The Effect of Shallow Tillage on Soil Erosion in a Semi-Arid Vineyard

Abstract

Soil erosion has been considered a threat for semi-arid lands due to the removal of solid materials by water and wind. Although water erosion is currently considered the most important process of soil degradation, a growing interest has been drawn to the impact of soil tillage. Although numerous studies on tillage erosion have been carried out on arable land using a moldboard plow, a chisel, and a tandem disc for different crops, there are no studies on the effect of shallow tillage on soil redistribution in vineyards. The aim of this work was to evaluate the soil tillage erosion rate in a vineyard using a 13C natural abundance tracer. A strip of soil (C3-C soil) was removed, mixed with C4-C tracer, and replaced. After the installation of the strip, tillage (upslope in one inter-row and downslope in the other inter-row) was performed with a cultivator and soil was collected along the slope with an interval of 0.2 m from the C4-C strip. Soil organic carbon and δ13C were measured and the total mass of translocated soil (T) soil was calculated. The net effect of tillage after two consecutive operations (downslope and upslope tillage) was a T of 49.3 ± 4.2 kg m−1. The estimated annual erosion rate due to tillage in the studied vineyard was 9.5 ± 1.2 Mg ha−1year−1. The contribution of the soil tillage erosion rate was compared with that of water erosion in the same vineyard, and we conclude that tillage is a threat to soil degradation.

Effects of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Runoff and Sediment Yield in Red Soil Slope Farmland under Natural Rainfall

“…Therefore, it is necessary to take soil and water conservation measures to reduce soil erosion on slope farmland, conserve soil, and maintain the sustainability of soil fertility. However, except for soil vegetation cover, the soil tillage erosion can be controlled by reducing operations, regulating speed and depth, and choosing more sustainable tillage tools [66]. Contour tillage can effectively reduce slope erosion, but when rainfall is heavy, severe ridge erosion may occur due to broken ridges [67].…”

Effect of Rainfall Intensity on Glyphosate Herbicide Effectiveness in Controlling Ageratum conyzoides, Rottboellia exaltata, and Cyperus rotundus Weeds

“…Salah satu cara mengontrol gulma yang efektif adalah dengan pengolahan tanah, tetapi penanganan secara mekanik memiliki kelemahan seperti: (i) memakan banyak waktu, (ii) perlu banyak tenaga kerja, dan (iii) boros energi. Studi terdahulu menunjukkan pengontrolan secara mekanik menjadi penyebab permasalahan erosi pada areal pertanian (Gonzales et al, 2017;Montgomery, 2007;Novara et al, 2019;Rodrigo-Comino et al, 2018). Selain cara mekanik, pengendalian gulma dapat menggunakan pendekatan kimia seperti dengan herbisida yang dihasilkan oleh industri.…”

Estimating Non-Sustainable Soil Erosion Rates in the Tierra de Barros Vineyards (Extremadura, Spain) Using an ISUM Update

“…In Italy, we can observe some recent comparable investigations published in 2019 but with soil erosion rates lower than in the Tierra de Barros. For instance, Novara et al [59] assessed the soil tillage erosion rate in a Sicilian vineyard using a 13 C natural abundance tracer registering 9.5 ± 1.2 Mg ha −1 yr −1 . On the other hand, using the USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) for the same area, Baimonte et al [38] over the 10-year period of observation quantified up to 3 Mg ha −1 with a maximum of 13.2 Mg ha −1 in 2014.…”