Effect of soil management on soil erosion on sloping farmland during crop growth stages under a large-scale rainfall simulation experiment

Abstract

Soil erosion on farmland is a critical environmental issue and the main source of sediment in the Yellow River, China. Thus, great efforts have been made to reduce runoff and soil loss by restoring vegetation on abandoned farmland. However, few studies have investigated runoff and soil loss from sloping farmland during crop growth season. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of soil management on runoff and soil loss on sloping farmland during crop growth season. We tested different soybean growth stages (i.e., seedling stage (R1), initial blossoming stage (R2), full flowering stage (R3), pod bearing stage (R4), and initial filling stage (R5)) and soil management practice (one plot applied hoeing tillage (HT) before each rainfall event, whereas the other received no treatment (NH)) by applying simulated rainfall at an intensity of 80 mm/h. Results showed that runoff and soil loss both decreased and infiltration amount increased in successive soybean growth stages under both treatments. Compared with NH plot, there was less runoff and higher infiltration amount from HT plot. However, soil loss from HT plot was larger than that from NH plot in R1-R3, but lower in R4 and R5. In the early growth stages, hoeing tillage was effective for reducing runoff and enhancing rainfall infiltration. By contrast, hoeing tillage enhanced soil and water conservation during the late growth stages. The total soil loss from HT plot (509.0 g/m 2) was 11.1% higher than that from NH plot (457.9 g/m 2) in R1-R5. However, the infiltration amount from HT plot (313.9 mm) was 18.4% higher than that from NH plot (265.0 mm) and the total runoff volume from HT plot was 49.7% less than that from NH plot. These results indicated that crop vegetation can also act as a type of vegetation cover and play an important role on sloping farmland. Thus, adopting rational soil management in crop planting on sloping farmland can effectively reduce runoff and soil loss, as well as maximize rainwater infiltration during crop growth period.

Long-term organic farming on a citrus plantation results in soil organic carbon recovery

“…Organic farming is based in the natural cycles of nutrients, and avoids any use of chemicals that damage life, soils, water and air quality and is accepted even more widely by stakeholders (Michelsen, 2001). Organic farming can be practiced on any crop, and in vineyards can help to achieve sustainable management (Kapović Solomun et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018).…”

Effects of soil and water conservation management and rainfall types on runoff and soil loss for a sloping area in North China

“…Similar results were found by Bagagiolo, where grassland significantly reduced runoff and sediment by 68 and 61%, respectively (Bagagiolo et al, ). Sloped farmland increased the bare surface area due to human activities (such as herbicide use) Wang, Wang, et al, ; Keesstra et al, ; Rodrigo Comino et al, ), increasing rill erosion (Bagarello & Ferro, ; Cerdan et al, ). However, the use of soil management practices on sloped farmland was able to effectively reduce soil erosion (Li et al, ; Wang, Wang, et al, ).…”

“…Sloped farmland increased the bare surface area due to human activities (such as herbicide use) Wang, Wang, et al, ; Keesstra et al, ; Rodrigo Comino et al, ), increasing rill erosion (Bagarello & Ferro, ; Cerdan et al, ). However, the use of soil management practices on sloped farmland was able to effectively reduce soil erosion (Li et al, ; Wang, Wang, et al, ). Montenegro et al found that mulch cover can reduce runoff by 21–51% and also increase soil moisture (Montenegro et al, ).…”

“…Soil and water conservation management has a positive effect on sustainable agricultural development (Li, Yang, Zhao, & Wang, ). Studies have shown that by changing the micro‐topography of sloping farmland (e.g., by terracing, using narrow terraces, and fish‐scale pits), soil erosion is significantly reduced (Chen, Wei, & Chen, ; Wang et al, ). Terraced fields are a man‐made landscape widely distributed on hillsides and mountains all over the world.…”

“…The total runoff and soil loss in terraced fields were 19.7 and 2.03% of that from bare land, respectively (Han, Feng, & Ouyang, ). Although vegetation and engineering measures are generally more effective than agricultural measures (Maetens, Poesen, & Vanmaercke, ), most current studies focus on reducing cultivated land runoff and soil erosion by varying tillage patterns (less‐tillage, no‐tillage) and land cover (grass, mulch) (Biddoccu, Ferraris, Opsi, & Cavallo, ; Blavet et al, ; Montenegro, Abrantes, de Lima, Singh, & Santos, ; Wang, Wang, et al, ).…”