Search

"This document is designed to assist rural landowners, land managers, and conservation professionals in protecting rural streams. The emphasis is on land and water management practices that reduce streambank, bluff, and ravine erosion.... Part One describes how Minnesota's landscapes were formed, how water continues to shape the landscape, and how land management affects water flows, shapes streams and rivers, and influences water quality.... Part Two describes land and water management practices that can be combined to reduce stream degradation and improve water quality. The practices range from crop management to large scale water storage."--Pages 6-7.

This book presents an analysis of land and water resources in Siberia, initially characterizing the landscapes, their ecosystems, crucial processes, human impacts on soil and water quality, and the status quo of available research. Further chapters deal with modern monitoring and management methods that can lead to a significant knowledge shift and initiate sustainable soil and water resources use. These include soil hydrological laboratory measurement methods; process-based field evaluation methods for land and water quality; remote sensing and GIS technology-based landscape monitoring methods; process and ecosystem modeling approaches; methods of resource and process evaluation and functional soil mapping; and tools for controlling agricultural land use systems. More than 15 of these concrete monitoring and management tools can immediately be incorporated into research and practice. Maintaining the functions of great landscapes for future generations will be the reward for these efforts.

This book is about digital soil morphometrics which is defined as the application of tools and techniques for measuring, mapping and quantifying soil profile properties, and deriving depth functions of soil properties. The book is structured along four research topics: (i) Soil profile properties, (ii) Soil profile imaging, (iii) Soil depth functions, and (iv) Use and applications. The pedon is at the heart of digital soil morphometrics. The use of digital soil morphometrics exceeds the pedology and soil classification purpose that it currently serves – it is used in rapid soil assessment that are needed in a range of biophysical studies. Digital soil morphometrics has the potential to enhance our understanding of soils and how we view them. The book presents highlights from The IUSS Inaugural Global Workshop on Digital Soil Morphometrics held in June 2015 in Madison, USA.

This book provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the soils of Spain gathered by a variety of Spanish experts in the field. It presents soils in this country as particularly conditioned by the naturally diverse and drastic distribution of the Spanish landscape, characterized by mountainous ranges in the North, and arid areas in the South and the East. The first chapter sets the agricultural scenario in Spain as influenced by the Arabic culture and American agricultural products; the second chapter provides a classification and distribution of Spanish soils; the third chapter approaches the topic of soils in the characteristically humid Northern Iberia area as prone to diversity and soil evolution; the fourth focuses on the soils of the South and East of Spain as affected by lack of rainfall and abundance in calcic soil horizons; the fifth chapter deals with Mediterranean soils, having as a particular characteristic the dominance of red colors; and the last chapter discusses the challenges and future issues of Spanish soils.

This volume summarizes our current understanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent in dryland regions. Since they cover the soil surface, they influence, or even control, all surface exchange processes. Being one of the oldest terrestrial communities, biocrusts comprise a high diversity of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with uncounted bacteria, and fungi. The authors show that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role in carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. Initial attempts have been made to use biocrusts as models in ecological theory. On the other hand, biocrusts are endangered by local disruptions and global change, highlighting the need for enhanced recovery methods. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the fascinating field of biocrust research, making it indispensable not only for scientists in this area, but also for land managers, policy makers, and anyone interested in the environment.

The book is a realistic blend of basic knowledge and understanding in soil physical properties. It will enable the reader to scientifically analyze soils to develop practical and successful means of providing sufficient drainage and to develop science-based irrigation strategies. Only basic mathematical knowledge is necessary to understand and apply the proven principles covered. With limited resources that are increasing significantly in costs, the book blends the ideal concept of providing sufficient drainage and irrigation based on using soil physical properties but with financial limitations in mind. One traditional problem with many Soil Physics, Drainage, and Irrigations-based texts is the prerequisite of understanding complicated calculus-based mathematics. Although necessary for a theory-based text, our text was developed with practitioners in mind where such complicated mathematics was avoided but referenced if the reader wishes to further explore the specific topic. Another problem with many traditional texts is the lack of practical examples or case-studies allowing readers to relate their specific scenarios to similar types of situations. We have purposely included numerous examples and practical field experiences. This is especially true when many of the theoretical ideals are covered, followed by explanations of how such ideals can be applied in the laboratory and field.

