Effects of alfalfa coverage on runoff, erosion and hydraulic characteristics of overland flow on loess slope plots

doi:10.1007/s11783-011-0282-x

Front Envir Sci Eng Chin

2011, Vol. 5

Issue (1) : 76-83 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-011-0282-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effects of alfalfa coverage on runoff, erosion and hydraulic characteristics of overland flow on loess slope plots

Shufang WU^1,2, Pute WU^1,2(

), Hao FENG^1,2, G. P. Merkley³

1. College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, China Academy of Water-saving Agriculture on Arid Regions, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; 2. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling 712100, China; 3. Biological and Irrigation Engineering Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84116, USA

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Abstract

An evaluation of the interactions between vegetation, overland and soil erosion can provide valuable insight for the conservation of soil and water. An experiment was conducted to study water infiltration, runoff generation process, rate of sediment erosion, and hydrodynamic characteristics of overland flow from a sloping hillside with different draw-off discharges from alfalfa and control plots with 20° slope. The effect of alfalfa on runoff and sediment transport reduction was quantitatively analyzed. Alfalfa was discussed for its ability to reduce the overland flow scouring force or change the runoff movement. Compared to the bare-soil plots, alfalfa plots generated a 1.77 times increase in infiltration rate. Furthermore, the down-slope water infiltration rate for the bare soil plots was higher than in the up-slope, while the opposite was found in the alfalfa plots. In addition, alfalfa had a significant effect on runoff and sediment yield. In comparison to the control, the runoff coefficient and sediment transportation rate decreased by 28.3% and 78.4% in the grass slope, respectively. The runoff generated from the alfalfa and bare-soil plots had similar trends with an initial increase and subsequent leveling to a steady-state rate. The transport of sediment reduced with time as a consequence of the depletion of loose surface materials. The maximum sediment concentration was recorded within the first few minutes of each event. The alfalfa plots had subcritical flow while the bare-soil plots had supercritical flow, which indicate that the capability of the alfalfa slope for resisting soil erosion and sediment movement was greater than for bare soil plots. Moreover, the flow resistance coefficient and roughness coefficient for the alfalfa plots were both higher than for the bare-soil plots, which indicate that overland flow in alfalfa plots had retarded and was blocked, and the flow energy along the runoff path had gradually dissipated. Finally, the ability to erode and transport sediment had decreased.

Keywords alfalfa soil erosion runoff and sedimentation soil water infiltration overland flow hydrodynamic characteristics

Corresponding Author(s): WU Pute,Email:gjzwpt@vip.sina.com

Issue Date: 05 March 2011

Cite this article:

Shufang WU,Pute WU,Hao FENG, et al. Effects of alfalfa coverage on runoff, erosion and hydraulic characteristics of overland flow on loess slope plots[J]. Front Envir Sci Eng Chin, 2011, 5(1): 76-83.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-011-0282-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2011/V5/I1/76

Fig.1 Design of the experimental plots (a), alfalfa field plot (b) and bare-soil plot (c)

Fig.2 Layout of alfalfa plots (a) and bare-soil field control plots (b)

Fig.3 Sample image (a), gray image (b) and black and white image (c) obtained in the experimental plots

Tab.1 Characteristics of runoff, sediment, and water infiltration on the alfalfa and bare-soil plots under different discharges

Fig.4 Sediment yield curve for a draw-off discharge of 1.5 m·h

Tab.2 Hydrodynamic characteristics of overland flow in the two slope plots

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