Performance of Tackified Hydromulches Under Simulated Rain and Sunlight

摘要

Tests performed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory's Rainfall Simulator Facility for a set of five different hydromulches with and without a gypsum-based tackifier are used to evaluate the effectiveness of those products in controlling erosion in a sandy-loam soil. Results include not only values of soil erosion and water runoff from test plots for each of the products tested, but also evaluation of the plant height, germination rates and dry weight after six days of growth under a sunlight simulator. All tests were performed at a rainfall intensity of 127 mm/hr (5 in/hr) for a total of 30 minutes and at a 2.5:1 slope. Results indicate that the addition of the gypsum-based tackifier significantly improves the performance of the hydromulches in terms of soil and water retention, which in turns produced better quality plants under the sunlight simulator.