EVALUATION OF RUNOFF AND SOIL LOSS IN PLOTS UNDER DIFFERENT PLANT DENSITIES OF AMARANTHUS

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate runoff and sediment yield as affected by different plant densities of Amaranthus at the Agricultural Engineering. Experimental Farm, Federal University of Technology, Akure. Treatments were based on four plant densities: A (97 plants/m2), B (42 plants/m2) C (125 plants/m2), D (69 plants/m2). Runoff depths and sediment yields were measured during the months of August to November, 1999. A complete randomised block design was used to evaluate treatment methods on the basis of sediment yield and runoff depth. A Rainfall-Runoff model was established to enable future occurrence to be predicted. The water balance equation was used 'I to compute the evapotranspiration (ET) for each plot. There were significant differences in sediment yields and runoff depths among the treatments at 5% level of significance. Treatments A (97 plants/m2) and C (125 plants/m2] were found to have tile least amount of runoff and sediment yield, while treatments B (42 plants/m2) and D (69 plants/m2 ) had the highest amount of runoff and sediment yield.