No-tillage and inter-crops have been progressively introduced into traditional Brazilian tobacco plantations. However, there is a lack of information about their impact on soil erosion rates and soil properties. We studied 10 experimental plots in Paraná (Brazil) that rotated from no-tillage tobacco to two different inter-crop types (black beans and oats) and conventionally tilled tobacco to quantify erosion rates from September 2014 to February 2016. The results show that soil loss (18 Mg ha −1 ) and runoff coefficient (8.3%) were higher under conventional tillage tobacco than under no-tillage tobacco (3.4 Mg ha −1 and 0.6%). Bulk density was higher at the end of the cropping cycle than at the beginning. We concluded that conventional crops increased soil erosion, and the use of inter-crops and no-tillage is highly recommended for soil and water conservation. The findings should be valid for other regions that have similar cropping systems and environmental conditions.
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