Shelterbelts for protection of soil and crOPS - Part 2

Shelterbelts, or windbreaks, are single or multiple rows of trees grown around the edge of farm fields or farm buildings to protect soil, crops, livestock and buildings.

In Part 1 of this article we learned that fine sands and silt soils with minimal crop residue or living crop cover are the most vulnerable to wind erosion.

In Part 2 we will take a quick look at how windbreaks can be used to protect crops and increase yields.

Sensitive crops especially benefit from wind protection. Plants can waste energy to repair leaves damaged by the wind. Sandblasting and the desiccation of specialty crops can be reduced by well-designed shelterbelts. Although there may be some yield loss immediately adjacent to the windbreak, yields for both soybeans and corn have been observed to increase on the downwind and upwind side of the windbreak.

Conifers are usually preferred as windbreaks because they are typically narrow and take up less ground space. Avoid combinations of trees and crops that may increase the risk of pests or disease. For example, avoid using white pine windbreaks with crops of red or black currants. Both varieties of currants are hosts of white pine blister rust disease. More information on the planning and planting of shelterbelts is available in the BMP publication "Establishing Tree Cover", the 2nd volume in the Agroforestry series.

Conifers are usually preferred as windbreaks because they are typically narrow and take up less ground space

Sandblasting and the desiccation of specialty crops can be reduced by well-designed shelterbelts

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