What is meant by tillage erosion?
Tillage erosion refers to the net soil translocation on the hillslope due to tillage operations, expressed in units of volume, mass, or depth per unit width of tillage. The transport and resultant displacement of soil during tillage is referred to as tillage translocation.
How does tillage cause erosion?
Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Without crop residue, soil particles become more easily dislodged, being moved or ‘splashed’ away.
What are the effects of tillage erosion?
Tillage can break up soil structure, speed the decomposition and loss of organic matter, increase the threat of erosion, destroy the habitat of helpful organisms and cause compaction. Each of these potential outcomes negatively impact soil quality. A soil’s performance is directly related to a soil’s quality or health.
What are the 4 types of erosion?
Rainfall produces four types of soil erosion: splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, and gully erosion.
Which erosion is removed by tillage operations?
Tillage erosion not only redistributes soil within a landscape, it also leaves the soil more susceptible to wind and water erosion by exposing subsoil which is more erodible and by delivering topsoil to areas of the landscape where water erosion is more severe.
What is contour tillage?
Contour tillage or planting is practiced on sloping lands to reduce soil erosion and surface runoff. A contour is an imaginary line connecting points of equal elevation on the ground surface, perpendicular to the direction of slope.
What does tilling do to the soil?
The Benefits of Tilling. Tilling is an age-old method of loosening the soil before planting. The purpose of tilling soil is to work in needed ingredients like nitrogen, phosphorous and compost to prepare and boost soil’s overall health.
What are the disadvantages of tillage?
Tillage loosens and aerates the soil, which allows for the deeper penetration of roots. It controls weeds and mixes organic matter, fertilizer and manure with the soil. However, tillage can contribute to the loss of soil moisture, lead to increased wind and water erosion and consume significant amounts of fuel.
What is tillage in agriculture?
Tillage is defined as the mechanical manipulation of the soil for the purpose of crop production affecting significantly the soil characteristics such as soil water conservation, soil temperature, infiltration and evapotranspiration processes. From: International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 2015.
What are the 3 main types of erosion and describe them?
Erosion involved three processes: detachment (from the ground), transportation (via water or wind), and deposition. The deposition is often in places we don’t want the soil such as streams, lakes, reservoirs, or deltas.
How does tillage prevent soil erosion?
Conventional tillage, such as moldboard plowing, leaves the soil surface bare and loosens soil particles, making them susceptible to the erosive forces of wind and water. Conservation tillage practices reduce erosion by protecting the soil surface and allowing water to infiltrate instead of running off.