This book offers a proven approach for reliable mapping of soil-landscape relationships to derive information for policy, planning and management at scales ranging from local to regional. It presents the theoretical and conceptual framework of the geopedologic approach and a bulk of applied research showing its application and benefits for knowledge generation relevant to geohazard studies, land use conflict analysis, land use planning, land degradation assessment, and land suitability analysis. Soil is a vital resource for society at large and an important determinant of the economic status of nations. The intensification of natural disasters and the increased land use competition for food and energy have raised awareness of the relevant role the pedosphere plays in natural and anthropogenic environments. Recent papers and global initiatives show a renewed interest in soil research and its applications for improved planning and management of this fragile and finite resource.

The book presents the processes governing the dynamics of landscapes, soils and sediments, water and energy under different climatic regions using studies conducted in varied climatic zones including arid, semi-arid, humid and wet regions. The spatiaotemporal availability of the processes and fluxes and their linkage to the environment, land, soil and water management are presented at various scales. Spatial scales including laboratory, field, watershed, river basin and regions are represented. The effect of tillage operations and land management on soil physical characteristics and soil moisture is discussed. The book has 35 chapters in seven sections: 1) Landscape and Land Cover Dynamics, 2) Rainfall-Runoff Processes, 3) Floods and Hydrological Processes 4) Groundwater flow and Aquifier Management, 5) Sediment Dynamics and Soil Management, 6) Climate change impact on vegetation, sediment and water dynamics, and 7) Water and Watershed Management.

This textbook focuses specifically on the combined topics of irrigation and drainage engineering. It emphasizes both basic concepts and practical applications of the latest technologies available. The design of irrigation, pumping, and drainage systems using Excel and Visual Basic for Applications programs are explained for both graduate and undergraduate students and practicing engineers. The book emphasizes environmental protection, economics, and engineering design processes. It includes detailed chapters on irrigation economics, soils, reference evapotranspiration, crop evapotranspiration, pipe flow, pumps, open-channel flow, groundwater, center pivots, turf and landscape, drip, orchards, wheel lines, hand lines, surfaces, greenhouse hydroponics, soil water movement, drainage systems design, drainage and wetlands contaminant fate and transport. It contains summaries, homework problems, and color photos. The book draws from the fields of fluid mechanics, soil physics, hydrology, soil chemistry, economics, and plant sciences to present a broad interdisciplinary view of the fundamental concepts in irrigation and drainage systems design.

This book provides standards and guidelines for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and removals in smallholder agricultural systems and comparing options for climate change mitigation based on emission reductions and livelihood trade-offs. Globally, agriculture is directly responsible for about 11% of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and induces an additional 17% through land use change, mostly in developing countries. Farms in the developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are predominately managed by smallholders, with 80% of land holdings smaller than ten hectares. However, little to no information exists on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potentials in smallholder agriculture. Greenhouse gas measurements in agriculture are expensive, time consuming, and error prone, challenges only exacerbated by the heterogeneity of smallholder systems and landscapes. Concerns over methodological rigor, measurement costs, and the diversity of approaches, coupled with the demand for robust information suggest it is germane for the scientific community to establish standards of measurements for quantifying GHG emissions from smallholder agriculture. Standard guidelines for use by scientists, development organizations will help generate reliable data on emissions baselines and allow rigorous comparisons of mitigation options. The guidelines described in this book, developed by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) and partners, are intended to inform anyone conducting field measurements of agricultural greenhouse gas sources and sinks, especially to develop IPCC Tier 2 emission factors or to compare mitigation options in smallholder systems.

"The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in Kansas is a federal / state partnership created for enhancing water conservation efforts along the Upper Arkansas River corridor from Hamilton County to Rice County. The Upper Arkansas River (UAR) CREP has been officially approved and operating for eight years; this annual report provides a synopsis of the implementation activities and progress to date. ... The Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Conservation (DOC) is the primary coordinator of the program in concert with numerous other state, local, and private partners. ... Groundwater is the dominant source of water for all uses in the basin, and aquifer declines are a serious concern. Therefore, water conservation is the main management objective in the Upper Arkansas CREP. The program also provides other resource benefits including soil conservation, water quality protection, wildlife habitat enhancement, and energy savings."

