitoring and editing of this work. I would also like to thank Dr. Joey Mehlhorn and Scott Watson, the UT Martin Farm manager, for their help in the preparation of rills and installation of treatments. I also thank the donors of the materials used in this project.

   

   

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Abstract Soil erosion is a concern that affects agriculture, wildlife and bodies of water. Soil erosion can be avoided by maintaining a protective cover on the soil, creating a barrier to the erosive agent, or by modifying the landscape to control runoff amounts and rates. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three erosion control treatments on rill erosion in a hill-slope area. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) fruits (sweetgum balls) were compared to riprap and sod to determine their effectiveness in controlling erosion, compared to a control (no treatment). A randomized complete block design with three blocks was used. The study was conducted on a Loring silt loam at The University of Tennessee at Martin campus between February and October of 2012. Twelve rills were created to simulate erosion channels on a hillside of 4.3% slope. Visual observations and before-after measurements of the rills were used to evaluate the erosion levels of each treatment based on changes of the rills’ shapes and amount of sedimentation. SAS was used to conduct analyses of variance on before-after measurements of the rills’ depths and widths. Visual observations were consistent through all blocks for each treatment. Results indicated that the sod was the most effective erosion control treatment, followed by the riprap, and then by the sweetgum balls. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in the means among the erosion control treatments for some measurements. There was significantly (P