The Effects of Biogeotextiles on the Stabilization of Roadside Slopes in Lithuania.

Soil erosion, Water erosion, Soil conservation, Geotextiles, Geotextile mats, Roadside slopes, Vegetation cover, Biogeotextiles , Palm mat geotextiles - Borassus aethiopum - Mauritia flexuosa - Buriti mats - BORASSUS Project - LithuaniaBiogeotextiles constructed from the leaves of Borassus aethiopum and Mauritia flexuosa are investigated at the Kaltinėnai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Biogeotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope in Lithuania suggest biogeotextile mats are an effective and sustainable soil conservation technique. Biogeotextiles have a potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion. The investigations demonstrated that a cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses increased by 52.0–63.4% under cover of Borassus mats and by 18.6–28.2% under cover of Buriti mats. Over 2 years, the biogeotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 90.8% and 81.5% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 87.9% and 79.0%, respectively

Inter-relationships between soil-protecting land use systems, recreation and tourism on agricultural landscapes in Lithuania

The full text article appears with the kind permission of the journal editor, Dr Jonas Jasaitis, Siauliai University, Lithuania.Soil de­gra­da­tion by soil erosion is evident on the hilly- undula­ting landsca­pe, when com­mon land use systems, containing tilla­ge crops, are practised by land ow­ners. Results of long-term field investigations enab­le the proposal of specific erosion‑resistant land ma­na­ge­ment systems, which enable us to loca­lize and sta­bilize erosion processes on are­as most vulne­rable to soil erosion. It is fe­a­sible to im­ple­ment soil-protecting land use systems (i.e. erosion- re­sistant crop rota­tions and long-term pe­rennial grasses) de­signed for fields of vary­ing size, slope gradient and soil texture. The­se agro- environmental aims can be integrated with rural tourism, thus enabling re­ha­bilita­tion of de­gra­ded land and im­proving the socio- economic situation of rural villages. Matching specific soil tilla­ge ope­ra­tions with intensity of fertiliza­tion permits further re­tarda­tion of soil erosion intensity. The proposed vision of the modern Lithua­nian villa­ge is thus to re­com­mend new activities for local land owners and to promote sustainable and environmentally- friendly economic de­ve­lopmen

The Effects of Biogeotextiles on the Stabilization of Roadside Slopes in Lithuania.

Soil erosion, Water erosion, Soil conservation, Geotextiles, Geotextile mats, Roadside slopes, Vegetation cover, Biogeotextiles , Palm mat geotextiles - Borassus aethiopum - Mauritia flexuosa - Buriti mats - BORASSUS Project - LithuaniaBiogeotextiles constructed from the leaves of Borassus aethiopum and Mauritia flexuosa are investigated at the Kaltinėnai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Biogeotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope in Lithuania suggest biogeotextile mats are an effective and sustainable soil conservation technique. Biogeotextiles have a potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion. The investigations demonstrated that a cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses increased by 52.0–63.4% under cover of Borassus mats and by 18.6–28.2% under cover of Buriti mats. Over 2 years, the biogeotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 90.8% and 81.5% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 87.9% and 79.0%, respectively

Soil Organic Matter Changes in Lithuanian Soils: Experiences and Results

Lithuania, Soil organic matter, Eutric Albeluvisol, Soil conservation, Carbon sequestration, Land management, Crop rotationData has been obtained from sandy loam Eutric Albeluvisol-ABe at the Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture on the undulating topography of Western Lithuania. Results from 18 years of investigations show significant increases in soil organic matter (SOM) content under grass-grain crop rotations compared with field and grain-grass crop rotations, which thus provides evidence for carbon sequestration in soil