Sustainable agriculture is a rapidly growing field aiming at producing food and energy in a sustainable way for humans and their children. Sustainable agriculture is a discipline that addresses current issues such as climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control and biodiversity depletion. Novel, environmentally-friendly solutions are proposed based on integrated knowledge from sciences as diverse as agronomy, soil science, molecular biology, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, economy and social sciences. Indeed, sustainable agriculture decipher mechanisms of processes that occur from the molecular level to the farming system to the global level at time scales ranging from seconds to centuries. For that, scientists use the system approach that involves studying components and interactions of a whole system to address scientific, economic and social issues. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical, narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. Because most actual society issues are now intertwined, global and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world.

Following a description of the various sources and factors influencing the contents of heavy metal pollution in post-catastrophic and agricultural soils, subsequent chapters examine soil enzymes and eggs as bio-monitors, lead adsorption, the effects of arsenic on microbial diversity, and the effects of Mediterranean grasslands on abandoned mines. A third section focuses on the adaptation strategies used by plants and bacteria, such as Pinus sylvestris in industrial areas, and the rhizosphere in contaminated tropical soils and soil treated with sewage sludge. Further topics addressed include strategies of bioremediation, e.g. using transgenic plants as tools for soil remediation. This new volume on heavy metals in soil will be of interest to researchers and scholars in microbial and plant biotechnology, agriculture, the environmental sciences and soil ecology.

This book presents a beautifully illustrated overview of the most prominent landscapes of South Africa and the distinctive landforms associated with them. It describes the processes, origins and the environmental significance of those landscapes, including their relationships to human activity of the past and present. The sites described in this book include, amongst others, the Blyde River Canyon, Augrabies Falls, Kruger National Park, Kalahari desert landscapes, the Great Escarpment, Sterkfontein caves and karst system, Table Mountain, Cape winelands, coastal dunes, rocky coasts, Boer War battlefield sites, and Vredefort impact structure. Landscapes and Landforms of South Africa provides a new perspective on South Africa’s scenic landscapes by considering their diversity, long and short term histories, and importance for geoconservation and geotourism. This book will be relevant to those interested in the geology, physical geography and history of South Africa, climate change and landscape tourism.

Whereas the Green Revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s in South Asia and elsewhere did not happen in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), several regions of SSA have experienced substantial improvements in crop yields and growth in agricultural production since the beginning of the 21st century. Yet, no drastic increase in per capita food grain production has occurred, primarily because of rapid rates of population growth. On the contrary, per capita food production has decreased in East Africa, Southern Africa and Central Africa. Thus, hunger, malnutrition and poverty remain endemic throughout SSA. Agriculture in SSA is vulnerable to harsh and uncertain climate variations. Resource-poor and small landholders are particularly susceptible to their negative impacts. SSA is one of the global hotspots for adverse effects of climate change on agricultural production and the environment. These include severe problems of soil degradation, nutrient and organic matter depletion, water contamination and eutrophication, and loss of biodiversity, especially the below-ground’s diversity. Thus sustainable intensification (SI) can play an important role in enhancing agricultural production while restoring degraded/desertified soils, mitigating global warming by sequestering atmospheric CO2 in soils and vegetation (forests), adapting to climate change by using recommended management practices of the so called “climate-resilient” or “climate-strategic” agriculture, improving farm income, and empowering women and other under-privileged populations. The relevance of SI is more now than ever before because of decreasing per capita arable land area, competing uses of land for non-agricultural purposes, increasing risks of land/soil degradation, and changing and uncertain climate. Resource-poor and smallholder farmers of SSA neither have the capacity to adapt nor have the resilience to recover.

One of the most challenging goals for modern agriculture is simultaneously reducing negative impacts on the environment while producing enough food. Sustainable agriculture is the alternative, using rational methods to protect crops and enhance productions. To accomplish this objective is necessary to link fundamental and applied research to advance towards the optimal use of the resources. The first volume of the Series “Sustainability in plant and crop protection”, presents a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary compendium about the recent achievements in the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and other nematodes as biological control in a global scale. Three sections comprise this volume to provide a holistic and up-to-date revision of different topics related with the use of nematodes as biocontrol. The fundamental bases on the biodiversity, genetic improvement, behavior, interactions in the rhizosphere and the conceptual model to their employ from augmentation to conservation biological control are discussed in the first section (Chapters 1-6). New approaches and techniques developed to enhance their efficacy and survival, enhancement of their release and the implications of regulation and ecological impact on the industrial scale production integrate the core of the second section (Chapters 7-10). The last section links the two previous ones in a worldwide case-study discussion. Long-term research programs and pioneer studies in countries with limited resources are integrated in this section (Chapters 11-20), including a special reference on the advances performed in the use of the slug parasitic nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Chapter 21). The contributors are renowned Scientific with long expertise in the selected topic. Their experiences illustrate the roadmap for the future generation of researchers interested in built a new system in which sustainable agriculture will be the standard practice.

