The design and evaluation of soil conservation systems in St. Lucia /

• Main Author: Norville, Peter
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 1989
• Subjects: Soil conservation > Saint Lucia.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=59576

Three soil conservation systems: contour drainage, strip cropping, and terracing, were designed and established within separate plots on hillside farmlands in St. Lucia. A control plot with no form of soil conservation was also established. Topographic and soils surveys of these plots were conducted. Rainfall, runoff and soil loss were measured over one wet season. Crop yields and construction and maintenance costs were also determined. === For rainfall amounts between 14.2 and 211.2 mm, runoff depths varied from 0.6 to 203.6 mm in the control plot, 2.1 to 199.2 mm in the contour drained plot, 3.2 to 155.1 mm in the strip cropped plot and 1.3 to 94.7 mm in the terraced plot. The largest amounts of runoff were most often recorded in the strip cropped plot, while on most occasions, the terraced plot produced the least runoff. === Soil loss rates varied from 0.01 to 1.77 kg/ha in the control plot, 0.07 to 16.88 kg/ha in the contour drained plot, 0.2 to 28.86 kg/ha in the strip cropped plot and 0.01 to 6.62 kg/ha in the terraced plot. === Construction costs per hectare were EC$5565 for the contour drainage system, EC $5425 for the strip cropped system and EC$6350 for the terraced system. === Further monitoring of the conservation systems is required for prediction of their long-term effectiveness in runoff and soil erosion control.