Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Morris, Minnesota » Soil Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #78013
Title: SOIL MOVEMENT BY TILLAGE AS INFLUENCED BY VARIATIONS IN SLOPE GRADIENTS

Author
item Lindstrom, Michael
item SCHUMACHER, T - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item LEMME, GARY - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Soil erosion is a major environmental and soil quality concern. Soil movement from tillage operations has been identified as a contributing factor to soil erosion. Random or alternating direction of tillage will result in down slope movement of soil over time and is strongly slope gradient dependent. The objective of this study was to quantify the magnitude of net soil movement based on landscape position and slope characteristics. Regression equations describing soil movement by moldboard plowing as affected by slope gradient were developed from plots at the University of Minnesota, Southwest Experiment Station, Lamberton, Minnesota. Based on these equations, movement of soil blocks, 0.24 m (plow depth) by 0.46 m (plow share width) by 1.5 m (increment length), was calculated for a moldboard plowing operation over a landscape at the apex, shoulder, back slope, toe and foot slope positions. This process was continued to simulate 100 years of moldboard plowing at opposing directions during alternate years. Net soil movement away from a specific landscape position was more dependent from the apex and shoulder positions (convex slopes) was found to exceed 30 t ha**-1 year, little change was observed in the back slope position (linear slope), and equivalent deposition occurred in the toe and foot slope positions (concave slopes). This magnitude of net soil movement from convex slope positions represents a major soil erosion problem which can have serious soil quality implications.