Evaluation of the vegetable mulch produced from Eremurus spectabilison on soil erosion control

One of the main challenges of arid and desert regions is to control wind erosion that can cause significant economic and environmental damage. The present study aimed to stabilize erosion-prone soil using a vegetable mulch prepared from Eremurus spectabilis root powder. The effects of concentration and amount of mulch spraying on the soil erosion was investigated and the penetration and reduction of the thickness of the fixed layer against wind speeds of 6, 9, 12 and 15 m/s for 5 minutes was studied in the wind tunnel. Finally, EC, pH, salinity and other soil elements were tested to evaluate the environmental impact of mulching. The results showed that increasing the amount of mulch spraying results in more mulch penetration in the soil and increasing the mulch concentration, despite reducing the depth of its penetration into the soil due to increasing the amount of adhesion between the soil particles, its greater resistance to wind erosion. In addition, based on the results, mulches with concentrations of 0.2, 0.6 and 0.7% can stabilize the soil against the wind stream, up to maximum of 9, 12 and 15 m/s, respectively. Generally, the mulch is environmentally friendly and is an appropriate option for controlling the erosion of wind erosion-prone soil.