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The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613601476378624 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Barnard, Robin Oxley |
| author_browse | Barnard, Robin Oxley |
| author_facet | Barnard, Robin Oxley |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2014 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/40270 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:43.836Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/40270 The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control Barnard, Robin Oxley garry@arc.agric.za Annandale, John George Paterson, David Garry Geotextiles Soil conservation Palm tree leaves Effectiveness of mats Leaves Lala palm (Hyperhene coriacea) UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. Geotextiles have been used for many years in different parts of the world to promote soil conservation and to combat erosion. Such geotextiles may be synthetic (usually some form of plastic, sometimes with wire), or natural (usually some form of fibrous material). Work carried out at the University of Wolverhampton (UK) on the effectiveness of mats made from palm tree leaves sourced from the Gambia, West Africa led to a research project funded by the EU, which ran from October 2005 to February 2009, comprising the participation of four EU countries (UK, Belgium, Hungary and Lithuania) and six developing” countries (Brazil, Gambia, South Africa, Thailand, China and Vietnam). Research carried out in South Africa used mats made from the leaves of the Lala palm (Hyperhene coriacea). These mats are easy to make, flexible, durable and completely biodegradable. They cover approximately 40% of the soil surface, allowing space for vegetation to emerge, and add 1.3 kg of dry organic matter to each m2 of soil. Furthermore, they have a water retention capacity of 1.8 l kg-1 m-2, their N, K, S and P percentages are high, they have low sodium and aluminium values and a favourable C/N ratio. Firstly, trials were done on 20 South African soils and 10 mine tailings materials using a rainfall simulator. The soils varied considerably with respect to their textural, chemical and mineralogical properties as well as annual precipitation and geological origin. Erosion parameters varied greatly within, and to a much lesser extent between, the two different materials. Several significant correlations were obtained. Sediment load (SL) had the best correlation with kaolinite content and with fine sand content, while for runoff, the best correlation was with organic carbon content. When the samples were covered with palm mats values for final infiltration rate (FI) percentage stable aggregates (SA) and inter-rill erodibility (Ki) values were similar to those of bare materials and the amount of runoff was slightly higher. SL, however, was reduced by +65%. The next stage was to carry out a range of field trials, using runoff plots. Plots at four localities (Bergville, Ladybrand, Roodeplaat and Mabula) were used. Results showed that average runoff under the palm mats decreased by between 38% and 70%, compared to bare soil. Sediment concentration under the mats decreased by between 38% and 89%, using three combinations of slope, mat density and mesh size. Splash erosion at Roodeplaat decreased by between 62% and 68%, while re-vegetation at Ladybrand and Mabula increased by between 38% and 58%, with organic carbon content and topsoil accumulation also increasing under the mats. Various trials (using both the rainfall simulator and runoff plots) were carried out to evaluate the effects of reduced mat density and increased mesh size. Results from the other participating countries (25% to 95% reduction in runoff) confirm that there is much potential to use organic, bio-degradable, easy to manufacture geotextiles such as palm leaf mats, especially to combine employment opportunities with enhanced environmental protection in many susceptible areas of South Africa. gm2014 Plant Production and Soil Science unrestricted 2014-06-17T13:08:48Z 2014-06-17T13:08:48Z 2014-04-15 2014 Thesis Paterson, DG 2014, The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/40270> D14/4/121/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/40270 en © 2014 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Geotextiles Soil conservation Palm tree leaves Effectiveness of mats Leaves Lala palm (Hyperhene coriacea) UCTD The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title | The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title_full | The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title_fullStr | The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title_full_unstemmed | The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title_short | The use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| title_sort | use of palm leaf mats in soil erosion control |
| topic | Geotextiles Soil conservation Palm tree leaves Effectiveness of mats Leaves Lala palm (Hyperhene coriacea) UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/40270 |