Effect of Surface Mulching on Infiltration, Runoff, and Erosion on Reconstructed Soils

摘要

Field tests were conducted to determine the effects of surface condition (bare vs. mulch treatments) on infiltration, runoff, and sediment yield from interrill areas on a reclaimed surface mine topsoil. A total of 128 tests were performed on 16 plots under simulated rainfall. Five different surface treatments were examined: (1) bare (reference condition); (2) straw at 3 mulching rates; (3) woodchips and bark at 3 mulching rates; (4) hydromulch at 1 mulching rate; and (5) fine wire screens. Tests were carried out at 2 rainfall rates under dry and wet antecedent soil water conditions. The results showed that mulches increase a soil's ability to absorb water (i.e., increases infiltration) and that sediment yields decrease with increasing surface protection, but increase with increasing rainfall rate. All mulches and soil protection devices proved to be effective in reducing runoff and increasing infiltration, and produced significantly different responses from those of the bare treatments. However, the results from the different mulching rates were often not significantly different from each other. Mulches should be applied to disturbed soils to reduce sediment concentrations -n the runoff water.