Assessment of tillage erosion rates on steepland Oxisols in the humid tropics using granite rocks

Soil translocation by tillage may be an important factor in land degradation in the humid tropics. The objective of this study was to evaluate tillage-induced soil translocation on an Oxisol with 25% and 36% slopes in Claveria, Philippines for three tillage systems: contour moldboard plowing (CMP), moldboard plowing up and downslope (UMP), and contour ridge tillage (CRT). Small rocks 3–4 cm in “diameter” were used as soil movement detection units (SMDU). The SMDUs were placed at 10 cm intervals in a narrow 5-cm-deep trench near the upper boundary of each plot, the position of each rock recorded, and the trench backfilled. Five tillage operations used to produce one corn crop were performed during a one month period: two moldboard plowing operations for land preparation (except for CRT), one moldboard plowing for corn planting, and two inter-culture (inter-row cultivation) operations. After these operations, over 95% of the SMDU were recovered manually and their exact locations recorded. Mean annual soil flux for the 25% slope was 365 and 306 kg m⁻¹ y⁻¹ for UMP and CMP, respectively. For the 36% slope, comparable values were 481 and 478 kg m⁻¹ y⁻¹. Estimated tillage erosion rates for the 25% slope were 456 and 382 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ for UMP and CMP, respectively, and increased to 601 and 598 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹, respectively, for the 36% slope. The mean displacement distance, mean annual soil flux, and mean annual tillage-induced soil loss for both slopes were reduced by approximately 70% using CRT compared to CMP and UMP.     

等高犁耕朝向对紫色土坡面土壤再分布的影响

选择一块坡长15 m、坡度14.16%的坡地,采用磁性示踪法分析等高向下犁耕（向下坡方向翻垈）和等高向上犁耕（向上坡方向翻垈）的土壤再分布特征,利用模拟耕作（15次）检验两种等高犁耕的长期作用下对土壤剖面和微地貌演化的影响。结果表明:等高向下犁耕导致土壤发生向下坡移动,土壤位移量为15.62～28.70 kg/m,坡度对其影响不显著（p=0.93）;等高向上犁耕导致土壤同时发生向下坡和向上坡移动,土壤净位移量为-10.91～8.23 kg/m,坡度对其有显著影响（p < 0.001）,土壤净位移方向随着坡度的增大由向上坡转为向下坡,本研究条件下临界坡度为14%;等高向下犁耕15次后坡顶侵蚀深度是原土层深度的132%,耕作后土层深度与耕作深度相当,表明等高向下犁耕加速土壤侵蚀和促进母岩成土的双重作用共同维持着坡顶土层深度的稳定;等高向上犁耕15次后坡顶土层深度增加了12.7%,表明等高向上犁耕具有保护坡顶土层深度的作用。等高向上犁耕是一种防治类似紫色土的薄层土壤耕作侵蚀和土壤退化的有效措施。     

Assessment of tillage translocation and tillage erosion by hoeing on the steep land in hilly areas of Sichuan, China

Most of the tillage erosion studies have focused on the effect of tractor-plough tillage on soil translocation and soil loss. Only recently, have a few studies contributed to the understanding of tillage erosion by manual tillage. Furthermore, little is known about the impact of tillage erosion in hilly areas of the humid sub-tropics. This study on tillage erosion by hoeing was conducted on a purple soil (Regosols) of the steep land, in Jianyang County, Sichuan Province, southwestern China (30°24′N and 104°35′E) using the physical tracer method.

The effects of hoeing tillage on soil translocation on hillslopes are quite evident. The tillage transport coefficients were 26–38 kg m⁻¹ per tillage pass and 121–175 kg m⁻¹ per tillage pass respectively for k₃- and k₄-values. Given that there was a typical downslope parcel length of 15 m and two times of tillage per year in this area, the tillage erosion rates on the 4–43% hillslopes reached 48–151 Mg ha⁻¹ per year. The downslope soil translocation is closely related to slope gradient. Lateral soil translocation by such tillage is also obvious though it is lower than downslope soil translocation. Strong downslope translocation accounts for thin soil layers and the exposure of parent materials/rocks at the ridge tops and on convexities in the hilly areas. Deterioration in soil quality and therefore reduction in plant productivity due to tillage-induced erosion would be evident at the ridge tops and convex shoulders.     