This is the first book solely devoted to Cryopedology, the study of soils of cold regions. The analysis treats Cryosols as a three-part system (active layer, transition layer, permafrost). The book considers soil-forming factors, cryogenic processes, and classification and distribution of Cryosols. Cryosols of the Arctic, Antarctica, and the high mountains are considered in detail. The chapters address cryosols and earth-system science, cryosols in a changing climate, cryosols databases and their use, and management of cryosols. The book is rich in color photographs and highlights the author’s 43 field trips to Antarctica, the Arctic, and alpine areas.

This book divides Antarctica into eight ice-free regions and provides information on the soils of each region. Soils have been studied in Antarctica for nearly 100 years. Although only 0.35% (45,000 km2) of Antarctica is ice-free, its weathered, unconsolidated material qualify as “soils.”Soils of Antarctica is richly illustrated with nearly 150 images and provisional maps are provided for several key ice-free areas.

This volume covers the general physics of debris flows and various approaches to modeling - including the SEGMENT-Landslide approach – as well as the pros and cons of these approaches, and how other approaches are sub-sets of the SEGMENT-Landslide approach. In addition, this volume will systematically unify the concepts of vadose zone hydrology and geotechnical engineering, with special emphasis on quantifying ecosystem consequences of storm-triggered landslides in a warmer climate setting. The reader will find a comprehensive coverage of concepts ranging from hillslope hydrology, porous granular material rheology, and the fundamentals of soil properties to state-of-the-art concepts of enhanced hydrological cycle with climate warming, finishing with a discussion of new approaches for future research.

Conservation agriculture—consisting of four components including permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, diversified crop rotations and integrated weed management—is considered the principal pathway to sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural resources and the environment. In this book leading researchers in the field describe the basic principles of conservation agriculture, and synthesize recent advances and developments in conservation agriculture research. This book is a ready reference on conservation agriculture and reinforces the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. The book describes various elements of conservation agriculture; highlights the associated breeding and modeling efforts; analyses the experiences and challenges in conservation agriculture in different regions of the world; and proposes some pragmatic options and new areas of research in this very important area of agriculture. This book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and students in the fields of agronomy, farming systems, ecology and environmental sciences.

