Research Article
Ini Dennis Edem Uduak C. Udoin
Abstract
The effects of vetiver grass strips on sediment trapping and soil loss were studied during 2010 raining season. Field studies, conducted on 6% alfisol of loamy sand texture which is susceptible to sealing, allowed the comparison of three situations corresponding to buffer strip widths of 3 and 40 m located at the down slope end of a bare experimental field. This study aimed at comparing the rate of soil loss under vetiver grass strip and non-vetiver hedges. The mean total sediment yield of the control plot was greater (28.76 kg/ha) than those in the vetiver plots. The yield was in the trend of non-vetiver plot > plot 2 > plot 1 > plot 3 (28.76kg/ha > 8.94 kg/ha > 4.09 kg/ha > 3.99 kg/ha respectively). %). Statistical comparison of soil loss among the plots revealed that non-vetiver plot was highly significantly different from the vetiver plots, while vetiver plot 2 was significantly different from vetiver plots 1 and 3 (p < 0.05)