Soil movement by tillage as affected by slope

Exposure of subsoil material on ridge tops and adjacent sideslopes indicates soil movement away from these positions, i.e. soil erosion. A study was conducted on the University of Minnesota Southwestern Experiments Station to determine if soil movement by tillage could be a contributing factors to the apparent soil erosion present on many ridge tops. Numbered soil movement detection units (11-mm steel hexagonal nuts) were buried 10-cm deep in a grid network in 16 individual plots, on a sideslope with slopes ranging from 1 to 8%. Plots were moldboard plowed and disked in June, and again in August. The direction of tillage was either across the sideslope or up- and downslope. The soil movement detection units were then located with a metal detector, excavated and identified, and distance moved was measured in relation to movement perpendicular and parallel to the direction of tillage. Soil movement was directly related to slope. Movement perpendicular off the moldboard on the direction of tillage was greater than movement perpendicular off the moldboard. Calculations on the angle of movement in relation to tillage direction showed movement toward the downslope position. Results from this study suggest that soil movement by tillage can contribute to soil movement off ridge tops and adjacent sideslopes.     

Measurement and modelling of the effects of initial soil conditions and slope gradient on soil translocation by tillage

Tillage erosion studies have mainly focused on the effect of topography and cultivation practices on soil translocation during tillage. However, the possible effect of initial soil conditions on soil displacement and soil erosion during tillage have not been considered. This study aims at investigating the effect of the initial soil conditions on net soil displacement and the associated erosion rates by a given tillage operation of a stony loam soil. Tillage erosion experiments were carried out with a mouldboard plough on a freshly ploughed (pre-tilled) soil and a soil under grass fallow in the Alentejo region (Southern Portugal).

The experimental results show that both the downslope displacement of soil material and the rate of increase of the downslope displacement with slope gradient are greater when the soil is initially in a loose condition. This was attributed to: (i) a greater tillage depth on the pre-tilled soil and (ii) a reduced internal cohesion of the pre-tilled soil, allowing clods to roll and/or slide down the plough furrow after being overturned by the mouldboard plough.

An analysis of additional available data on soil translocation by mouldboard tillage showed that downslope displacement distances were only significantly related to the slope gradient when tillage is carried out in the downslope direction. When tillage is carried out in the upslope direction, the effect of slope gradient on upslope displacement distances was not significant. This has important implications for the estimation of the tillage transport coefficient, which is a measure for the intensity of tillage erosion, from experimental data. For our experiments, estimated values of the tillage transport coefficient were 70 and 254 kg m⁻¹ per tillage operation for grass fallow and pre-tilled conditions, respectively, corresponding to local maximum erosion rates of ca. 8 and 35 Mg ha⁻¹ per tillage operation and local maximum deposition rates of ca. 33 and 109 Mg ha⁻¹ per tillage operation.     

东北黑土区典型坡面耕作侵蚀定量分析

东北黑土区水土流失主要集中在坡耕地,以往研究多关注水蚀而忽略了耕作侵蚀的存在。为印证并定量描述黑土耕作侵蚀,该文采用物理示踪法,测定了典型坡耕地耕作位移量及其分布格局。结果表明:铧式犁耕作后示踪剂沿耕作方向发生扩散,上坡耕作示踪剂集中分布在0~20 cm范围,而下坡耕作示踪剂集中分布在0~20和50~150 cm。一次耕作引起的耕作位移量为32.68~134.14 kg/m,耕作迁移系数234 kg/m。坡度是影响耕作位移的重要因素,二者呈显著的正相关关系,且对上坡耕作的影响大于下坡耕作。研究区耕作年侵蚀速率0.4~11.0 Mg/(hm2·a),凸起的坡背、坡肩处及坡度较大的位置侵蚀严重。虽然黑土区坡度较小,但由于耕作深度大,速度快,耕作侵蚀严重,应引起足够重视。     

