Soil Erosion Issues & Management

1. Soil ErosionIssues&Management By: Nathan Lenig

2. How to Operate this Activity Navigation Use this button to go back to the homepage Use this button to go onto the next slide Use this button to go to the previous slide

3. Table of Contents Soil Erosion Click “WHY CARE” to start the program, or start up where you left off by clicking any of the others -Why care? -Issues -Management -Quiz!

4. Who ever thought “dirt” could be such a big deal?

5. WHY CARE? • Why is soil erosion such a big deal today? • World food production requires good soil quality to maintain a growing human population • Soil and water quality • Soil Productivity

6. -Why Care? Soil Erosion -Issues -Management -Quiz!

7. ISSUES SOIL EROSION:

8. Issues: Erosion Statistics

9. Current Erosion Statistics • Soil loss at a rate of 5 tons/acre/year results in 1” of soil being lost every 33 years • (1” per generation) • Tolerable loss (T)=4-5 tons/acre/year • 25% cropland eroding above T • 10% of land has erosion more than 2xT

10. On average, 1” of soil loss per generation (33 years)

11. Issues: Impact of Erosion

12. Impact of Erosion • Reduction in soil depth • Decreases potential root growth • Decreases water holding capacity • Removes top soil (organic matter) • Decrease in fertility • Lowers the nutrient holding capacity

13. Impact of Erosion Contd. • Erosion exposes subsoil which will in effect, increase clay • Stoniness of surface can increase Exposed subsoil form soil erosion

14. Soybeans with erosion effects This soybean field was planted on a soil with a deep topsoil layer around 30 inches

15. Soybeans Continued These are the same soybeans planted on a soil with a top soil around 8 inches due to soil erosion effects

16. Practice ? • Click on the multiple choice answer that best sums up the impact of erosion on soil? • a. Erosion impacts depth of soil • b. Erosion impacts the material grown in the soil • c. Erosion affects the amount of rain for that area

17. GREAT JOB!The impact of erosion on soil most greatly affects the soil depth.

18. Sorry… • Erosion could in fact effect the material grown on the soil, but this does not best sum up the impact of erosion on soil. • Hint: A few slides ago we talked about the impact of erosion and mentioned the reduction in soil depth Click here to go back and try again

19. Sorry… • Erosion will have no effect on the amount of rain for an area. • Hint: A few slides ago we talked about the impact of erosion and mentioned the reduction in soil depth Click here to go back and try again

20. ISSUES: Mechanics of Erosion

21. 2 Mechanics of Erosion • Detachment- • Soil particles must separate themselves before transportation can take place 2. Transportation- • For erosion to take place the transportation of the soil particles must occur

22. Detachment • Soil particles must be separated in order for the particles to move

23. Transportation • Water • Wind Must have enough force to keep particles suspended for transportation

24. Water Transportation

25. Wind Transportation

26. Practice ? Which main mechanic do you think this picture is? a. Detachment b. Transportation

27. AWESOME! YOU KNOW YOUR MATERIAL!

28. Try again… • Hint: Remember back to the pictures where the soil particles are being blown by the wind? Wind is a form of TRANSPORTATION. Click here to go back and try again

29. ISSUES: Farming Contributions

30. Farming • When a farmer tills the ground after harvest, erosion may take place much quicker.

31. ISSUES: Soil Texture and Erosion

32. Textures of Soils • Silts: • Most easily eroded of all the soil textures • Easily detached from one another • Fine particles that are easily transported • Sands: • Easily detached • Large particle size making transport difficult • Clays: • Difficult to detach • Easily transported because of finer particle size

33. SILTS

34. SANDS

35. CLAYS

36. Practice ? What texture of soil is the most easily eroded? a. Clay b. Sand c. Silt

37. Sorry… • Clay is easily transported but is difficult to detach the clay soil particles from one another Click here to go back and try again

38. Sorry… • Sand is opposite of clay. It is easily separated but is hard to transport because of its large particle size Click here to go back and try again

39. Congratulations! • As discussed earlier, silt textured soils are easily detached and easily transported!

40. -Why Care? Soil Erosion -Issues -Management -Quiz!

41. SOIL EROSION:MANAGEMENT

42. Management: Erosion in Agriculture

43. Tillage • Conservation tillage instead of conventional • NO TILL • Minimum tillage

44. NO TILL

45. NO TILL Benefits • Planting NO TILL diminishes erosion greatly. • It causes the most natural way of soil formation

46. Watch this video!

47. Practice ? • What is a great agriculture practice for limiting soil erosion? a. Tilling b. No till

48. Oops… • Tilling is the opposite of soil erosion conservation. • Try again Click here to go back and try again

49. Congratulations!No till farming practices is a great way of limiting soil erosion.

50. Management: Principles of Erosion Control