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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Six années de suivi du flux d'érosion éolienne sur un sol sableux cultivé au Sahel : Impacts des résidus de culture et de l'encroûtement

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In the Sahel, wind erosion occurs particularly in cultivated fields. This work was leaded at Banizoumbou in Niger where wind erosion fluxes have been measured for six years. The aims of this study was i) to monitor crop residues cover on traditional field and to quantify its influence on wind erosion ii) to characterize the impacts of soils crusting on erosion flux, iii) to characterize the impact of herbaceous strips on wind flux. Results showed that crop residues efficiently prevent cultivated fields from wind erosion during the dry season (January to April) and considerably reduce erosion fluxes at the beginning of the rainy season (May to July). Under a minimal crop residues cover rate of about 100 Kg.ha-1, soil losses by wind erosion would dramatically increase and favoured the development of erosion crust. These crusts lead to supply limitation of particles by wind and thus decreased wind erosion fluxes. In addition, herbaceous strips have also contributed to reduce soil lost by wind erosion on the bare soil. But they didn’t avoid soil crusting.