The Effectiveness of Two Soil Amendments: Gypsum and Polyacrylamide on Soil Erosion under Saline Conditions in Australia

This study investigates the interaction and the effectiveness of two soil amendments: Gypsum and Polyacrylamide (PAM) in minimizing soil erosion under saline condition. Erosion measurements were carried out on a sandy loam soil in the 1m 6 m Flume of Griffith University's rainfall simulation facility (GUTSR). The results presented in this study suggest that by moderately increasing soil salinity (increasing EC from 0.5 to 4 dS/m). Soil erosion, as expressed in terms of sediment concentration and soil loss increased substantially. Sediment concentration increased 3.6 times and soil loss 4.6 times when compared with non-saline (control) soil. These findings have some important practical implications for agriculture on saline land. PAM can be successfully used for controlling or minimizing the adverse impacts of salinity such as increased erosion, surface sealing, and poor runoff water quality.