EFFECT OF NARROW GRASS STRIPS ON CONSERVATION RESERVE LAND CONVERTED TO CROPLAND

This rainulator study provided information about soil loss rates occur ring following the conversion of grassland plots to crop production. S imulated rainfall (64 mm/h) was applied for two hours to bare fallow, conventional-till, and no-till plots (with and without grass strips lo cated across the bottom of plots) during the summers of 1993, 1994, an d 1995. The plots were cultivated in 1971, which was the last cultivat ion preceding this study's beginning. The plots had been in continuous grass since 1973 except in 1985 when no-till soybeans were grown on t hem and in 1986 when no-till grain sorghum was grown. This three-year study showed that grass strips were effective in trapping sediment abo ve the strips. The conventional-till plots with grass strips averaged 42, 66, and 72% less soil loss in 1993, 1994, and 1995, respectively, than that from conventional-till plots without grass strips. The no-ti ll plots with the grass strips averaged 20, 64, and 57% less soil loss in 1993, 1994, and 1995, respectively, than from the no-till plots wi thout grass strips. The bare fallow plots with grass strips averaged 6 5, 84, and 88% less soil loss in 1993, 1994, and 1995, respectively, t han the bare fallow plots without the grass strips. The conventional-t ill plots without grass strips had 31, 83, and 70% less soil loss in 1 993, 1994, and 2995, respectively, than bare fallow plots without gras s strips. The no-till plots without grass strips had 95, 97, and 99% l ess soil loss, respectively, than bare fallow plots without grass stri ps.