ABSTRACT:
The effects of a typical Mediterranean shrub vegetation and two foraging species (Medicago arborea L. and Psoralea bituminosa L.) on soil protection against water erosion were studied between 1988 and 1993 under field conditions on a set of experimental plots. Comparison of the bare and vegetated plots clearly shows that development of vegetation affects physical and chemical soil characteristics. Natural vegetation gives greater soil protection than the other studied species, reducing soil loss by an average of 74.96% compared to the bare soil The other species tested Medicago arborea L. and Psoralea bituminosa L., substantially affect soil retention, but reduce sediment production only by 37.60% and 11.32% respectively. Statistical analysis shows that vegetation cover and rain characteristics (quantity and I30) are the main factors influencing runoff and sediment production.
Footnotes
The authors are the contract researcher, director of the center and associate researcher of the Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación-CIDE Cami de la Marjal, s/n, Apartado Oficial 46470-ALBAL, Valencia, Spain. The authors thank the Consellerla de Medio Ambiente (Generalitat Valenciana) for providing the study zone facilities, and E. Barrachina, D. Rius, V. Garcia and 1. Vargas for their help in the laboratory labor. EEC projects No EV4V-112-C(AM) and ENV4-CT95-0181 gave the financial support.
- Copyright 1998 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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