Experiment to look at soil erosion or lack of.....

Dickie10

Hi all, Im helping a student with an Ag Science Leaving Cert project. She is doing how cover and catch crops in winter help reduce soil erosion. but we need an experiment to use to prove this. Its a very weak student with lack of attendance and general interest but just need to get her over the line at ordinary level. All help appreciated.

Dickie10

im not an Ag Teacher was passed this girl on to me to see what i could do.

Say my name

You'd be looking at two surface run off points. One in a cover crop field and the other in a tilled or stubble field. And measuring the capture in a sunken bucket in the fields.

The like of that experiment would want to be moving now as the cover crops will be tilled shortly for spring crops.

Siamsa Sessions

Does she have time to plant a cover crop and some sort of take before/after measurements?

If not, maybe she could get data from someone who has already done the trial and try to recreate their results in a different scenario? e.g. if the trial was done in loamy soil with certain attributes (pH, carbon levels, etc.), could she apply the maths/formula to the numbers for peaty soil?

A quick Google returned this article which might be more useful: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-57