黑土区垄作方式对坡耕地土壤侵蚀的调控效果

[目的]分析黑土区不同垄作方式对坡耕地土壤侵蚀的调控效果,为该区土壤侵蚀防治提供科学指导。[方法]在5°和10°坡耕地开展人工模拟降雨试验,降雨强度为50,100 mm/h,垄作方式包括：横坡垄作、垄向区田、顺垄+底部横垄和横垄+排水沟,对照处理为传统顺坡垄作。[结果]试验条件下,与顺坡垄作处理相比,横坡垄作、垄向区田、顺垄+底部横垄和横垄+排水沟处理均可有效调节径流、降低土壤侵蚀量,但不同垄作方式对径流和侵蚀的调控效果随着降雨强度和坡度的增加而减小。在5°坡耕地,横坡垄作方式对径流和侵蚀的调控效果最佳,产流率和土壤侵蚀速率分别稳定在15.0 mm/h和0.2 kg/(m~2·h)以下。在50,100 mm/h降雨强度下,与顺坡垄作处理相比,其径流量分别降低92.3%和83.9%,土壤侵蚀量分别降低96.8%和94.6%;而垄向区田方式对径流和侵蚀的调控效果略大于顺垄+底部横垄处理。在10°坡耕地,横坡垄作方式在降雨前期具有较好的蓄水保土作用,但在降雨后期垄体易损坏,造成土壤侵蚀量剧增;横垄+排水沟方式在降雨前期能够蓄水保土,在降雨后期能够较好地进行排水。[结论]在坡度平缓的坡耕地,应...     

Quantifying tillage translocation and deposition rates due to moldboard plowing in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Most of the erosion research in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State, USA has focused on quantifying the rates and patterns of water erosion for purposes of conservation planing. Tillage translocation, however, has largely been overlooked as a significant geomorphic process on Palouse hillslopes. Tillage translocation and tillage deposition together have resulted in severe soil degradation in many steep croplands of the Palouse region. Few controlled experiments have heretofore been conducted to model these important geomorphic processes on Palouse hillslopes. The overarching purpose of this investigation, therefore, was to model tillage translocation and deposition due to moldboard plowing in the Palouse region. Soil movement by moldboard plowing was measured using 480-steel flat washers. Washers were buried in silt loam soils on convex–convex shoulder, linear-convex backslope, and linear-concave footslope landform components, and then displaced from their original burial locations by a moldboard plow pulled by a wheel tractor traveling parallel to the contour at ca. 1.0 m s⁻¹. Displaced washers were located using a metal detector, and the distance and azimuth of the resultant displacement of each washer from its original burial location was measured using compass and tape. Resultant displacement distances were then resolved into their component vectors of displacement parallel and perpendicular to the contour. A linear regression equation was developed expressing mean soil displacement distance as a function of slope gradient. Tillage translocation and deposition were modeled as diffusion-type geomorphic processes, and their rates were described in terms of the diffusion constant (k). A multivariate statistical model was developed expressing mean soil displacement distance as a function of gravimetric moisture content, soil bulk density, slope gradient, and direction of furrow slice displacement. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a weak correlation between soil displacement and both bulk density and moisture content. Soil displacement was, however, significantly correlated with direction of furrow slice displacement. Tillage translocation rates were expressed in terms of the diffusion constant (k) and ranged from 105 to 113 kg m⁻¹ per tillage operation. Tillage deposition rates ranged from 54 to 148 kg m⁻¹ per tillage operation. With respect to tillage deposition, the diffusion constant calculated from volumetric measurements of tillage deposits equals ca. 150 kg/m. The rates of tillage translocation and deposition are not completely in balance; however, these rates do suggest that soil tillage is a significant geomorphic process on Palouse hillslopes and could account for the some of the variations in soil physical properties and crop yield potential at the hillslope and farm-field scale in the Palouse region.     

Landscape benching from tillage erosion between grass hedges

Grass hedges are narrow (1–2 m wide) parallel strips of stiff, erect, grass planted near to or on the contour of fields but crossing swale areas at angles convenient for farming. They serve as guides for contour cultivation, retard and disperse surface runoff, cause deposition of eroded sediment, and reduce ephemeral gully development. After three years of tilled fallow between mixed-species hedges, the average grade of 18 m wide tilled strips between 1.5 m wide hedges was reduced from 0.068 to 0.052 as a result of surface lowering below hedges and on the shoulders of swale areas combined with increases in elevation above hedges. Annual surveys show progressive lowering of high spots and filling of low spots as contours lines more closely aligned with hedges. Survey data indicated annual erosion rates of nearly 250 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Both RUSLE and WEPP over-predicted erosion rates, partly because backwater and slope modification affects were not considered. A tillage translocation model predicted enough soil movement to account for 30–60% of the observed changes. A combination of tillage translocation and water erosion/deposition provides the best explanation for the observed aggradation/degradation patterns.     

