Influence of fiber from waste weed Eichhornia Crassipes on water retention and cracking characteristics of vegetated soils

Abstract

Eichhornia Crassipes also known as water hyacinth (WH) is listed among the world's most invasive weed species. In tropical regions, green infrastructures have to undergo multiple drought cycles which induces desiccation cracks and also lead to water stressed condition of plants. The use of organic materials is advocated in green infrastructure for increasing water retention and ground covering ability of vegetation. The main objective of this letter is to explore the influence of inclusion of waste WH fibers on hydraulic characteristics (water retention and cracking) of vegetated soils. Three soil series including bare (without vegetation) soil (BS), (soil + grass (SG)) and (soil + grass + WH-fiber (SGWH)) were tested for 73 days. Grass parameters (Stomatal conductance-SC, Evapotranspiration-Etr, grass density-GD, shoot length-SL) and soil parameters (suction- ψ, volumetric moisture content-θ, crack intensity factor-CIF, Evaporation-Er) were monitored for all series. SGWH decreases the CIF potential of so...