Geotextile mats

Soil erosion is a global environmental problem. There are many potential soil conservation measures suitable for arable soils in Lithuania. However, specific strategies are required on industrial slopes, where plant cover is often destroyed by machinery, and soil truncation may occur. Problems may arise due to exposure of deeper soils deficient in soil organic matter, which are especially vulnerable to water and wind erosion. Geotextiles are one of the methods identified suitable for soil stabilization on such engineered industrial slopes. Geotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. The application of geotextile mats, constructed from the palm leaves of Borassus aethiopum (Borassus) and Mauritia flexuosa (Buriti), has been investigated at the Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope demonstrate that cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses significantly increased (by 52–63%) under cover of Borassus mats and by 19–28% under cover of Buriti mats. The geotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 91 and 82% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 88 and 79%, respectively. This illustrates that geotextiles have a notable potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosio

Relationships between soil organic matter content and soil erosion severity in Albeluvisols of the Žemaičiai Uplands

This article analyses relationships between soil erosion severity and soil organic matter (humus) content. The paper describes approaches to assess cumulative soil loss due to the combined action of natural (geological) and accelerated (human induced) soil erosion on Eutric Albeluvisols in Lithuania. Evaluation of soil erosion severity helps us understand which segments of the landscape are susceptible to erosion and therefore require soil conservation. The study also evaluates changes in soil organic matter content in relation to erosion severity. Factors considered in evaluating soil erosion severity included the existing genetic soil horizons remaining after soil erosion processes, the estimated thickness of lost soil and slope inclination. The estimated depth of soil loss due to the combined action of natural and accelerated soil erosion varied from 0.1–0.8 m on the undulating topography of the Žemaičiai Uplands. Erosion rates increased with slope steepness. Therefore, natural soil fertility (as indicated by spring barley yields) decreased by 21.7, 39.7 and 62.4% on slopes of 2–5°, 5–10° and 10–15°, respectively, compared with flat land. Crop yield was strongly negatively correlated (r2 = 0.790, P < 0.001, n = 138) with erosion severity and strongly positively correlated (r = 0.922; P < 0.001, n = 80) with soil organic matter content

Soil erosion and changes in the physical properties of Lithuanian Eutric Albeluvisols under different land use systems

The investigations aimed to: 1) evaluate water erosion rates on undulating slopes in Lithuania under different land use systems; 2) study changes in soil physical properties on the differently eroded slopes; and 3) better understand relationships between soil physical properties and soil erodibility. Research data were obtained on loamy sand and clay loam Eutric Albeluvisols located on the undulating hilly relief of the Zcaronemaiccaroniai Uplands of Western Lithuania. The results of 18 years of water erosion investigations under different land use systems on slopes of varying steepness are presented. Attention is focused on changes in soil physical properties in relation to soil erosion severity. Measured water erosion rates in the field experiments were: 3.2-8.6 m3 ha-1 yr-1 under winter rye, 9.0-27.1 m3 ha-1 yr-1 under spring barley and 24.2-87.1 m3 ha-1 yr-1 under potatoes. Perennial grasses completely prevented water erosion, while erosion-preventive grass-grain crop rotations (67% grasses, 33% cereal grains) decreased soil losses by 75-80% compared to the field crop rotation, containing 17% tillage crops (potatoes), 33% grasses and 50% cereal grains. The grain-grass crop rotation (33% grasses and 67% cereal grains) decreased soil erosion rates by 23-24%. The percentage of clay-silt and clay fractions of arable soil horizons increased, while the total soil porosity and moisture retention capacity decreased with increased soil erosion. Phytocenoses, including sod-forming perennial grasses and grass-grain crop rotations, led to changes in the physical properties of eroded soils; soil bulk density decreased and percentage total porosity and moisture retention capacity increased. The grass-grain crop rotations increased the water-stable soil structure (measured as water-stable soil aggregates) by 11.03 per cent units and sod-forming perennial grasses increased aggregate stability by 9.86 per cent units compared with the grain-grass crop rotation on the 10-14° slope. Therefore, grass-grain crop rotations and sod-forming perennial grasses decreased soil erodibility and thus could assist both erosion control and the ecological stability of the vulnerable hilly-undulating landscape

