Make polyacrylamide work for you!

Published May 2008. Reviewed August 2017. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalogEach year, topsoil is gradually washed away by irrigation runoff. Over time, massive quantities of soil can be stripped from fields and carried away in runoff water. Tests by the Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station and others on the effects of applying polyacrylamide, commonly known as PAM, have concluded that PAM can greatly reduce soil loss. In one study, untreated furrows lost 322 lb soil/acre in runoff water during a single irrigation, while furrows treated with 1 lb PAM/acre lost only 7 lb soil/acre