Planting techniques can be applied in the prevention of erosion. Such techniques, such as crop rotation, are essential and should be used by every farmer. This paper discusses these techniques and identifies areas where they are often used.
There are several ways that can be applied while planting in order to reduce soil erosion. Firstly, is the use of mulch matting whereby leaves or sawdust can be used in covering up young plants or seedlings. This will help prevent soil erosion by reducing the direct exposure of rain on the bare ground. Moreover, one can use fiber logs while planting in order to control a steep slope. This will make water running down the slopes to slow down when hitting the logs, where the fiber material will soak up the soil instead of it being carried downhill. One may plant seeds either directly in the logs or stakes can be used to hold the logs into place until the seeds develop roots to grow into the soil. Lastly, weak crops can be protected by the use of strip cropping. This involves planting o crops with weak roots in a sparse manner while alternating each strip with an erosion-resistant crop like legumes or dense grass. One should note that the crops planted should contour the slope and if possible, they should be perpendicular to the prevailing winds ( Bockheim & SpringerLink, 2014) .
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Strip cropping is widely used in most places all over the world to plant crops and reduce erosion where the plantation is steep. Most of the common crops associated with this technique include wheat, forages, and hay which is often alternated with strips of crops such as soybeans, sugar beets, cotton or corn. The system is much common in Prairies, Canada where perennial forages such as legumes and wheat are planted in conjunction with subsequent crops. Since forage legume usually results in phosphorus depletion and as well as the deletion of other nutrients, the farmers in the Prairies often return livestock manure to the system in order to reduce the nutrient cycle ( Goldsmith et al., 2014).
Conclusion
In summation, the use of planting techniques in reducing soil erosion serves both purposes of cultivation and conserving soil hence should be encouraged. Such techniques include strip cropping, use of mulches and fiber logs. The use of strip cropping is common in the Prairies, Canada where it has resulted in high yields.
References
Bockheim, J. G., & SpringerLink . (2014). Soil Geography of the USA: A Diagnostic-Horizon Approach . (Springer eBooks.) Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Goldsmith, W., Gray, D., McCullah, J., & SpringerLink (Online service). (2014). Bioengineering Case Studies: Sustainable Stream Bank and Slope Stabilization . New York: Springer.
