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Flat Residue Loss by Wind for Different Crop Types: Lab Experiments

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Soil Erosion Research Under a Changing Climate, January 8-13, 2023, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, USA  .(doi:10.13031/soil.23014)
Authors:   Jiaqiong Zhang, Larry E. Wagner, Katie Talley
Keywords:   Flat residue, Portable wind tunnel, Standing residue, Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS).

Abstract After harvest, flat residue can help protect the soil surface from wind erosion. However, the flat residue itself can also be susceptible to wind erosion, if it is not anchored to the soil, or is not sufficiently protected from the wind by the standing stalks left in a field. This laboratory study attempts to determine the wind conditions under which different types of unanchored flat residue, including soybeans (Glycine max), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), are either redistributed or removed under a range of simulated field conditions. Laboratory experiments were conducted with a portable outdoor wind tunnel at free stream wind velocities of 4-6, 8, 10, 14, 17, and 19 m s-1. Experiments were conducted at various simulated stem heights (6 cm and 10 cm heights, using 2.74 mm dia. wires at a 25.4 cm row spacing) for winter wheat, (6 cm height using 6 mm dia. dowel rods at a 76.2 cm row spacing) for soybeans, and (6 and 10 cm heights, using 16 mm dia. dowel rods at a 76.2 cm row spacing) for grain sorghum. A range of simulated stem areal populations were evaluated between (200–1200 stems/m2) for wheat, (4–14 stems/m2) for soybeans and (8-32 stems/m2) for grain sorghum. The results showed that both flat residue rearrangement (bunching up against adjacent rows) and actual removal of residue increased with decreasing stem populations, decreasing stem heights and increasing wind speeds for all simulated crop conditions. The laboratory results correlated with the field study, showing that the lighter residue components, leaves, chaff and small stems were removed from the tunnel at lower wind speeds than the larger and heavier stem pieces. Results of this study are valuable for the management of loose flat residue after harvest in the field and are potentially significant for the improvement of wind erosion models like the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS).

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