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The Effects of Various Rates of Surface Mulch on Infiltration and Erosion¹

ABSTRACT

The effects of six rates of applied wheat straw mulch on infiltration and erosion were studied on a highly permeable Wea silt loam with 5% slope. Series of simulated rainstorms totaling 6.25 inches at an intensity of 2.5 inches per hour were used to evaluate the treatments. Mulch applications of 1, 2, and 4 tons per acre maintained very high infiltration rates resulting in essentially no erosion. The - and -ton mulch application lost 3 tons and 1 ton of soil per acre, respectively, whereas the check (no mulch) treatment lost 12 tons per acre. Benefits which were indicated from the mulching were: (1) reduced soil surface sealing as evidenced by higher infiltration rates, and (2) decreased rainfall and runoff energy for particle detachment and transport as evidenced by reduced soil content in the runoff.

¹ Contribution from the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division, ARS, USDA, in cooperation with the Purdue Agr. Exp. Sta. Journal Series Paper No. 1840. Presented before Div. VI, Soil Science Society of America, Nov. 29, 1961, at St. Louis, Mo.

² Soil Scientist and Agricultural Engineer, respectively, USDA, Lafayette, Ind.

Received for publication March 12, 1962. Accepted for publication June 7, 1962.