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

• Published in: Soil & tillage research Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 233 - 243
• Main Authors: Thapa, B.B., Cassel, D.K., Garrity, D.P.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal powered tillage; ARADURA; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation tillage; CONTOUR CULTIVATION; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; CULTIVO EN CURVAS DE NIVEL; CULTURE EN COURBE DE NIVEAU; EROSION; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; HUMID TROPICS; LABOR EN CABALLONES; LABOUR; MOUVEMENT DU SOL; MOVIMIENTO DEL SUELO; Oxisols; PLOUGHING; RIDGE TILLAGE; SLOPING LAND; Soil erosion; Soil erosion, conservation, land management and development; Soil flux; SOIL MOVEMENT; Soil science; Soil tillage; TERRE EN PENTE; TERRENO EN DECLIVE; Tillage-induced erosion; Tillage. Tending. Growth control; TRAVAIL DU SOL EN BILLON; TROPICOS HUMEDOS; TROPIQUES HUMIDES; Asia; Philippine Islands; South east Asia; Soil erosion; Humid tropics; Ridge tillage; Soil flux; Conservation tillage; Oxisols; Tillage-induced erosion; Animal powered tillage; Translocation; Cultural practice; Monocotyledones; Soil tillage; Zea mays; Tropical zone; Displacement; Cereal crop; Soil conservation; Plowing; Soil flow; Volcanic soils; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Land slope; Humid climate; Spermatophyta; ANIMAL POWER
• ISSN: 0167-1987; 1879-3444
• DOI: 10.1016/S0167-1987(99)00040-9

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.