Abstract. A vegetation cover is found to be an ideal solution to most problems with erosion on steep slopes. Biodegradable geotextiles (GTX) have been proved to provide a sufficient protection against soil loss in the period before the vegetation reaches maturity. In this study, 500 g.m−2 jute (J500), 400 g.m−2 (C400), and 700 g.m−2 coir (C700) GTX were installed firstly on 9° slope in “no-inf iltration” laboratory conditions, secondly on 27° slope in natural field conditions. The impact of GTX on runoff and soil loss was investigated to compare the performance of GTX in different conditions. Laboratory runoff ratio (percentage portion of control plot) equaled 78 %, 83 % and 91 % and peak discharge ratio equaled 83 %, 91 % and 97 % for J500, C700 and C400, respectively. In the field, a runoff ratio of 31 %, 62 % and 79 % and peak discharge ratio of 37 %, 74 % and 87 % were recorded for C700, J500 and C400, respectively. All tested GTX significantly decreased soil erosion. The highest soil loss reduction in the field was observed for J500 (by 99.4%) followed by C700 (by 97.9%) and C400 (by 93.8%). Irrespective of slope gradient or experiment condition, C400 provided lower runoff volume and peak discharge control than J500 and C700. The performance ranking of J500 and C700 in the laboratory differed from the field, which may be explained by different slope gradient and also by the role of soil, which was not included in the laboratory experiment.
Retraction Note: The role of remote imaging for mountain soil loss and sports image detection
