Coffee husk mulch on soil erosion and runoff: experiences under rainfall simulation experiment
The high erosion rates found in the agriculture land make valuable the use of mulches to control the soil and water losses. Coffee husk (<i>Coffea canephora</i> var. <i>robusta</i>) can be one of those mulches. This paper evaluates how to apply the mulch in order to obtain th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2014-08-01
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| Series: | Solid Earth |
| Online Access: | http://www.solid-earth.net/5/851/2014/se-5-851-2014.pdf |
| Summary: | The high erosion rates found in the agriculture land make valuable the use of
mulches to control the soil and water losses. Coffee husk (<i>Coffea
canephora</i> var. <i>robusta</i>) can be one of those mulches. This paper
evaluates how to apply the mulch in order to obtain the best effectiveness.
An experimental factorial design 4 × 3 × 2 with two
replicates was designed in a greenhouse with a total number of 48 cases. All
the samples were deposited in trays of 0.51 m<sup>2</sup> and applied a simulated
rain of 122 mm h<sup>−1</sup> during 21 min. The factors examined were the following: four soil
classes; three treatments – buried (B), surface (S) and non-residue (C) – and
the presence (WC) or absence (WOC) of the soil surface crusting. The coffee
husk residue (S and B treatments) reduced runoff by 10.2 and 46%
respectively, soil losses by 78.3 and 88.7% and sediment concentration by
77 and 84.4%. The infiltration rate increased on average by 104 and
167%, and time to runoff by 1.58 and 2.07 min respectively.
Coffee husk is an efficient mulch to reduce the soil and water losses,
although it could not completely cushion the influence of crust. |
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| ISSN: | 1869-9510 1869-9529 |