Shelter Belt Effects on Soil Temperature and Moisture in the River Nile State - Sudan

Abstract

The study was carried out in the River Nile State (latitude 16°-22°N, longitude 32°-36°E).In three shelterbelt sites: A-Wad Kilian shelterbelt; B-AlTragma Al Gaba shelterbelt; C-Al Abdotab shelterbelt. During May 2009 to show the status quo of the shelterbelts and indicate their effect on soil temperature and soil moisture content. Average heights of shelterbelts were measured to determine the distance between the belt and the sites from which soil samples were taken; distances were ,5xheight, 10xheight, 15xheight, 20xheight, 25xheight and 30xheight behind the belt, distances in front of the belt were, 2.5xheight, 5xheight and 10xheight ; and one soil sample was taken from inside the belt to describe the soil within trees, soil temperature was taken in situ with a thermometer, soil samples were taken at 50 cm depth in polythene bags to measure soil moisture content in the laboratory later, sand dune heights were measured and tree crown projection measures were also taken. The results showed increased soil moisture and decreased soil temperature particularly behind the shelterbelts. Moreover, sand dune accumulation was reduced in the vicinity of the belts. It is recommended that shelterbelts and windbreaks should be established in arid and semi arid environment to protect against land degradation and desertificatio