SOIL EROSION CONTROL THROUGH PARAGIS GRASS (Eleusine indica) BUFFER STRIPS IN SIMULATED PLOTS |Chapter 3/3|
Chapter 3. Paragis Grass (Eleusine indica) as an Effective Buffer Strip
As a partial fulfillment for my bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering), I conducted a study that would tackle the undeniable problem of the Philippines in terms of the agricultural and environmental issues--soil erosion, and propose innovative mitigation.
Chapter 1 https://medium.com/illumination-book-chapters/soil-erosion-control-through-paragis-grass-eleusine-indica-buffer-strips-in-simulated-plots-82722768c32d indicated the overall soil erosion issue in the Philippines.
Chapter 2 https://link.medium.com/krO2ksZBFyb indicated the capability of buffer strips to mitigate soil erosion as presented by prominent researchers.
This chapter will mainly tackle the capability of Paragis grass as an effective buffer strip. This chapter will show the result and conclusions of the study.
Why Paragis Grass?
Paragis grasses that come with the scientific name Eleusine indica are everywhere in the Philippines. It is commonly found in the yards of Filipino houses as weeds.
It is an erect, annual grass branching at the base and forming clumps. It can grow up to 85 centimeters tall.
This grass is considered to be a house for many insects and a basic food source for animals. It is also infamous for its health benefits.
Although there have been no existing studies about its soil erosion control characteristics, I aimed to use its strong roots as an effective vegetative buffer strip.
Result of the Study
Summary of Findings
The result of the analysis of data reveals a significant difference in the amount of specific load on the plot with no paragis grass buffer strip compared to the plots with paragis grass buffer strips.
Specifically, T1- Control Soil Medium (no applied buffer strip) has the highest average specific load of soil loss with the amount of 16983.00g/m2. On the other hand, the T4- 30cm Paragis Grass Buffer Strip Applied has the lowest amount of average soil loss specific load with 5224.27g/m2.
Conclusions
The findings of the study revealed that among the treatments, T1- Control Soil Medium (no applied buffer strip) was the most eroded plot which has a 1% confidence level of difference from the rest of the treatments which were applied with paragis grass buffer strips.
This concludes that paragis grass buffer strips are effective vegetative buffer strips to reduce soil erosion.
Reference
Melencion, H.J. 2022. Soil Erosion Control Through Paragis Grass (Eleusine indica) Buffer Strips in Simulated Plots. Chapter 3. Pages 22-24.
Thank you for reading. ♡
This writer is halfway through MPP!
Follow for a step further.
Here's to making life a little more meaningful with shared stories of interest!
