Factors Affecting the Vegetation of Ditch Banks in Peat Areas in the Western Netherlands

Abstract

To find the best management for ditch banks, the factors that govern their vegetation must be known. Because a ditch bank lies between grassland and the ditch, the management of both is of interest. Several factors that might influence the bank vegetation are the nitrogen supplied to the fields, the ditch water table, the slope of the ditch bank and the ditch maintenance. However, few quantitative studies have been done one the effects of these factors. In this paper we give data on the soil type, pH and the phosphorus and potassium contents of the bank soil, the gradient and aspect of the bank slope, the ditch water table, and the use of and the nitrogen supply to the adjacent fields