This book provides a timely review of concepts in plant disease management involving microbial soil suppressiveness and organic amendments. Topics discussed include the impact of suppressive soils on plant pathogens and agricultural productivity, the enhancement of soil suppressiveness through the application of compost and the development of disease suppressive soils through agronomic management. Further chapters describe diseases caused by phytopathogens, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia, interaction of rhizobia with soil suppressiveness factors, biocontrol of plant parasitic nematodes by fungi and soil suppressive microorganisms.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2019-04-30T16:37:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Roriz Luciano Machado.pdf: 4294623 bytes, checksum: a3f076fce7eab23774c532679995dbad (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2019-04-30T16:37:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Roriz Luciano Machado.pdf: 4294623 bytes, checksum: a3f076fce7eab23774c532679995dbad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-28 Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior, CAPES, Brasil. This paper aimed at characterizing and detailing studies on rainfall physical characteristics and erosivity in Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil), as well as to determine soil erodibility for a Red-Yellow Ultisol in Serop?dica (RJ), under natural rain, so as to contribute for further studies on application and development of erosion models and prediction. The following stages were pursued: determination of rain erosiviness associated to returning rain periods within 30 locations in the State, and grouping of those locations based on similar characteristics; determination of the Ultisol erodibity in Serop?dica. The average annual erosivity (EI30) or the USLE ?R? factor for any location in the state of Rio de Janeiro can be the same or at least twice the average in a period (T) of 1.8 to 2.1 years, with 48.5% to 54.9% probability of theoretical occurrence. The locations with the greatest erosivity associated to the return periods are located in the Metropolitan mesoregions and in parts of the south and center mesoregions of the state. In general, the greatest variation of erosivity spatial distribution is observed during the returning period of 2 to 5 years. For greater T values, the variation is associated to erosivity magnitude. In relation to characterization of precipitation patterns, in average the advanced pattern was the most frequent with 52.5%, followed by 25.5% for the delayed pattern, and 22% for the intermediate pattern. Main Component Analysis (MCA) applied to 36 rain gauge stations, as well as the advanced, intermediate and delayed rainfall patterns on the attributes height of precipitation, kinetic energy - Ke intensity in 30 minutes ? I30, EI30, KE>10, KE>25 and rainfall duration, indicated that the two first main components were responsible for 96.1% of variation contained in the set of original data. According to this analysis, all the rain attributes studied were important in sorting the locations as well as the precipitation patterns, that is, they presented high response capacity and could be used as parameters in other statistical analysis. In Canonical Discriminating Analysis, scores at Tukey test at 5% applied to the first discriminating function (CDA1) made it possible to significantly differentiate the seasons relating to rainfall and erosivity attributes for advanced and delayed patterns, despite no statistical differences founded for intermediate pattern and the same attributes. In the delayed pattern, it is highlighted the Angra dos Reis, Campos, Eletrob?s, Manuel Duarte, Santa Isabel do Rio Preto, Tangu?, Teres?polis, Vila Mambucaba and Xer?m stations, that presented the highest FDF1 scores. At these locations a higher soil loss is expected due to the delayed rains. In relation to the Serop?dica?s Redyellow Ultisol erodibility, the studies involving rainfalls occurring from 2006 to 2010 revealed a 0.0117 Mg ha h ha-1 MJ-1 mm-1, using the method of quotient of erosivity caused by soil loss (Kct), with a low regression determination coefficient (0.42). Since the values of erosivity obtained from the two methods were close, any of them can be used for a first index approach. The information obtained in this study can contribute to application of erosion models and soil and water conservation studies in Rio de Janeiro State. O objetivo desse trabalho foi caracterizar e aprofundar o estudo de caracter?sticas f?sicas de chuvas e da erosividade, no Estado Rio de Janeiro, e determinar o par?metro erodibilidade do solo para Argissolo em Serop?dica (RJ) sob chuva natural, contribuindo para estudos futuros de aplica??o e desenvolvimento de modelos de predi??o de eros?o e com informa??es para planejamento do controle da eros?o. Nesse sentido, foram realizadas as seguintes etapas: determina??o de ?ndices de erosividade das chuvas associados a per?odos de retorno das chuvas para 30 localidades em 25 munic?pios fluminenses; caracteriza??o dos padr?es de precipita??o para 36 localidades no Estado e agrupamento por similaridade; e determina??o da erodibilidade de Argissolo Vemelho-Amarelo em Serop?dica. A erosividade anual m?dia (EI30) ou fator ?R? da USLE para qualquer localidade no Estado do Rio de Janeiro pode ser igualada ou superada pelo menos uma vez em m?dia em um per?odo (T) de 1,8 a 2,1 anos e com 48,5 a 54,9 % de probabilidade de ocorr?ncia te?rica. As localidades com maior erosividade associada aos per?odos de retorno est?o nas mesoregi?es Metropolitana e em partes das mesoregi?es Sul e Centro Fluminense. Em geral, a maior varia??o da distribui??o espacial da erosividade se apresenta no per?odo de retorno de 2 a 5 anos. Para maiores valores de T, a varia??o est? associada ? magnitude das classes de erosividade. Em rela??o ? caracteriza??o dos padr?es de precipita??o, na m?dia geral, o avan?ado foi o mais freq?ente com 52,5 %, seguido de 25,5 % para o padr?o atrasado e 22 % para o intermedi?rio. Os resultados da An?lise de Componentes Principais (ACP), aplicada as 36 esta??es pluviogr?ficas e aos padr?es deprecipita??o avan?ado, intermedi?rio e atrasado sobre os atributos altura precipitada, energia cin?tica-EC, Intensidade em 30 minutos-I30, EI30, KE>10, KE>25 e dura??o das chuvas, indicaram que, os dois primeiros componentes principais foram respons?veis por 96,1% da varia??o contida no conjunto de dados originais. De acordo com a ACP, todos os atributos de chuvas foram importantes na separa??o das localidades e padr?es de precipita??o, ou seja, apresentaram alta capacidade de resposta e podem ser usados como par?metros em outras an?lises estat?sticas. Na An?lise Can?nica Discriminante, o teste de Tukey a 5% aplicado aos escores da primeira fun??o discriminante (FDC1) diferenciou significativamente as esta??es quanto aos atributos de chuvas e erosividade para os padr?es avan?ado e atrasado; por?m, n?o houve diferen?a estat?stica entre as esta??es para o padr?o intermedi?rio, para esses atributos. No padr?o atrasado, destacam-se as esta??es Angra do Reis, Campos, Eletrobr?s, Manuel Duarte, Santa Isabel do Rio Preto, Tangu?, Teres?polis, Vila Mambucaba e Xer?m, pelos maiores escores de FCD1. Nesses locais ? esperada maior perda de solo nas chuvas de padr?o atrasado. Quanto a erodibilidade do Argissolo Vermelho- Amarelo, em Serop?dica, o estudo com as chuvas de 2006 a 2010 revelou o ?ndice de 0,0117 Mg ha h ha-1 MJ-1 mm-1 pelo m?todo do quociente da perda de solo pela erosividade (Kt) e, o valor de 0,0105 Mg ha h ha-1 MJ-1 mm-1, pelo m?todo da regress?o (Kct) com baixo coeficiente de determina??o da regress?o (0,42). Como os valores de erodibilidade pelos dois m?todos foram pr?ximos qualquer um pode ser utilizado para uma primeira aproxima??o do ?ndice. As informa??es obtidas podem contribuir para a aplica??o de modelos de eros?o e estudos de conserva??o do solo e da ?gua no Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has one of the largest right-of-way areas in the United States with over 127,138 km of state maintained highway. In 2003, the new guidelines for Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System went into effect causing a renewed interest in TxDOTs strive to establish vegetation as quickly as possible. These guidelines, along with executive orders signed in 1999 and 2000, have brought about a growing interest in reducing spread and establishment of invasive nonnative plant species, with emphasis on maintaining or increasing native species diversity and restoring ecosystem processes. A two-year study was conducted in Andrews, Baylor, and Kleberg Counties in Texas. Our objectives were to test the hypotheses that (1) two native species, hooded windmillgrass (WMG) and shortspike WMG, provide similar vegetation canopy cover as the standard seed mixtures currently used by TxDOT when added as a component in a native seed mixture; (2) native WMGs would provide similar vegetative cover as bermudagrass with use of a soil retention blanket; (3) hooded and shortspike WMGs provide similar canopy cover as bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) on single species plots; and (4) drill planting technique would allow a greater proportion of seeds planted to establish a root system, therefore providing greater canopy cover when compared against a broadcasting technique.

