Herbage production 47 years after severe wind erosion in the Hurunui River gorge

Abstract

Wind erosion can have severe long-term consequences on the soils of Canterbury. Pasture production was measured, in the 1992193 year, 47 years after a severe wind erosion event in the Hurunui gorge, North Canterbury. The topsoil was removed from this Tasman/Ashwick intergrade soil, exposing the underlying gravel. Herbage yields from the severely eroded site were very low and only 29% of those from an area which had retained 480 mm of topsoil. Both areas had been under the same management both before and since the erosion event. Where fertiliser had been applied to the area with retained topsoil, herbage yield was greater than where it had not been applied. Keywords: erosion, herbage production, wind