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Soil erosion is extreme in Mediterranean orchards due to management impact, high rainfall intensities, steep slopes and erodible parent material. Vall d'Albaida is a traditional fruit production area which, due to the Mediterranean climate and marly soils, produces sweet fruits. However, these highly productive soils are left bare under the prevailing land management and marly soils are vulnerable to soil water erosion when left bare. In this paper we study the impact of different agricultural land management strategies on soil properties (bulk density, soil organic matter, soil moisture), soil water erosion and runoff, by means of simulated rainfall experiments and soil analyses. Three representative land managements (tillage/herbicide/covered with vegetation) were selected, where 20 paired plots (60 plots) were established to determine soil losses and runoff. The simulated rainfall was carried out at 55 mm h-1 in the summer of 2013 (<8% soil moisture) for one hour on 0.25 m2 circular plots. The results showed that vegetation cover, soil moisture and organic matter were significantly higher in covered plots than in tilled and herbicide treated plots. However, runoff coefficient, total runoff, sediment yield and soil erosion were significantly higher in herbicide treated plots compared to the others. Runoff sediment concentration was significantly higher in tilled plots. The lowest values were identified in covered plots. Overall, tillage, but especially herbicide treatment, decreased vegetation cover, soil moisture, soil organic matter, and increased bulk density, runoff coefficient, total runoff, sediment yield and soil erosion. Soil erosion was extremely high in herbicide plots with 0.91 Mg ha-1 h-1 of soil lost; in the tilled fields erosion rates were lower with 0.51 Mg ha-1 h-1. Covered soil showed an erosion rate of 0.02 Mg ha-1 h-1. These results showed that agricultural management influenced water and sediment dynamics and that tillage and herbicide treatment should be avoided

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CSIRO PublishingCerdà, A.; González-Pelayo, Ó.; Giménez Morera, A.; Jordán, A.; Pereira, P.; Novara, A.; Brevik, EC.... (2016). Use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency-high magnitude simulated rainfall events. Soil Research. 54(2):154-165. doi:10.1071/SR15092.The use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and 1 runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency -high magnitude simulated rainfall events Artemi Cerdà (1) Óscar González-Pelayo (1), Antonio Giménez-Morera (2), Antonio Jordán (3), Paulo Pereira (4), Agata Novara (5), Eric C. Brevik (6), Massimo Prosdocimi (7), Majid Mahmoodabadi (8), Saskia Keesstra (9), Fuensanta García Orenes (10), Coen Ritsema (9) (1) Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. oscar.gonzalez-pelayo@uv.es and artemio.cerda@uv.es / www.soilerosion.eu Cerdà, Artemi, Óscar González-Pelayo, Antonio Giménez-Morera, Antonio Jordán, Paulo Pereira, Agata Novara, Eric C. Brevik, Massimo Prosdocimi, Majid Mahmoodabadi, Saskia Keesstra, Fuensanta García Orenes, and Coen Ritsema. The use of barley straw residues to avoid high erosion and runoff rates on persimmon plantations in Eastern Spain under low frequency -high magnitude simulated rainfall events. Soil Research. in press. . The straw mulch was found to be extremely efficient in reducing soil erosion rates.