Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292711
Title: Flat residue loss by wind for different crop types and its influence on soil wind erosion susceptibility

Author
item ZHANG, JIAQIONG - Beijing Normal University
item Wagner, Larry
item Talley, Mary

Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2013
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: After harvest flat residue can help protect the soil surface from wind erosion. However, the flat residue itself is also susceptible to being removed by high winds if it is not anchored to the soil or not protected sufficiently from the wind by the after harvest standing stalks remaining in the field. This situation is not currently simulated by the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS). This research attempts to determine the conditions under which different types of unanchored flat residue can leave a field for winter wheat, soybeans and grain sorghum. Both field experiments and laboratory simulations were conducted with a portable outdoor wind tunnel at free stream wind velocities of 10, 14, 17 and 19 m/s. Experiments were done under field conditions at two mowed stem heights (6 mm and 11mm) for winter wheat, a single mowed height (11 mm) for grain sorghum and the harvest height (6 mm) for soybeans. The laboratory wind tunnel simulations covered a range of standing stem population densities for each crop residue. The results show that taller stem heights and greater stem population densities are better at maintaining the existing flat residue at the same above canopy wind speeds for the each crop type. These effects were especially significant when the wind speed was high.