Manuscript Title:

EFFECT OF CONTOUR TILLAGE SYSTEM AND WATER HARVESTING METHOD ON MITIGATION OF SOIL WATER EROSION HAZARDS

Author:

OMNIA.M. WASSIF, ADIL. A. MESELHY

DOI Number:

DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/Y3KRF

Published : 2022-04-10

About the author(s)

1. OMNIA.M. WASSIF - Soil Erosion Unit, Soil, And Water Conservation Department - Desert Research Center- Cairo - Egypt.
2. ADIL. A. MESELHY - Agricultural Mechanization Unit, Soil, And Water Conservation Department - Desert Research Cente Cairo - Egypt.

Full Text : PDF

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of contour tillage in NWCZ under different water harvesting methods on soil erosion hazards. The purpose of this research was studying the effect of contour tillage by conjunction with conservation tillage and catchment area of water harvesting on reduce runoff depth, decrease soil loss rate, increase soil moisture retention, improve soil properties, and increase crop yield. The treatments of contour tillage were more reduced of runoff depth and soil loss by water erosion rate than treatments of perpendicular tillage on slope. The results of contour tillage methods achieved its benefits in preserving soil from nutrient depletion; improve of some soil properties such as soil moisture and bulk density and removing some of the obstacles facing conservation tillage by perpendicular tillage system. In addition, the ratio of catchment area to cultivated area (2:1) led to an increase in the efficiency of contour tillage in retention moisture and increasing its percentage in the soil, thus improving the efficiency of conservation tillage. The results reported that the conservation tillage (No tillage and Minimum Tillage) by conjunction contour cultivation method and water harvesting catchment area had improve crop yield without affecting soil quality as compared with conventional tillage. Grain and straw yield consequently improve in biological yield as caused by contour tillage system by 12%, 14%, 13% respectively compared with perpendicular tillage system. Therefore, contour tillage system is a solution to overcome the soil water erosion hazards, water scarcity and climate change


Keywords

Conservation tillage, conventional tillage, catchment area, moisture retention, soil and water conservation, soil macronutrients, runoff , soil loss rate .