Type: Chapter
Conservation grass hedges and soil health parameters
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Publication date:
06 August 2018ID: 9781786764157
Request Permissions
Description
Grass hedges, narrow (<2 m) strips of tall and stiff-stemmed perennial grass planted within croplands, are an innovative conservation practice to improve the health of the soils. Integrating grass hedges with food crops is a potential strategy to reduce erosion, improve soil health and wildlife habitat, and improve overall soil productivity. This chapter aims to synthesize and review the published information on grass hedges and their soil benefits, to better understand the potential of grass hedges for managing water erosion as well as improving soil health in agricultural lands.
Table of contents
1 Introduction 2 Erosion 3 Soil properties 4 Food, feed and fuel production 5 Biodiversity or wildlife habitat 6 Factors affecting the performance of grass hedges 7 Summary 8 Future trends 9 Where to look for further information 10 References