Polyacrylamide found to reduce
soil erosion in
furrows by up to 99 percent.
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Polyacrylamide found to reduce soil erosion
in furrows by up to 99 percent.
July 1999 U.S. Water News Online
ROCKY FORD, Colo. -- Tramfloc Polyacrlyamide is a linear polyacrylamide that,
in many trials and demonstrations throughout the western U.S., has significantly
reduced erosion-up to 99 percent.
But Tramfloc polyacrylamide not only reduces erosion, it also increases infiltration
as much as 50 percent. Polyacrylamide helps in high residue furrow irrigation.
Because the water has a low sediment content and sediment does not accumulate
in the furrows, water flows under the residue. On untreated furrows, the sediment
stacks up against the residue which can cause the rows to break over.
"Reduced erosion, increased infiltration, helps with irrigation on land with
high crop residues. These three factors alone make polyacrylamide a product
that every furrow irrigator should use," according to Jim Valliant, regional
irrigation specialist with Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.
"However, polyacrylamide alone or in combination with a super absorbent polymer
such as a cross-linked polyacrylamide, has substantially increased yields in
corn, onions, tomatoes, and peppers."
Using a combination of polyacrylamide and surge irrigation, erosion was reduced
an average of 64 percent while using 25 percent less irrigation water and producing
equal yields of 179 bushels per acre of grain corn when compared to untreated
conventional irrigated corn in 1996-98. In 1997 and 1998, using conventional
irrigation at the Tennessee Valley Research Center, the addition of polyacrylamide
increased yields an average of six (6) bushels per acre.
In trials at the Tennessee Valley Research Center conducted by John Prewit,
soil loss was reduced 47 percent when using polyacrylamide on 6 of 11 irrigations
and still produced similar total market weight on onions of 370 cwt/ac compared
to 357 cwt/ac on the untreated check in the 1996 trials. In 1997, soil loss
was reduced 22 percent when polyacrylamide was applied on only 3 of 10 irrigations
and total yield was significantly increased from 377 cwt/ac on the untreated
control as compared to 425 cwt/ac on the polyacrylamide treated plots.
Fresh picked tomato yields were substantially increased in 1996 from 14.8 tons/ac
on the untreated control to 20.8 tons/ac when using a combination of polyacrylamide
and super absorbent polymers, as a seed treat. Soil loss was reduced 39 percent
on the polyacrylamide/super absorbent polymer area as compared to the untreated
control. In 1997, super absorbent polymers, either as a seed treat or incorporated
in the soil, combined with polyacrylamide increased the number of emerging plants
from 50 to 300 percent when compared to the untreated control while yields,
after thinning, were increased as much as 2.4 tons per acre.
In 1996, soil loss from a Jalapeno pepper field was reduced 47 percent when
using polyacrylamide as compared to the untreated control. Also, fresh picked
pepper yields were increased from 4.0 tons per acre on the untreated control
to 8.7 tons per acre on the polyacrylamide and super absorbent polymer area.
On a Mira Sol pepper field in 1997, the combination of polyacrylamide and super
absorbent polymers produced 9.5 tons per acre as compared to 6.5 tons per acre
on the untreated check.
At a cost of about $5.00 per pound, lower prices available on larger contracts
, and using one pound per irrigated acre per application, polyacrylamide does
not cost, it pays, according to researchers. On corn, with two applications
irrigating every other row, the total cost would be $5 per acre. With an average
increase of 6 bushels at $2 per bushel, polyacrylamide gave a good return on
the investment and that is not even considering the benefit of reducing the
loss of topsoil. On the onions using 6 applications at $5 per acre, the total
cost would be $30 per acre. With just a 1300 pound increase, the increased gross
return at $8 per 50 pound bag would be $208 which would more than cover the
cost of the polyacrylamide, again giving a good return on the investment.
Polyacrylamide has also been used to reduce seepage in dirt ditches. Work done
with ditch models reduced seepage as much as 60 percent by adding polyacrylamide
and a soil mix. Tramfloc polyacrylamide added to water in a dirt lateral ditch
by Jim Valliant, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension on a BOR grant
project, substantially reduced water levels in nearby observation wells as compared
to the well in the untreated area. Since polyacrylamide is a ultra potent flocculant,
the sediment content of the ditch water was reduced as much as 67 percent, which
partially sealed the ditch. As a result, ditch seepage was reduced from 0.65
to 0.36 gpm/ft of ditch. Four applications of 10 pounds made the total cost
to reduce seepage by 45 percent on 450 feet of ditch only $200.
Tramfloc Polyacrylamide, made from natural gas, is broken down to carbon and
hydrogen by sun and salt and ties up with sediment making it environmentally
friendly.
Researchers point out that polyacrylamide reduces erosion which removes productive
top soil that fill rivers and reservoirs, increases infiltration, increases
yields, helps when irrigating with high crop residue, reduces seepage from dirt
ditches, is very economical and environmentally friendly.