In:
Soil Research, CSIRO Publishing, Vol. 46, No. 8 ( 2008), p. 667-
Abstract:
This paper reports the outcome of 5 years of field plot runoff monitoring, 2 years of water erosion measurement, and a rainfall simulation experiment on moderately sloping farmland on the loess plateau of north-west China. The objective was to test different conservation tillage systems compared with the control treatment, conventional mouldboard plough practice (CK). Tillage, residue cover, and compaction effects were assessed in terms of runoff and soil erosion.
Results from the runoff plots showed that conservation tillage, with more residue cover, less compaction, and less soil disturbance, could substantially reduce runoff and soil erosion compared with the control. No tillage with residue cover and no compaction produced the least runoff and soil erosion. Compared with the control, it reduced runoff and soil erosion by about 40% and 80%, respectively. At the start of the experiment, residue cover appeared to be the most important factor affecting soil and water conservation, particularly when antecedent soil moisture was limited. With the accumulation of tractor wheeling effects over the course of the experiment, soil compaction a ppeared to become a more important factor affecting runoff.
Rainfall simulation was then used to assess the effect of non-inverting surface tillage and different levels of residue cover and wheel compaction on infiltration and runoff. This confirmed that wheel compaction effects could be greater than those of tillage and residue cover, at least under the 82.5 mm/h rainfall rate produced by the simulator. The wheeling effect was particularly large when the treatment was applied to wet soil, and severe even after wheeling by small tractors.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1838-675X
Language:
English
Publisher:
CSIRO Publishing
Publication Date:
2008
