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Equivalent Wind‐Erosion Protection from Selected Growing Crops 1
Author(s) -
Armbrust D. V.,
Lyles Leon
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1985.00021962007700050010x
Subject(s) - sorghum , agronomy , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , aeolian processes , erosion , crop , mathematics , biology , paleontology
The wind erosion equation, which estimates annual potential erosion, requires that all vegetation (dry weight per area) be expressed as a small grain equivalent (SG)e. Wind‐tunnel tests were used to determine that equivalent for five growing crops. These are corn ( Zea mays L.), cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.), grain sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea L.), and soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in rows both perpendicular and parallel to flow. Compared with the small grain standard, all the growing crops evaluated in rows perpendicular to flow effectively prevented erosion. Because measured or estimated amounts of aboveground biomass are needed in determining (SG)es, simple power equations relating biomass to plant height were developed. For short‐term application of the wind erosion equation by crop stage period or in models with daily time steps, an equation was derived for calculating (SG)e from time‐after‐emergence growth curves.