Agents Of Soil Erosion, Definition, Types, Control

Hello welcome to this blog on soil erosion in agriculture. Definition, agents of Soil erosion, types, Conservation and control.

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Definition of Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is defined as the wearing away of soil by means of natural agents such as water, ice or glacier, wind and animals.

Erosion takes place for a long time and it is greatly influenced by the following.

Factors of Soil Erosion

Agents of Soil Erosion: Agents of soil erosion are mainly water and wind.

Water: rainfall dance to run off the surface of the soil in deforested or overgrazed areas, thereby removing the top soil. Run off is the rainwater which does not sink into the soil but flows away over the surface of the soil into streams, Rivers or oceans.
Wind: Wind is capable of moving large quantity of soil and the sand. The faster they wind moves, the more it can carry. Wind-cause erosion occurs in dry areas where the sorry is bare and loose

Types of Soil Erosion

There are four major types of Soil Erosion. these are:

Splash erosion: Splash erosion is the removal of top soil from a small area due to the forceful fall of rain. The soil particle scattered by the rain drops will succeed in blocking soil pore spaces against percolation, result in sheet erosion.
Rill erosion: Rill erosion occurs when raindrops falling on the soil surface cause the gradual remover of soil particles in suspension along narrow tracks or channels either already existing or cause by the rainwater itself.

Sheet erosion: when raindrops cause particles to block soil pulse against peculation, floods flows. When the flood water flows uniformly over a piece of land, especially over a gentle slope, the fertile surface soil over the whole piece of land is washed away.
Gully erosion: Gully erosion occurs when rain water does not all sink into the soil and part of it runs off over the soil surface, remove from soil particles along its way. Gully erosion is worse if the speed of the run-off is high, if the land is sloppy and the soil is loose. This continuous remover of soil particles along a particular course results in the cutting of a narrow ditch which way continue to deepen our widen as water flows along it until deep trenches on the land surface called gullies are formed.

Prevention and Control of Soil Erosion

Soil conservation practices can be used to control erosion on a gentle slope:

How each practice can be used to conserve the Soil

1. Terracing

It is a practice in which the slope is broken into series of step or platforms
Each platforms or step is constructed along a contour so that each of them is on uniform height, but different from those above or below it.

It is done to reduce the length and gradient of slope and hence reduced the speed of run-off.
Water collected on each gentle slope runs across the field rather than down.
Each terrace has a drainage channel which empties into a grassed waterway which leads the water down the slope to nearby channel.

2. Contour ploughing

This contours are running across the slope of the Land.
Plants are established along the contours and not across.
It is an effective way of preventing soil loss and hence promoting soil conservation.

3. Ridging across the slope

Such ridges will also help to trap the water into small reservoirs which will sink into the soil.
It can be practiced by every farmer without much technical know-how.

4. Construction drainages

Drainage are means of getting rid of excess water in the field.
Many types of drainage are available. They may be open channels or underground channels.
Pipes are laid along the slope to carry the water straight down into reservoirs below, thus preventing soil erosion or loss.

5. Cover cropping/Afforestation/High density planting

The principle is not to allow the surface to be exposed to agent of erosion, e.g, wind, water.
The slope is planted with cover crops or other crops to trap or retard away run off Water.

They also promote the percolation of such water which has been retarded in its flow.
It involves planting of forest tree/other crop species to also trap and intercept water/dust from wind and thus protect the soil surface, especially in the arid areas.
Their leaves decay and enhance soil fertility, thereby encouraging more growth of other species.

6. Strip cropping

Planting of crops in rows along the contour interspersed by a rows of uncultivated area or fallow, to retard water run-off across the slope.
It also entails planting of different crops with different growth characteristics in alternative rows along the contour and across the slope to check run-off.

7. Mulching

Mulching is the act of covering soil surface with such materials as dry glasses, crop residues and polyethylene sheets.
It reduces the impact of raindrops and soil.

Revision Questions

Define soil erosion.
(a) List four soil conservation practices that can be used to control erosion on a gentle slope. (b) Explain how each of the practices you have listed can be used to conserve the soil.
State and explain types of erosion