The objective of this research was to develop and demonstrate native grass sod for sediment control from disturbed lands associated with California highways. The research evaluated native grass species for inclusion in sod and evaluated the sod at a California highway field site. Seed mixes, including rhizomatous and bunchgrass species, were evaluated in a greenhouse setting for six California ecoregions. Growth and sod development potential of each seed mix for each ecoregion were evaluated. Seed mixes for three California ecoregions were further evaluated with a reinforcement material, and for establishment and weed suppression. Establishment and weed suppression of select ecoregion seed mixes and reinforcement materials were evaluated. Results indicated that multispecies sod has potential for use in revegetation of disturbed lands associated with highways. Native grass seed mix designs developed for the California Grassland ecoregion were field tested on a highway steep slope and swale area near Sacramento. Following an eight month propagation period, a sod composed of four native grass species was transplanted using conventional harvest and transport procedures. The sod resisted weed invasion from the underlying soil seed bank, no bare ground was present, and sediment loss was exceptionally low (0.1-0.6 tons/hectare/year). Native grass sod was more expensive to implement compared with conventional hydroseeding, but their long-term maintenance and environmental costs associated with weed control, mowing, soil erosion, and fire control are expected to be much lower.

Erosion of steep highway cut slopes in Montana is often times the consequence of poor vegetation development in nutrient poor growth media resulting from highway construction where topsoil cannot physically be replaced due to slope steepness. Topsoil is often locally unavailable. The overall research objectives for this project were to: (1) Reduce sediment yield and erosion from steep highway cut slopes through amendment with compost; (2) Enhance vegetation establishment on steep highway cut slopes through amendment with compost; (3) Develop amendment rates, application protocols and techniques for compost addition and incorporation on steep highway cut slopes; (4) Implement, monitor and evaluate test plots on steep highway cut slopes; and (5) Communicate, report and provide technology transfer of the research findings. The subject of this report is performance monitoring of research plots during the 2004 to 2006 period.