engleski

Monitoring of water erosion in Croatia

Water erosion continues to be a primary cause of soil degradation and the soil loss throughout the world. Our objectives were to quantify water erosion (referred as runoff and soil loss) during the 12-year investigation cycle (1995-2006) on Stagnic Luvisols, in central Croatia, under common agricultural crops grown in six tillage treatments. This paper presents the results relating to total soil loss, with special reference to time occurrence of soil loss per crop and development stages of the crops grown - soybean (Glycine hyspida L.) and oil-seed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera L.). The largest erosion in the 12-year period was recorded in the standard variant (black fallow). This was followed by the variant involving ploughing up and down the slope, much smaller soil losses were in no-tillage and treatments with ploughing across the slope. Much higher soil losses were recorded in growing of spring crops (soybean) than in winter crops (oil-seed rape). In growing of spring row crops, soil losses were not evenly distributed during crop growing, quite contrary. The period of seedbed preparation, or the period immediately after sowing spring crops (same result we got for maize) is the most critical period with the highest risk of erosion. In growing of spring crops, this is the period when over 80% of the overall annual soil loss occurs in all tillage treatments. Our investigation showed that growing spring row crops resulted with extreme water erosion. In growing of winter crops (wheat, barley), crops of high density, no critical periods were observed and water erosion was insignificant. Summing up all advantages and drawbacks of studied tillage methods in 12 years investigation for a wide application in crop growing on this soil type, we recommend no-tillage and ploughing across the slope.

Croatia; Soil Loss; Tilage treatments; Water erosion

nije evidentirano