Maintaining an optimal soil condition usually involves measures to protect its fertile layer. For this, stimulating fertilizers and various chemical additives are used. However, the structural integrity of the cover is of no small importance in maintaining the fertile function of the land plot. Violations in the upper word occur due to various reasons, but the question of how to protect the soil from blowing by the wind is considered the most urgent. Ignoring negative factors in the process of land exploitation can provoke the development of erosion, which will not allow to obtain the expected yield. The recovery process, in turn, takes a long time and is not always implemented without professional help.
What is wind erosion of soils?
By wind erosion is meant such an effect on the top layer of the earth, in which there is blowing and subsequent spacing of soil particles. In other words, air currents remove the outer cover from the surface, which leads to exposure of the plant root system. At the same time, damage from wind erosion is caused not only in places where direct blowing occurs. During the transfer, particles of the earth can cover other areas with crops, which also entails negative consequences. Therefore, the question of how to protect the soil from blowing out by the wind should be considered more broadly, that is, taking into account the conservation tasks and the nearby territories along which the separation of soil particles is possible. According to experts, in regions of strong exposure to air flow in just a few days, the fertile layer can completely lose the humus horizon. Full restoration of a two-centimeter layer of humus in natural conditions can occur over hundreds of years.
What should soil be protected from?
In order to prevent negative effects on the soil cover, it is necessary to initially determine the causes that entail such processes. It would seem that the main factors of such destruction of the soil is the wind. But this is not entirely true, since initially protective functions were also laid in the ecosystem, the violation of which leads to the same erosion. For example, natural vegetation acts as an effective barrier to blowing, since the root system holds together soil particles and prevents them from dispersing. There are other causes of soil erosion that should be considered in preventing unpleasant consequences. To a large extent, the result of agricultural activity can contribute to the destruction of the structure of the soil layer. Irrational use of fertilizers, in particular, can lead to excessive dry soil and lower humus content, which also contributes to the destruction.
Hydrotechnical protective measures
Erosion occurs not only due to wind exposure, but also with abundant contact of soil with water. But in both cases, the factors that trigger the negative process of destruction are not just different, but mutually exclusive phenomena. Therefore, in deciding how to protect the soil from blowing out by the wind, many agricultural enterprises are considering the use of hydraulic stations, which allow regulating the moisture balance. Of course, this is only one of the measures that can eliminate the destruction of land cover, so it should be combined with other methods of protection.
Land cultivation
Still, the basis of measures to protect the soil from erosion is the treatment of the upper layer. As an obligatory operation of this type, in-depth plowing of more than 22 cm is practiced, which is alternated with conventional cultivation at intervals of 2-3 years. In addition, flat-cutting and subsurface cultivation of the soil, as well as strip loosening of the winter fallow, can be carried out. Such agrotechnical procedures are the main answer to the question of how to protect the soil from blowing out by the wind without radical changes in the terrain. An ordinary farmer can resort to such events using a minimal set of technical equipment. Even simple tillage strengthens its structure and prevents the dispersion of particles.
Crops as a tool to combat weathering
In any area that is susceptible to wind erosion, the greatest effect will be provided by a soil-protective crop rotation. In particular, the practice of planting crops with beds of tall varieties. It is also worth noting forest reclamation measures in the form of the organization of protective plantings. It should be borne in mind that the answer to the question of how to protect the soil from blowing by the wind by sowing should be decided at the planning stage of land management. If the aforementioned forest reclamation methods for erosion control are planned, then the plan should be drawn up several years in advance. If you manage only agricultural plants, then the effect will be weak and short-lived.
Conclusion
Soil exploitation is a complex process, which is affected by many external factors - from climate to the ecological state of the environment. Of course, wind activity also becomes one of the primary answers to the question of what soil should be protected during operation. There are different ways to deal with the risks of erosion, among which are agrotechnical measures and forest reclamation techniques. As practice shows, it is possible to achieve significant results in this matter only if several methods of protecting the soil from weathering are combined. Another thing is that only one approach will be taken as the main direction - in one case it will be cultivation, and in the other, for example, plantations. At the same time, experts do not recommend abusing active erosion control measures, since the wind can be useful as a source of nutrients, which are also transported from other territories.