ABSTRACT
Soil erosion caused by furrow and even by sprinkler irrigation systems is a serious problem on millions of hectares of irrigated cropland. The reports of Carter show that furrow irrigated land on 2% slopes can erode as much as 100 to 150 MG of soil per hectare per year. Water-soluble polyacrylamide (WS-PAM), a synthetic polymer, is being tested and is providing effective in reducing the amount of sediment that leaves tailwater in irrigated fields. Actually the program has gone beyond testing, as many thousand hectares have been treated commercially in Stanislaus County. Water-applied PAM increases soil cohesion and strengthens aggregates in the irrigation streams by binding exposed soil particles together more securely. This greatly reduces detachment and transport of sediments. WS-PAM has been given considerable attention in the past few yeas in Idaho for controlling irrigation induced erosion from furrows and also for increasing water infiltration.