The protection of sand dunes of the Baltic Coast using palm-mat geotextiles

Geotextiles constructed from palm-leaves stored soil moisture during a dry summer period on coastal sand dunes. Covering a slope with geotextiles, combined with the planting of local species of grasses, shrubs and trees enabled stabilization of a progressively widening breached “corridor” or “blowout” of sand dune. This was followed by progressive accretion of the sand dune by a mean 24.7 cm per year (2006-08). This research can be considered as a socio-economic contribution of palm geotextiles to sustainable environmental protection

International Comparison of Analytical Methods of Determining the Soil Organic Matter Content of Lithuanian Eutric Albeluvisols

Several soil organic matter (SOM) methodologies have been employed to analyze a suite of subsampled soils, and their results have been correlated. This will permit future comparison of the large archive of SOM databases, which widely exist in Lithuania and other Central and Eastern European countries, with those of other international countries. Samples were collected (n=92) from topsoil and subsoil horizons of Eutric Glassoboralfs (Eutric Albeluvisols) at five long‐term monitoring sites (three sites with 8 years' duration and two sites with 20 years' duration) containing a total of 46 experimental field plots. Each soil sample was subsampled and SOM determined by several analytical approaches (namely, dry combustion, Walkley–Black, Tyurin photometric, Tyurin titrimetric, and loss‐on‐ignition methods). Correlation coefficients between multiple sets of results varied between r=0.831 and r=0.965 (n=92, P<0.001). Based on the strength and significance of these relationships, we propose that simple linear regression equations can be confidently employed to recalculate SOM data among various analytical methodologies and thus help resolve the issue of international data comparison

The contribution of biogeotextiles to sustainable development and soil conservation in European countries: The BORASSUS Project

Field and laboratory experiments has shown that geotextile mats made from palm leaves are an effective, sustainable and economically-viable soil conservation method, with huge global potential. The EU-funded BORASSUS Project (2005-09; Contract Number INCO-CT-2005-510745) is evaluating the long-term effectiveness of biogeotextiles in controlling soil erosion and assessing their sustainability and economic viability. These experiments are in progress in 10 countries, both in the ‘industrial north’ (in Europe) and in the ‘developing south’ (Africa, South America and South-East Asia). This paper discusses the significance of geotextile palm mats in European countries (Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania and the UK). Geotextile mats were effective in reducing splash erosion, runoff and soil erosion on arable sloping land in Shropshire, UK. The use of Borassus-mats on bare soil reduced soil splash height by ~31% and splash erosion by ~42%. The application of Borassus-mats as complete cover on bare soil reduced runoff by ~49% and soil erosion by ~75%. Borassus and Buriti mats as 1 m buffer strips reduced runoff by ~56 and 34%, respectively, and soil erosion by ~83 and 77%, respectively. Results from selected types of vineyards in Hungary suggest that the geotextile mats are effective in reducing soil erosion, particularly erosive rainfall. The geotextiles mats are also helpful in maintaining moisture and temperature conditions in the surface soil at levels particularly conducive to the establishment and growth of young plants. Experiments in Lithuania show that geotextile mats are effective in encouraging the establishment and growth of natural vegetation, thereby reducing erosion on roadside slopes. Simulated experiments in controlled laboratory conditions in Belgium suggest that palm-leaf geotextiles are effective in increasing infiltration rates and reducing interrill runoff and erosion rates on medium (i.e. 15%) and steep (i.e. 45%) slope gradients. The effectiveness of geotextile mats when used as technical materials for the construction industry in ground strengthening was investigated. Generally, the tensile strength of the Buriti mats was approximately twice that of the Borassus mats. The tensile strength of the palm-leaf geotextile mats is influenced by the mat strip formation pattern. Research and development activities of the BORASSUS Project have improved our knowledge on the effect of palm geotextile mats on the micro- and macro- soil environments and at larger scales through controlled laboratory and field experiments in diverse environments