Participatory Demonstration of Pennisetum pedicelluatum and Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Strip as Biological Soil and Water Conservation Measures for Erosion Control

Abstract

On three beneficiary farmer fields, prescaling up and participatory demonstration of biological soil conservation techniques using Desho (Pennisetum pedicelluatum) and Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) were carried out in 2019/2020 in comparison with control (no grass) activities. Assessing the role of biological conservation techniques in reducing soil erosion and farmers' opinions of these techniques was the primary goal. A total of 132 m2 demonstration plots were used to collect and analyze the experimental data. Elephant grasses (134 tons/ha) and desho (61.1 tons/ha) differed significantly (P < 0.05) in the second year. Elephant grass provided an average soil loss of 6.6 tons/ha/yr-1, desho grass produced an average of 10.9 tons/ha/yr-1, and control provided an average of 13.4 tons/ha/yr.The elephant grass plots showed the least amount of nutrient loss, while the control plots showed the greatest amount.When compared to Desho grass, elephant grass has a higher potential to control soil loss due to its robust root system and to rebound quickly, even in the event of a severe drought.Furthermore, because elephant grass grows quickly and has the largest freshweight biomass of any grass, farmers gave it more consideration in their assessments of grass strips than they did Desho grass.In order to improve acceptability and spread of the technology in dry land areas with a 5% slope for managing soil and nutrient losses, it is best to scale up elephant grass on a bigger scale. The highest nutrient loss was observed on the control plots and the least on the elephant grass plots. Based on the study results, elephant grass has a high potential to control soil loss through a strong root system and recovery immediately, even under severe drought conditions, compared with Desho grass. Additionally, farmers' evaluations of grass strips showed a higher attention to elephant grass than Desho grass due to the fast-growing nature of the grass and their highest fresh-weight biomass. Finally, it is better to scale up elephant grass on a larger scale to enhance acceptance and diffusion of the technology in dry land areas on a slope of 5% for controlling soil and nutrient losses.

Keywords: Biological soil and water conservation, Desho grass, soil and nutrient loss