Wind erosion is a serious problem in many parts of the world. It physically removes from the field the most fertile portion of the soil, pollutes the air, fills road ditches, reduces seedling survival and growth, lowers the marketability of many vegetable crops, and creates new desert landforms and landscapes. It is generally worse in arid and semi-arid than in subhumid climates.
A wind erosion equation was developed as a result of many investigations on the factors influencing wind erosion. It is a useful guide to the principles of wind erosion control. The functional relationship is expressed as E = f(I, K, C, L, V), where โข is potential average annual soil loss per unit area, I is a soil erodibility index, K is a soil ridge roughness factor, C is a climatic factor, L is the unsheltered median travel distance of wind across a field, and V is an equivalent quantity of vegetative cover.
Principles suggested by the wind erosion equation for controlling wind include: stabilizing erodible surface with various materials; producing a rough, cloddy surface; reducing field width or the distance wind travels in crossing an unprotected field with barriers and strip crops; and establishing and maintaining sufficient vegetative cover. This last item is sometimes referred to as the "cardinal rule" for controlling wind erosion.