Effect of combined application of polyacrylamide and vermicompost on runoff and soil erosion control

Annually, high amount of soil is washed out by erosion from the watershed. Implementation of appropriate management methods to control soil erosion is therefore essential. Application of economically-effective and environmentally friendly amendments to soil is one of the solutions and new technologies to control soil erosion. However, the comprehensive assessment of the impact of commonly used soil amendments on soil erosion has not been conducted. The present study therefore aimed to assess the performance of combined application of polyacrylamide powder (6 gm-2) and vermicompost (24 gm-2) in comparison with individual application of the polyacrylamide and vermicompost as well as control (without amendments) condition to control runoff and soil erosion under laboratory condition and on a clay-loamy soil. The study variables of runoff, soil loss and sediment concentrations were measured under a simulation rainfall intensity of 80 mm.h-1 and duration of 8 minutes. The results indicated a statistically significant effect (p=0.00) of all study treatments on the reduction of runoff, soil loss and sediment concentration from the study small plots. The combined effect of polyacrylamide and vermicompost on runoff and sediment concentration was also found greater than that recorded for soil loss.