Control of Wind Erosion Using Shelterbelts in the Northern State of Sudan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46325/afj.v6i2.138Keywords:
Soil accumulation, biological control, sand traps, erosion, seedlings plantingAbstract
This study was carried out at Um Jawaseer in Merowe Locality in Northern State, Sudan. The main objectives were to measure soil erosion, sand accumulation and to develop methods for controlling wind erosion using biological means. The international wind erosion equations used to estimate the soil erodibility and sand accumulation. Biological control was studied using young and mature indigenous tree species. The young trees tested were Acacia tortilis, Acacia oerfota, Leptadenia pyrotechnica and Ziziphus spina chriti. The trees were established by direct seeding and seedlings planting. The established shelterbelt was composed of a number of indigenous tree species. Vertical and horizontal traps employed in measuring sand accumulation at different levels from the surface of the ground. The main results showed that there was instability in soil erodibility due to differences in particle size distribution of the soil and the cemented materials found. The average erodibility of the soil was 16.8 and 37.2 based on the standard table of erodibility. This expresses that there was a clear evidence of moderate wind erosion in the study area. The highest soil accumulation (73.2 tons ha-1 day-1) obtained at the 15cm height of vertical trap indicating sand movement by surface creep. The study recommended that tree establishment should be carried out by seedlings planting. Wind erosion using different species showed that Acacia oerfota has the highest (65.7 and 108.7cm) growth performance in height compared with the other species in the two years, respectively. Ziziphus spina christi has the lowest growth of 27.1 and 46.0 cm in both years, respectively. Leptadenia pyrotechnica and Acacia tortilis gave similar height growth in the first and second years of establishment compared with Ziziphus spina christi and Acacia oerfota
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