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An experiment comparing broad beds and<br />
furrows with flat cultivation at 0.4- and 1.0-<br />
percent slopes was conducted on an Alfisol by<br />
K. A. Shams, a graduate student from Sudan. 10<br />
The first runoff-producing storm occurred 18<br />
days after planting a sorghum/pigeonpea intercrop<br />
when the crop was small (Leaf Area<br />
Index of 0.3) and thus did not provide much<br />
plant cover. Even though treatments did not<br />
influence the amount of runoff, the amount of<br />
erosion under flat cultivation was 2.7 times that<br />
of the bed-and-furrow system (Table 69). There<br />
was no significant difference between slopes, but<br />
the erosion tended to be higher at the 1.0-percent<br />
slope. The pattern of subsequent storms was<br />
similar; however, the amount of erosion per rain<br />
was greatly reduced and the magnitude of differences<br />
much less due to the overriding effect of the<br />
increased plant cover later in the season.<br />
0.08<br />
0.07<br />
BW 4C<br />
BW 1<br />
0.06<br />
0.05<br />
0.04<br />
0.03<br />
0.02<br />
0.01<br />
0<br />
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40<br />
Weighted mean intensity (mm/hr)<br />
Figure 84. Effect of rainfall intensity on soil loss<br />
in a fallowed (BW4 C) and a cropped<br />
(BW1) watershed on a deep Vertisol.<br />
10 Shams, K. A., 1977. "The effect of bed vs. flat cultivation at<br />
two slopes upon runoff, erosion, crop growth, and yield."<br />
Thesis submitted to Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University<br />
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the<br />
degree of Master of Science in Agriculture.<br />
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