Sustainable Soil Erosion Control with Fungi

This paper describes experimental evaluation of fungi treatment for soil erosion resistance. Contrast groups of samples were prepared to evaluate the effectiveness of fungi in treatment of erosion-susceptible soils. Slopes made of fungi-treated soils were subjected to simulated rainfall-induced erosion test and wind erosion tests. The results show that fungi treatment significantly improved soil erosion resistance to both water erosion and wind erosion compared with untreated soils. The durability of the soil treatment was evaluated by exposing the treated soils to simulated climatic cycles. The results showed that fungi-treated soils retained their high erosion resistance. Besides mechanical improvements, soil treated with fungi demonstrated hydrophobic behaviors, which contribute to its higher erosion resistance.