El impacto de la cobertura vegetal en la erosión del suelo en la red de drenaje del cultivo de banano

In Urabá (Colombia), precipitation generates high rates of soil erosion in banana drainage systems due to its intensity and frequency, as well as soil susceptibility resulting from exposure. One approach to mitigate this erosion is the use of a vegetation cover. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of vegetation cover on soil erosion rates in the drainage systems of a banana plantation. For this purpose, a comparison was made during the last quarter of 2022 between experimentally measured erosion rates (simulated in a greenhouse), observed erosion rates (using sedimentation boxes in field drainage channels), and potential estimation (using the USLE equation). In the greenhouse, bare soils presented higher losses at 38.16 t ha-1 year-1, statistically differing from conventional management (CMT) and vegetation cover (VCT) treatments, which recorded values of 24.70 and 18.97 t ha-1 year-1, respectively. A similar trend was observed in the field. Based on estimated erosion potential (USLE), no differences between treatments were identified, with CMT exhibiting the highest erosion potential at 96.47 t ha-1 year-1. Additionally, other soil variables, such as slope and type of soil, influenced erosion susceptibility regardless of the kind of existing cover.