Wind
Wind is a huge part of abiotic stress. There is simply no way to stop the wind from blowing. This is definitely a bigger problem in some parts of the world than in others. Barren areas such as deserts are very susceptible to natural wind erosion. These types of areas don’t have any vegetation to hold the soil particles in place. Once the wind starts to blow the soil around, there is nothing to stop the process. The only chance for the soil to stay in place is if the wind doesn’t blow. This is usually not an option.
Plant growth in windblown areas is very limited. Because the soil is constantly moving, there is no opportunity for plants to develop a root system. Soil that blows a lot usually is very dry also. This leaves little nutrients to promote plant growth.
Farmland is typically very susceptible to wind erosion. Most farmers do not plant cover crops during the seasons when their main crops are not in the fields. They simply leave the ground open and uncovered. When the soil is dry, the top layer becomes similar to powder. When the wind blows, the powdery top layer of the farmland is picked up and carried for miles. This is the exact scenario that occurred during the “Dust Bowl” in the 30’s. The combination of drought and poor farming practices allowed the wind to moves thousands of tons of dirt from one area to the next.
Wind is one of the factors that humans can really have some control over. Simply practice good farming practices. Don’t leave ground bare and without any type of vegetation. During dry seasons it is especially important to have the land covered because dry soil moves much easier than wet soil in the wind.
When soil is not blowing due to the wind, conditions are much better for plant growth. Plants cannot grow in a soil that is constantly blowing. Their root systems do not have time to be established. Also, when soil particles are blowing they wear away at the plants that they run into. Plants are essentially “sand blasted.”
Read more about this topic: Natural Stress
Famous quotes containing the word wind:
“When we think of him, he is without a hat, standing in the wind and weather. He was impatient of topcoats and hats, preferring to be exposed, and he was young enough and tough enough to enjoy the cold and the wind of those times.... It can be said of him, as of few men in a like position, that he did not fear the weather, and did not trim his sails, but instead challenged the wind itself, to improve its direction and to cause it to blow more softly and more kindly over the world and its people.”
—E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)
“The wind blew all my wedding-day,
And my wedding-night was the night of the high wind....”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“I have hardly begun to live on Staten Island yet; but, like the man who, when forbidden to tread on English ground, carried Scottish ground in his boots, I carry Concord ground in my boots and in my hat,—and am I not made of Concord dust? I cannot realize that it is the roar of the sea I hear now, and not the wind in Walden woods. I find more of Concord, after all, in the prospect of the sea, beyond Sandy Hook, than in the fields and woods.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)