ICA Annual Conference Sessions
by María Burguet | 2025/05/08
Abstract
In my presentation, titled “Lolium and Erosion: A Striking Combination”, I propose the use of cover crops as an effective strategy to reduce both soil erosion and diffuse pollution. This study assessed the effectiveness of Lolium multiflorum strips in retaining sediments and herbicides using rainfall simulations and magnetic tracers on plots with four different soil management practices. Results demonstrated that vegetated strips reduced runoff and soil loss to just 20% and 4%, respectively, when compared to bare, compacted soils. Herbicide losses were also significantly lower (ranging from 0.1% to 0.6%) in contrast to much higher values observed in compacted soils (up to 9.67%). Interestingly, the micro-relief that formed after the initial simulated rainfall contributed to reduced slope connectivity. Tracer analysis further revealed a higher proportion of fine particles (clay) in the transported sediments. These findings highlight the effectiveness of vegetated strips in mitigating agrochemical pollution and promoting soil conservation.
