Reducing furrow irrigation erosion with polyacrylamide (PAM)

There has been a large shift to sprinkler irrigation in the USA. Beyond labor considerations, this has been driven by soil and water resource conservation. Some crops, however, do not tolerate wet canopies (e.g., seed beans). Furthermore, the capital cost, energy use, and technological requirements are out of the reach of many U.S. and third world irrigators. If inexpensive, effective, easy erosion control were available, many furrow irrigation farmers could improve resource conservation and water management