Potential effects of vinasse as a soil amendment to control runoff and soil loss

Abstract

Abstract. Application of organic materials are well known as environmental practices in soil restoration, preserving soil organic matter and recovering degraded soils of arid and semiarid lands. So, the present research focused on evaluating the effectiveness of vinasse, on soil conservation under simulated rainfall. Vinasse can be recycled as a soil amendment due to its organic matter. Accordingly, the laboratory experiments were conducted by using 0.25 m2-experimental plots at 20 % slope and rainfall intensity of 72 m h−1 with 0.5 h duration. The effect of three rates of vinasse at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 L m−2 was investigated on runoff and soil loss control. Laboratory results indicated that vinasse at different levels could nonsignificantly (P > 0.05) decrease the runoff amount and soil loss rate in the study plots compared to untreated plots except 1.5 L m−2 which nonsignificantly increased the runoff volume. Also, the results indicated that the soil loss amount at the vinasse application rate of 1 L m−2 was the least. The average amounts of minimum runoff volume and soil loss were about 3985 mL and 46 g for the study plot at 1 L m−2 level of vinasse application.