Reassessment of tillage erosion rates by manual tillage on steep slopes in northern Thailand

Changing land-use practices in northern Thailand have increased tillage intensity. This study re-assesses the rate of tillage erosion by manual hoeing on steep slopes (17–82%) in northern Thailand. Previously collected soil translocation data during an on-farm tillage erosion experiment and additionally collected data during an on-farm tillage erosion survey have been analysed whereby a new calculation method (i.e. trapezoid tillage step) has been used. A comparison with previously collected data indicates that the trapezoid tillage step method and the tracer method are the most reliable methods to assess downslope translocation by manual tillage. Based on newly acquired understanding of the processes involved, soil fluxes by tillage erosion are quantified by linear functions for different slope gradient classes rather than one single diffusion-type equation for the whole slope range. For slope gradients smaller than 3%, soil fluxes are close to zero as farmers do not have a preferred tillage direction. For slope gradients between 3% and 70%, soil is tilled only in the downslope direction and soil fluxes range between 16 and 67 kg m⁻¹ tillage pass⁻¹. On slopes with gradients in excess of 70%, the angle of repose for soil clods is often exceeded resulting in a sliding down of the complete tilled top layer. These data are used to assess the soil flux for complete cropping cycles for the most dominant cropping systems in the highlands of northern Thailand: i.e. upland rice, maize, (soy) beans, cabbage and ginger. The on-site effects of tillage erosion will be very pronounced if parcels are short with respect to their slope length, cultivated for upland rice or cabbage, or when weed pressure is high. Tillage erosion results in a tillage step with low soil fertility and low infiltration capacity. Solutions to reduce tillage erosion intensity depend on the degree that tillage intensity can be reduced. This might happen by an improved weed management or by changing landuse to perrenial cropping. Other strategies are concentrating nutrients on the truncated hillslope sections and retaining soil on the field by vegetative buffers.     

岩溶区坡地耕作侵蚀过程中的土壤再分布研究

对耕作侵蚀引起的土壤空间再分布进行研究,有利于改革不合理的耕作方式和治理坡耕地水土流失。本文以重庆市中梁山为例用示踪法对坡耕地进行试验研究。结果表明:随着坡度的增大,耕作后示踪剂在示踪区的含量越来越少;它的最大值出现的位置离基线越来越远,值越来越小;沿耕作方向移动的距离越来越远。这种规律性以锄头和铁锹顺坡明显,等高和踩锹顺坡不明显。从本区耕作侵蚀的角度考虑,等高耕作方式明显要优于顺坡耕作;在顺坡耕作中踩锹优于锄头和铁锹。最后还结合岩溶山区特殊的自然环境条件,讨论了耕作侵蚀对石漠化的影响。     

黑土区坡耕地横坡垄作措施防治土壤侵蚀的土槽试验

为了研究黑土区坡耕地横坡垄作防治坡面土壤侵蚀的效应,该文利用8 m×1.5 m的试验土槽,设计3个降雨强度(50、75和100 mm/h)、1个典型坡度(5°)以及横坡垄作和无垄作(平坡裸地对照试验)的试验处理进行模拟降雨试验,研究东北黑土区横坡垄作坡面在不同降雨强度下的防治坡面侵蚀效应。结果表明:横坡垄作在50 mm/h降雨强度下坡面基本不发生土壤侵蚀,但在75和100 mm/h降雨强度下会发生断垄,造成防蚀效应急剧降低。横坡垄作坡面的径流和侵蚀过程均明显存在以断垄时间为界的突变,在3个降雨强度下,横坡垄作断垄前可使坡面径流量和侵蚀量分别减少97.7%和99.1%以上,坡面蓄渗率达到97.2%以上;而断垄后坡面径流量和侵蚀量分别增加23.3~25.9倍和136.8~171.5倍,蓄渗率下降至50%以下。试验研究表明横坡垄作在≤50 mm/h的降雨强度下具有很好的坡面防治侵蚀效应,但当遇到强降雨时易发生断垄,防蚀效应急剧降低。     

田块尺度顺坡垄作改等高垄作提高黑土有机质含量

为了明晰等高垄作后对坡耕地土壤有机质的恢复作用,选取一块面积为1.4 hm2的典型黑土坡耕地,采用标准栅格法,同位大样点取样调查了改垄前和改垄10 a后土壤有机质和含水率等性状的变化。结果表明:1)与经典统计学相比,地统计学通过变程、块金值与基台值的比值以及插值绘制空间分布图,能够从全坡面更好地反映改垄前后性状的空间变化;2)等高改垄10 a后,垄台土壤含水率变程由510.7 m降低到193.2 m,块金值与基台值的比值由11.7%升至46.9%,空间相关性强度由强烈变为中等,水分再分配降低;3)耕层土壤有机质总体增加了2.61 g/kg,提升了8.4%,只在坡中上部西侧小区的部分区域降低了3.7%;4)土壤全氮含量减少了0.04 g/kg,降低了2.8%。上述结果表明,对于严重侵蚀的坡耕地,改顺坡垄为等高垄作,可弱化性状空间相关性,对土壤有机质具有恢复作用,但应适当增加化肥氮素的施用量,对东北黑土区坡耕地水土流失治理具有指导意义。     

