Landbou-ingenieurs ondersoek die voorkoming van erosie in appelboorde
Erosie is vandag een die grootste probleme betrokke by die verbouing van enige gewas. Veral ho� re�nvalgebiede, soos onder meer die suidelike deel van die Vrystaat Provinsie, ondervind hierdie probleem. Hier word appelboorde noord-suid aangeplant sodat bome die sonlig maksimaal kan benut. Dit veroorsaak dat bome dikwels saam met die helling geplant word, wat tot probleme soos erosie lei. LNR-ILI (Instituut vir Landbou-ingenieurswese) het �n bladskrif saamgestel om moontlike oplossings en voorkomingsmaatre�ls teen erosie in appelboorde te bespreek, veral in hierdie streek. In die volgende artikel word die belangrikste punte uitgelig.
Agricultural Engineers investigate the maintenance of grass waterways
Directives are essential for the establishment and maintenance of grass waterways for the prevention of damage such as soil erosion. By ensuring that waterways are correctly prepared, established and maintained, many problems can be prevented. The correct species of grass in the correct relation and established at the correct time, as well as the stand of the grass in the waterways, must be secured before they are filled with water. Contours must be curved correctly into the waterways and openings must always be kept clear. The waterways must be regularly fertilised and cut and vehicles must be kept out.
Instandhouding van grasafleibane
Riglyne is noodsaaklik vir die vestiging en instandhouding van grasafleibane om skade soos gronderosie te bekamp. Deur te sorg dat hierdie bane reg voorberei, gevestig en in stand gehou word, word hierdie probleme egter hokgeslaan. Die regte grassoorte in die regte verhoudings en op die regte tye gevestig, asook die grasstand in die bane, moet verseker wees voordat die eerste kontoere in die baan ingelaat word. Die kontoere moet ook reg in die baan ingekeer en die bekke daarvan moet altyd oop gehou word. Die baan moet ook deur middel van bemesting in stand gehou en gereeld gehooi word en voertuie moet uit die bane gehou word.
Re�nvalnabootser word in die bekamping van gronderosie ingespan
�n Re�nvalnabootser om die erodeerbaarheid van grond en waterverliese te meet, is reeds in 1980 gebou, en vandag is daar steeds verskeie naboosters wat landwyd opnames van grond onder verskillende bewerkingspraktyke doen. Voor 1980 was daar geen betroubare inligting om langtermyngrondverliese te bereken om die effek van verskillende boerderypraktyke op grondverlies te kwantifiseer nie. Nou kan aangepaste bewaringspraktyke ontwikkel word om optimale bodembenutting te bevorder. Met die re�nnabootser kan die werklike afloop van water binne �n paar minute gedemonstreer word.
The consequences of wind erosion in the Free State Province and measures against it
On request of the province, the ARC-Institute for Agricultural Engineering (ILI) did a survey of the damage done by wind erosion and compiled a publication on the findings. This article highlights a few of the important points. For further information the publication can be obtained from the Marketing Division of the Institute.
Soil and wind erode bank balances as well
ARC-ILI has been concerned with the rehabilitation and research of the environment for many years. Various projects have been done, and as many publications were compiled. Soil is South Africa�s most valuable export. Each year, thousands of tons of soil are transported from our farms by wind and rain, via our dams and rivers, to the sea. There, the soil is deposited off-shore. These exports bring no return on investment, no foreign exchange. In fact, they not only erode our lands, but our resources as well.
Agricultural Engineers investigate the combating of soil losses in tobacco fields
Soil loss is one of the tobacco farmer�s biggest problems. The repeated loss of fertile topsoil, year after year, is taking its toll in the shape of decreased yields and fields that cannot be tilled. The problem of soil loss is discussed in a publication compiled by ARC-ILI (Institute of Agricultural Engineering). This article contains an extract of the most important aspects.