Smets T., Poesen J., Bhattacharyya R., Fullen M.A., Subedi M., Booth C.A., Kertész A., Szalai Z., Toth A., Jankauskas B., Jankauskiene G., Guerra A., Bezerra J.F.R., Yi Z., Panomtaranichagul M., Bühmann C., Paterson D.G.
Physical and Regional Geography Research Group, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; School of Applied Sciences, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Engineering and the Built Environment, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Geographical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Lithuania; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Yunnan Agricultural University, China; Chang Mai University, Thailand; Institue for Soil, Climate and Water of the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa
Smets, T., Physical and Regional Geography Research Group, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; Poesen, J., Physical and Regional Geography Research Group, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; Bhattacharyya, R., School of Applied Sciences, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Fullen, M.A., School of Applied Sciences, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Subedi, M., School of Applied Sciences, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Booth, C.A., Engineering and the Built Environment, The University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Kertész, A., Geographical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Szalai, Z., Geographical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Toth, A., Geographical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Jankauskas, B., Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Lithuania; Jankauskiene, G., Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, Lithuania; Guerra, A., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Bezerra, J.F.R., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Yi, Z., Yunnan Agricultural University, China; Panomtaranichagul, M., Chang Mai University, Thailand; Bühmann, C., Institue for Soil, Climate and Water of the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa; Paterson, D.G., Institue for Soil, Climate and Water of the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa
Preliminary investigations suggest biological geotextiles could be an effective and inexpensive soil conservation method, with enormous global potential. However, limited quantitative data are available on the erosion-reducing effects of biological geotextiles. Therefore, the objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of biological geotextiles in reducing runoff and soil loss under controlled laboratory conditions and under field conditions reflecting continental, temperate and tropical environments. In laboratory experiments, interrill runoff, interrill erosion and concentrated flow erosion were simulated using various rainfall intensities, flow shear stresses and slope gradients. Field plot data on the effects of biological geotextiles on sheet and rill erosion were collected in several countries (UK, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Brazil, China and Thailand) under natural rainfall. Overall, based on the field plot data, the tested biological geotextiles reduce runoff depth and soil loss rates on average by 46 per cent and 79 per cent, respectively, compared to the values for bare soil. For the field and laboratory data of all tested geotextiles combined, no significant difference in relative runoff depth between field measurements and interrill laboratory experiments is observed. However, relative soil loss rate for the concentrated flow laboratory experiments are significantly higher compared to the interrill laboratory experiments and the field plot measurements. Although this study points to some shortcomings of conducting laboratory experiments to represent true field conditions, it can be concluded that the range and the mean relative runoff depth and soil loss rate as observed with the field measurements is similar to those as observed with the interrill laboratory experiments. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd..