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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127361
Title: TILLAGE EFFECTS ON RAINFALL PARTITIONING, SEDIMENT YIELD, AND FACILITATED AGRICHEMICAL TRANSPORT POTENTIAL

Author
item Truman, Clinton
item SHAW, J - AUBURN UNIV.AUBURN,AL
item Reeves, Donald

Submitted to: Soil Erosion for 21st Century Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2001
Publication Date: 1/20/2001
Citation: TRUMAN, C.C., SHAW, J.N., REEVES, D.W. TILLAGE EFFECTS ON RAINFALL PARTITIONING, SEDIMENT YIELD, AND FACILITATED AGRICHEMICAL TRANSPORT POTENTIAL. SOIL EROSION FOR 21ST CENTURY SYMPOSIUM. PP. 237-240. 2001.

Interpretive Summary: Coastal Plain soils located in the southeastern U.S. have been intensively cropped, and have been traditionally managed under conventional tillage practices. They are susceptible to erosion, resulting in pollutant transport off-site areas via colloidal facilitated transport of agrichemicals. Conservation tillage systems have significant potential as a amanagement tool for row crop production on these soils. We quantified rainfall partitioning, sediment delivery and characterization, and enrichment of clays and other soil constituents between sediments and in situ soils from a loamy sand soil managed under conventional-till (CT), no-till (NT), both with and without paratilling and residue. Plots (I m x 1 m) established on each tillage system treatment were exposed to simulated rainfall for 2 h with an intensity of 50 mm/h. Runoff and sediment delivery were continuously measured from flat, level-sloping field plots (slope-zl%), and mineralogical analyses of soil and sediment were performed. More runoff (2 fold) and sediment (3 fold) losses occurred from CT plots compared to NT plots. Removing residue from NT and CT plots increased runoff (38-48%) and sediment (2-5 fold) losses compared to corresponding plots with residue. Paratilling decreased runoff (by up to 50%) and sediment (2 fold) losses compared to non-paratilled plots. Amount of water dispersible clay was correlated with percent organic carbon (R*2=0.76), which was a function of tillage treatment. Sediments were enriched in quartz and depleted with respect to kaolinite as compared to in situ soils.

Technical Abstract: Coastal Plain soils located in the southeastern U.S. have been intensively cropped, and have been traditionally managed under conventional tillage practices. They are susceptible to erosion, resulting in pollutant transport off-site areas via colloidal facilitated transport of agrichemicals. The objective of this study was to quantify rainfall partitioning, sediment delivery and characterization, and enrichment of clays and other soil constituents between sediments and in situ soils from a loamy sand soil managed under conventional-till (CT), no-till (NT), both with and without paratilling and residue. plots (I M2 ) established on each tillage system treatment were exposed to simulated rainfall for 2 h with an intensity of 50 mm/h. Runoff and sediment delivery were continuously measured from flat, level-sloping field pots (slope=l%), and mineralogical analyses of soil and sediment were performed. More runoff (2 fold) and sediment (3 fold) losses occurred from CT plots compared to NT plots. Removing residue from NT and CT plots increased runoff (38-48%) and sediment (2-5 fold) losses compared to corresponding plots with residue. Paratilling decreased runoff (by up to 50%) and sediment (2 fold) losses compared to non-paratilled plots. Amount of water dispersible clay was correlated with percent organic carbon (R*2-0.76), which was a function of tillage treatment. Sediments were enriched in quartz and depleted with respect to kaolinite as compared to in situ soils.