垄作方式对薄层黑土区坡面土壤侵蚀的影响

定量评价垄作方式对坡面土壤侵蚀的影响,可为坡面土壤侵蚀防治提供理论参考。基于2012—2015年哈尔滨市野外径流小区监测资料,探讨了顺坡垄、横坡垄、无垄作(裸地休闲对照)垄作方式对坡面土壤侵蚀的影响,分析了不同垄作方式下坡面水沙关系。结果表明:不同垄作方式下径流量和侵蚀量均具有显著差异,坡面径流量和侵蚀量均表现为无垄顺坡垄横坡垄;与无垄作试验处理相比,横坡垄作使坡面径流量和侵蚀量平均减少了92.4%和98.3%,顺坡垄作使坡面径流量和侵蚀量平均减少66.4%和72.2%。当坡度由3°增加到5°时,无垄作、顺坡垄作、横坡垄作坡面侵蚀量分别增加了0.8,8.2,5.5倍。3种垄作方式下坡面水沙关系均呈现出良好的相关关系,顺坡垄作和无垄作坡面侵蚀量随径流量的增加幅度远大于横坡垄作坡面,当坡面径流量10.0mm时,二者坡面侵蚀量急剧增加。     

重庆中梁山岩溶区耕作侵蚀影响因素研究

在重庆市中梁山岩溶区用示踪法对坡耕地进行耕作试验研究。结果表明:锄头和铁锹耕作引起的土壤位移距离、位移量与坡度呈正相关,而踩锹引起的土壤位移距离、位移量则与含水量具有一定的相关性。在顺坡耕作时铁锹引起的土壤位移距离、位移量与锄头相近,但它们远远大于踩锹;等高耕作时铁锹引起的土壤位移距离、位移量是锄头的1.3~3.8倍左右。铁锹顺坡耕作引起的土壤位移距离、位移量是它等高耕作的2~2.4倍;锄头顺坡耕作引起的土壤位移距离、位移量是它等高的3~8.8倍。引起土壤位移量的大小顺序依次是:锄头顺坡>铁锹顺坡>铁锹等高>锄头等高>踩锹顺坡。     

Re-defining tillage erosion: quantifying intensity–direction relationships for complex terrain

Abstract. Current tillage erosion models account for the influence of tillage direction in the magnitude of the soil (tillage) transport coefficient. It is argued here that this is counter-intuitive and causes significant problems in modelling tillage erosion in areas of complex terrain. This article examines whether a re-modelling of tillage erosion is possible that separates tillage direction (an interaction with the landform) from the soil transport coefficient (a measure of tillage intensity representing the combination of implement erosivity and soil erodibility). Experimental data for mouldboard ploughing upslope, downslope and cross-slope at Coombe Barton Farm, Devon are examined. Integration of data for all directions into a single relationship, which relates translocation in the direction of tillage to slope in the direction of tillage and translocation perpendicular to tillage to slope perpendicular to tillage, is not possible using previously published methods of analysis. However, when total translocation distance is regressed against the tangent of the slope at 45° to the tillage direction (bisecting the tillage direction and the direction of overturning) it is found that a single relationship can be used to describe tillage in all three directions. Therefore, this relationship is used to determine a single value of the soil transport coefficient ( k _fTa) for constant soil and implement conditions but different tillage directions. This redefinition of tillage is important both for true estimation of tillage erosion severity, the adirectional coefficient being 40% larger than the directional coefficient, and for modelling of tillage erosion in complex terrain. These improvements are vital when tillage erosion simulation is used to direct soil conservation strategies.     

Soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation with long-term no-till versus moldboard plowing overestimated with tilled-zone sampling depths

Numerous investigators of tillage system impacts on soil organic carbon (OC) or total nitrogen (N) have limited their soil sampling to depths either at or just below the deepest tillage treatment in their experiments. This has resulted in an over-emphasis on OC and N changes in the near-surface zones and limited knowledge of crop and tillage system impacts below the maximum depth of soil disturbance by tillage implements. The objective of this study was to assess impacts of long-term (28 years) tillage and crop rotation on OC and N content and depth distribution together with bulk density and pH on a dark-colored Chalmers silty clay loam in Indiana. Soil samples were taken to 1 m depth in six depth increments from moldboard plow and no-till treatments in continuous corn and soybean–corn rotation. Rotation systems had little impact on the measured soil properties; OC content under continuous corn was not superior to the soybean–corn rotation in either no-till or moldboard plow systems. The increase in OC (on a mass per unit area basis) with no-till relative to moldboard plow averaged 23 t ha⁻¹ to a constant 30 cm sampling depth, but only 10 t ha⁻¹ to a constant 1.0 m sampling depth. Similarly, the increase in N with no-till was 1.9 t ha⁻¹ to a constant 30 cm sampling depth, but only 1.4 t ha⁻¹ to a constant 1.0 m sampling depth. Tillage treatments also had significant effects on soil bulk density and pH. Distribution of OC and N with soil depth differed dramatically under the different tillage systems. While no-till clearly resulted in more OC and N accumulation in the surface 15 cm than moldboard plow, the relative no-till advantage declined sharply with depth. Indeed, moldboard plowing resulted in substantially more OC and N, relative to no-till, in the 30–50 cm depth interval despite moldboard plowing consistently to less than a 25 cm depth. Our results suggest that conclusions about OC or N gains under long-term no-till are highly dependent on sampling depth and, therefore, tillage comparisons should be based on samples taken well beyond the deepest tillage depth.     

Aggregate breakdown during tillage in a Mediterranean loamy soil

Long-term tillage negatively affects soil aggregation, but little is known about the short-term effects of tillage. We investigated the effects of intensive tillage (moldboard plowing) and conservation tillage (chisel plowing) on aggregate breakage during tillage in a long-term study located in the semiarid Ebro river valley (NE Spain). The type of tillage resulted in different soil aggregate distributions. In the 0–5-cm and 5–10-cm soil layers, chisel plowing decreased dry mean weight diameter (DMWD) 29% and 35%, respectively, while moldboard plowing decreased DMWD by only 2% and 16%, respectively. The decrease in DMWD was mainly due to breaking of large aggregates ranging (2–8 mm) into small aggregates (<0.5 mm). Tillage method had no effect on water stability of 1–2 mm aggregates. The differences in DMWD demonstrate that the choice of the tillage implement can be a key factor in improving soil management and productivity. The surprising result that aggregate breakdown was greater with chisel than moldboard plowing needs further research to determine the mechanisms controlling aggregate breaking during tillage.     

三岔河小流域水土保持基础效益评价研究

通过对“东北黑土区水土流失综合防治试点工程”中建立的不同措施的径流小区的监测,选择具有典型黑土的黑龙江省宾县三岔河小流域作为研究对象,分别对地埂植物带、荒山灌木埂、横垄、水平坑(坑内植树)、裸地、顺垄6个小区进行了为期2 a的观测。经实测分析计算得出:相对于裸地来说,水平台田、荒山灌木埂、横垄、地埂植物带和顺垄减少侵蚀量分别为99.14%,97.65%,90.66%,87.7%和58.72%,减沙保土效果最好的是水平台田,顺垄保土效果最差。     

Influences of tillage operations on soil translocation over sloping land by hoeing tillage

Very few studies have investigated the factors affecting soil displacement and tillage erosion by hoeing tillage. This study adopted a magnetic tracer method to investigate the influences of hoe form and tillage depth on soil translocation over steep hillslopes in Southwest China using a new type of magnetic tracer, i.e., ilmenite powder. Ilmenite powder enhanced the magnetic sensitivity of soil at the end position of tracer distribution, and improved the accuracy and efficiency of tillage translocation measurements. Tillage translocation by wide and perforated hoes was found to be significantly correlated with slope gradient (P < 0.01), however, no significant correlation was found for narrow and bidentate hoe tillage (P > 0.05). Compared with wide hoes, the tillage erosion rates resulting from the use of narrow, perforated and bidentate hoes were reduced by 12.4%, 11.0%, and 16.3%, respectively, indicating that changes in hoe forms resulted in a marked decrease in downslope soil translocation and tillage erosion. Tillage erosion rate decreased by 64% when the tillage depth was reduced from 0.26 to 0.14 m. These results suggest that innovations in hoe form and reductions in tillage depth are important means to manage tillage erosion due to hoeing.