HAS NO TITLE.
Soil losses were measured in five 40 square meter plots with a 35 per cent slope, located near Boquete, Chiriqui province, during 1979. Higher losses were observed in plots without any cover (183 Tm/ha, or about a layer of 28 mm). Lower losses were observed in covered plots, although, they were still considerable (55 and 80 Tm/ha with vegetables, 77 Tm/ha with coffe and 35 Tm/ha with pastures). However, results covered very different periods of development of the various plants used as covers. A detailed data analysis showed that with a good live or dead cover on the soil, a satisfactory soil conservation is obtained: Fourteen hundred times lower losses utilizing pastures (not grazed), and forty times lower utilizing coffe with mulch than in a soil with no cover. On the other hand, utilizing vegetables, annual soil losses were only two to three times lower than the control (soil without any cover). These losses occur mainly during periods when the soil is left without protection. Good cropping practices reduced erosion when plants are already established, but a rain before planting or during the first weeks of establishment could cause considerable losses (higher than 10 Tm/ha, which is the maximun permissible during a year). This fact illustrates the importance of planting time selection. The overall results showed the great soil losses occurring in cropped soils and the urgent need to adopt simple soil conservation practices in the high lands of Chiriqui.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Instituto de Innovación Agropecuaria de Panamá
1980
|
| Online Access: | http://www.revistacienciaagropecuaria.ac.pa/index.php/ciencia-agropecuaria/article/view/555 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|